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Learn About How Stress Can Contribute To Baldness

By: Jim McDonald

Baldness is a degrading condition for millions of men and women, and can lead to psychological problems and feelings of self worthlessness. On the other hand, there are also millions of baldness sufferers who just treat their hair loss as a fact of life - a part of growing old.

Science has uncovered a lot of baldness information in recent years, and treatments are becoming more effective. And like so many other medical and personal health symptoms, if you act on the problem at the start, you've got a better chance of reducing the affects, or sometimes, even reversing the condition.

Now it must be pointed out that there is not a magic pill for correcting baldness (yet) and there is no one single technique that works for one and all. As a fact, in most instances a combination of a few anti- baldness products will procure better results than any one specific product or technique. Everyone is different, and because there are so many causes of baldness, the treatment will always need to be tailored to the individual.

That carries us to the impending question, whether or not stress can cause baldness? You see, stress is so frequently referred to as the major cause of hair loss, that many people believe this to be kosher. The fact is that stress is a cause of baldness, so you can blame your job or your sporting team if it makes you feel better, but it is not the major cause. Stress is seen as a contributing factor of hair loss, but there is one major factor that is far more prevalent than all other causes.

Balding can be caused by many factors, with more than 50% of males suffering some form of baldness or thinning by middle age. Women also suffer from hair loss, and around 35-40% of women will suffer some type of baldness or thinning by age 60. Pattern Baldness is the most common cause of hair loss. Pattern baldness alone affects more than 40% of the male population. Pattern baldness is easy to explain - it is a genetic disposition - it eventuates naturally.

Our genetic make-up naturally predisposes most men and women to Pattern Baldness. The cause of Pattern baldness is very intricate, but simply put, it occurs when testosterone combines with a specific enzyme and is converted into what is know as dihydrotestosterone (aka DHT). DHT has an adverse affect on the hair follicles - it is the causer for slowing down hair production and produces weaker, shorter hair - and eventually stops hair from growth altogether.

Men and women suffer from Pattern baldness in very different ways. Men tend to experience thinning hair in certain sections or patches of the scalp and that's why many instances in men result in the 'monk' effect, i.e. balding on top, with hair still growing at the sides and back. Women tend to lose hair evenly across the scalp, so instead of having a visibly bald patch, a woman can actually lose more hair than a man, but still appear to have a full head of hair.

Pattern Baldness is by far the most likely cause f hair loss, but there are a number of other known causes. The other causes of baldness are credited for such small percentages of instances, and in the majority of cases are the easiest to prevent, detect or even reverse. Other known causes of baldness are hormonal imbalances (especially in women) illnesses, inferior diet, below par hygiene, drug abuse and last but not least, stress. Again, stress is an absolute known cause of baldness. Not a major cause, but it ranks in the top few causes.

The scientific name for stress-related baldness is Telogen Effluvium. This type of hair loss can also be caused by experiences such as trauma, childbirth, puberty, major surgery and even severe chronic illness. Telogen Effluvium is characterized by hasty hair loss caused by an interruption in the normal hair growth cycle. Stress and trauma cause large numbers of hair follicles to concurrently enter a stage of rest. After some time, the hair follicles will enter a stage of growth, and the old hair will be forced out of the follicle by a new hair that is formed beneath it. The result is a period of hair shedding, and is usually self correcting, but if the stress is ongoing, then this type of balding can become chronic and eventually lead to more prevalent baldness.

Stress-related baldness does really exist, so you can blame your football team, or your job or anything else that stresses you out. But in reality, although stress can lead to hair loss, it is one of the lesser causes of balding. And it is only really related to more dramatic experiences that have bought on stress. The most likely cause of hair loss is Pattern Baldness, and you can take steps to minimized its effects - but be quick.

Article Source: http://www.thehealthmanual.com

A healthy diet is extremely important in hair loss prevention. Avoiding processed foods, caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco products is a great hairloss prevention tactic and you may be surprised at the results. Seeing a specialist in the early stages of hair loss will increase your chances of re-growth. Visit www.hairloss-baldness.info for further information and in depth articles.


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