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Step
1 - Understanding Hair Loss
Ready to stop your hair loss? Here are some first steps to take
that will get you on the road to taking control of this very unenjoyable
dilemma.
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First
Steps to Combating Hair Loss |
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It is still not fully understood what causes hair loss, however
in the past few years we've made incredible strides in identifying the
major factors. Let's first focus on dispelling some of those rumors you
know are floating around in your head right now...
The following old wives tales are very commonly believed, but are at times
very illogical and almost always wrong. A good rule of thumb - if it didn't
make you bald when you were 15, it's probably not making you bald now.
Stress? Probably not, unless you've undergone
extreme physical or mental torture for months.
Bad Circulation? No. Male pattern baldness
is not caused by a lack of circulation or nutrients to the follicle, whether
it be by hats, ponytails, or anything else. There are conditions where
trauma to the scalp has caused damage, but it wouldn't happen without
you knowing it.
Sweat & Dirt? No. Beware of any treatment
that claims it is "cleaning" the follicles of excess sebum, dirt, or sweat.
Anyone who has ever had an ingrown hair can vouch for the fact that it
takes a heck of a lot more than oil to stop a hair from growing through
something. You sweat in high school, and you never lost a hair from it.
Hats? No. The high school baseball team was
never known to be the baldest team in school. Hat's do not cause hair
loss.
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Hair
Loss Video Webcast |
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"A good rule of thumb: If it didn't make you bald
when you were 15, it's probably not making you bald now."
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Dont
have time to read the whole Guide? Go
Here!
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The Real
Causes of Hair Loss
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DHT & Androgens: DHT is a naturally occurring
hormone, which assists with sexual development during your fetal days,
and during puberty. DHT actually existed in the body even while we had
full heads of hair. The problem arises when genetic switches cause changes
in the follicles and men's overall biology.
In follicles, there exists DHT and structures called "Androgen Receptors".
In healthy hair follicles, these two substances combine to carry out normal
processes and regulate normal hair growth. DHT is created as a result
of another combination of Testosterone and something called 5-alpha-reductase.
In summary, we have two combinations going on in the normal, non-balding
man:
- Testosterone and 5-alpha-reductase Enzyme combine to form DHT
- DHT and Androgen Receptors combine to carry out the creation of
normal proteins in follicles, which regulate the health, growth, and
resting cycles of a follicle.
As men start to age, these two processes change.
After puberty, Testosterone typically increases in the overall blood supply
of most males. Consequently, the binding of Testosterone and 5-Alpha increases,
causing more DHT to be produced (1). This of course results in an increase
in binding between DHT and the Androgen Receptors (2). The increased binding
then causes an imbalance in the biology and processes of the follicle.
Overabundance of this activity directly affects the growth regulating
that goes on in the follicle, which results in slower and less healthy
growth each time the hair grows, rests, and regrows again. When DHT and
the Androgen receptors were in normal abundance, binding at normal rates,
hair growth regulation was also normal. Hair grew and fell as it should
have. The overabundance however, throws the whole process off kilter.
The degradation process of the follicle is typically very slow, and takes
many years, but the result is very apparent on the scalp to the hair loss
sufferer. As hair continues through its growth and resting phases, each
time a new hair grows from a DHT swamped follicle, it comes back thinner
and shorter than it did the last time. Over several years, its growth
degrades so much that it can no longer be seen. Thus is Androgenetic Alopecia
- aka Male Pattern Baldness.
In order to stop hair loss in any way, you must be able to in some fashion
alter the processes identified above, or usurp them by stimulating growth
*despite* the effects of DHT. Treatments claiming to "wash" dirt out,
increase circulation, or reduce sebum are quite simply, hogwash.
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Hair
Loss Video Webcast |
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Dont
have time to read the whole Guide? Go Here!
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Treatments that counter DHT /
Androgen Receptor activity: DHT Inhibitors, SOD's, Growth
Stimulants Antiandrogens. We give examples of each of these in the next
few steps.
Inflammation: The process described above
initiates what is called an autoimmune response. To put it in layman's
terms, follicles experiencing the above process are suddenly considered
foreign objects in the body, and the degradation is a direct result
of the body rejecting them from the system. This is really what Male
Pattern Baldness is all about.
One of the biggest telltale signs of the autoimmune response is tingling,
itching, redness, and inflammation of the scalp. Not all men losing
hair experience this, but a vast majority do. Inflammation is considered
one of the other major factors which exacerbate the hair loss process.
This is why in addition to DHT inhibitors, SOD's, and Growth Stimulants,
it is imperative that you include an approved scalp conditioner which
actively eliminates the itching, inflammation, and flaking. The absolute
best product for this on the market today is Nizoral shampoo. It should
be included in ANY hair loss treatment regimen, and as a shampoo, it
is easy to use.
Treatments that counter Inflammation: Antifungal
Shampoo's containing Ketokonazole, such as Nizoral.
You now know the causes of hair loss in Androgenetic Alopecia (MPB). You
may also have noticed mention of treatments. Your next step is to evaluate
the type of hair loss you have, and then the appropriate treatment for
it. As you see above, there are only 5 types of treatments which truly
work: DHT Inhibitors, Growth Stimulants, SOD's, Anti-inflammatory's, and
Antiandrogens.
Click step 2 below to begin evaluating your personal situation.
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