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How to stop hair loss
Tuesday, August 27, 2024
Hair loss is a common issue affecting millions of people worldwide. In this article, we will explore the symptoms, causes and hair loss treatments available to buy online from Oxford Online Pharmacy.
What is hair loss?
Hair loss is caused by a disruption in the body's hair production cycle. While it can occur anywhere on the body, it most commonly affects the scalp.
Typically, the scalp contains about 100,000 hairs that undergo growth, rest, shedding, and regeneration cycles.
How much hair loss is normal?
Losing hair is a normal part of life, with most people shedding between 50 and 100 hairs daily, often without noticing. While hair loss is usually not a cause for concern, it can sometimes indicate an underlying medical condition.
What causes hair loss?
There are many different causes of hair loss. For men, androgenetic alopecia (or male pattern baldness) is the most common cause, often a condition you are predisposed to and can tell whether you will get it from your parents. If your parents suffer from this type of hair loss, it probably means you will too.
If this applies to you and you would like to stop your hair loss from worsening, you should look out for the early signs of male/female pattern baldness and then consider treating hair loss - we will go into more detail on the available treatments in this article.
What does hereditary hair loss look like?
Family history (hereditary) hair loss is also known as androgenic alopecia, male-pattern baldness, and female-pattern baldness. It typically progresses gradually and follows predictable patterns: men often experience a receding hairline and bald patches, while women usually see thinning hair along the crown of the scalp.
Stages of female pattern hair loss.
Stages of male pattern baldness.Hair loss is commonly linked to one or a combination of these factors:
Family history: Genetic factors are the primary reason for hair loss, often associated with ageing. This condition is referred to as hair loss androgenic alopecia, male-pattern baldness, or female-pattern baldness. It usually develops gradually and follows predictable patterns, such as a receding hairline and bald spots in men, and hair loss and hair thinning along the crown in women.
The most common type of hair loss is androgenetic alopecia, also known as androgenic alopecia, which causes permanent hair loss. This condition, also known as male pattern baldness in men and female pattern baldness in women, affects 70% of men and 40% of women over their lifetimes.
So, is there a hair loss cure?
Unfortunately, if you experience androgenetic alopecia, it will not stop on its own, in fact, it will likely get worse as time goes on, this is why many people seek a solution to stop their hair loss.
Other factors that could cause hair loss:
- Hormonal changes and medical conditions: Such as postpartum hair loss, pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, and thyroid problems. Medical conditions include alopecia areata (an immune deficiency condition causing patchy loss), scalp infections like ringworm, and trichotillomania.
- Medications and supplements: Hair loss can result from some drugs, such as those prescribed for cancer, arthritis, depression, heart conditions, gout, and hypertension.
- A stressful event: After a physical or emotional shock, it is common for people to notice hair thinning a few months later.
- Certain hairstyles and treatments: Tight hairstyles, can result in traction alopecia due to excessive pulling on the hair. Hot-oil hair treatments and permanents can also lead to losing hair. Permanent hair loss may result from scarring.
- Radiation therapy: Hair growth may differ after radiation therapy to the head compared to before the treatment, resulting in changes to the hair.
How to stop hair loss
You must establish the type of hair loss you have before you start treatment. If your hair loss is temporary and caused by one of the conditions above there are measures you can take to slow down your hair loss. For example, taking hair growth supplements like Florisine tablets or using a shampoo for like Alpecin or Plantur 39.
If you have androgenetic alopecia, consider using medical treatments for this type of hair loss. Find below a list of the available treatments:
How to prevent hair loss
At Oxford Online Pharmacy you can get hair growth treatments to stop hair loss caused by male pattern baldness such as Finasteride (Propecia), Loniten (Minoxidil) and Dutasteride capsules.
For those that prefer topical solutions for regrowing hair, you can find Regaine (Minoxidil) foam and solution and Topical Finasteride, Minoxidil and Tretinoin spray.
Over-the-counter hair loss treatments
You can buy treatments without a prescription such as Alpecin caffeine liquid and Nourkrin man shampoo. These shampoos can be used alongside most prescription medicines. As well as vitamin supplements like Nourkrin Man tablets.
What is the best treatment for hair loss in men?
This all depends on your type of hair loss and what works best for you, for male pattern baldness we suggest trying a first-line treatment such as Regaine (Minoxidil) and if this isn’t fully effective, you could consider Finasteride 1mg tablets.
Read our dedicated article about what causes hair loss for more information.
Comparison of hair loss treatments
|
Treatment |
Active ingredient |
Prescription required? |
Application |
How it works |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Finasteride 1mg |
Finasteride |
Yes |
1 tablet daily |
Blocks DHT (a hormone which can cause hair loss) |
|
Dutasteride 0.5mg capsules |
Dutasteride |
Yes |
1 capsule daily |
Blocks DHT (a hormone which can cause hair loss) |
|
Regaine 5% foam |
Minoxidil |
No |
Apply to the scalp twice daily |
Increase blood flow to roots and move your hairs into a phase of active growth |
|
Minoxidil 2.5mg tablets |
Minoxidil |
Yes |
1 tablet daily after first 2 weeks |
Increase blood flow to roots and move your hair into a phase of active growth |
|
Propecia 1mg tablets |
Finasteride |
Yes |
1 tablet daily |
Blocks DHT (a hormone which can cause hair loss) |
|
Topical Finasteride spray |
Finasteride, Minoxidil and Tretinoin |
Yes |
Apply to the scalp twice daily |
All of the above |
Treatments to stop hair loss in women
At Oxford Online Pharmacy you can get treatments for androgenic alopecia in females such as Regaine (Minoxidil) solution for women. This treatment is available without a prescription, you just need to complete a short questionnaire so our pharmacists can check any treatment is right for your condition.
Buy hair loss treatments online
Start ConsultationCommon hair loss FAQ’s
How long does it take to grow hair loss back?
This will depend on the amount of hair thinning and loss you have already experienced before treatment. Most androgenic alopecia treatments get to work straight away and the first results could be seen within the first 6 months. Hair loss treatments are intended for long-term use and if you stop them your hair falls out again and reverts to before.
Which vitamin deficiency causes hair loss?
Vitamins such as riboflavin, biotin, folate, and vitamin B12 have been attributed to hair loss.1 This type of hair loss can be prevented by eating a well-balanced diet or taking vitamin hair supplements.
What is the best shampoo for hair loss?
You could use clinically proven hair loss shampoos such as Alpecin C1 shampoo, Plantur 39 or Nourkrin to strengthen the follicles and stimulate hair growth.
Can stress cause hair loss?
Being stressed can have a negative impact on hair health and cause it to start falling out. Read our dedicated article about stress and hair loss here.
Does creatine cause hair loss?
Some sources claim that creatine supplements are linked to hair loss, although, there have been no studies backing this.
Does testosterone cause hair loss?
No, according to studies testosterone isn’t linked to causing hair loss however excess testosterone is linked to causing the production of DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) the hormone which causes hereditary hair loss.
References
- PMC - The Role of Vitamins and Minerals in Hair Loss: A Review, Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2019 Mar; 9(1): 51–70. Published online 2018 Dec 13. doi: 10.1007/s13555-018-0278-6
- Mayo Clinic - Hair Loss Symptoms and Causes
- NHS- Conditions, Hair loss
- Cleveland Clinic - Hair Loss in Women: Causes, Treatment & Prevention
- Health Line - Hair loss
Reviewed on 27 August 2024
