Drug-Induced Hair Loss

Medications are designed to treat a variety of health conditions, but sometimes they can have unwanted side effects -- including changes to the hair. Certain drugs can contribute to excess hair growth, changes in hair color or texture, or hair loss. Drug-induced hair loss, like any other type of hair loss, can have a real effect on your self-esteem. The good news is that in most cases, it's easily reversible once you stop taking the drug. Recommended Related to Hair Loss Caring for Your Thinning Hair Michele Rosenthal of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., has tried every styling trick in the book to make her hair look thicker. She’s grown bangs to provide the illusion of more hair in the front and uses wide headbands to make it look fuller in the back. She is self-conscious about her hair and over the years it has affected her. On dates, when a man would ask her to let her hair down, she often found herself exclaiming, “Don’t touch the headband!” Rosenthal has dealt with thinning hair since the age... Read the Caring for Your Thinning Hair article > > How Do Drugs Cause Hair Loss? Drugs cause hair loss by interfering with the normal cycle of scalp hair growth. During the anagen phase, which lasts for three to four years, the hair grows. During the telogen phase, which lasts about three months, the hair rests. At the end of the telogen phase, the hair falls out and is replaced by a new hair. Medications can lead to two types of hair loss: telogen effluvium and Anagen effluvium. Telogen effluvium is the most common form of drug-induced hair loss. It usually appears within two to four months after taking the drug. This condition causes the hair follicles to go into their resting phase (telogen) and fall out too early. People with telogen effluvium usually shed between 100 and 150 hairs a day. Anagen effluvium is hair loss that occurs during the anagen phase of the hair cycle, when the hairs are actively growing. It prevents the matrix cells, which produce new hairs, from dividing normally. This type of hair loss usually occurs within a few days to weeks after taking the medication. It's most common in people who are taking chemotherapy drugs and is often severe, causing people to lose most or all of the hair on their head, as well as their eyebrows, eyelashes, and other body hairs. The severity of drug-induced hair loss depends on the type of drug and dosage, as well as your sensitivity to that drug. What Types of Drugs Cause Hair Loss? Many different types of drugs are thought to cause hair loss, including: Acne medications containing vitamin A (retinoids) Antibiotics and antifungal drugs Antidepressants Birth control pills Anticlotting drugs Cholesterol-lowering drugs Drugs that suppress the immune system Drugs that treat breast cancer Epilepsy drugs (anticonvulsants) High blood pressure medications (anti-hypertensives), such as beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, and diuretics Hormone replacement therapy Mood stabilizers Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) Parkinson's disease drugs Steroids Thyroid medications Weight loss drugs Chemotherapy drugs often lead to the anagen effluvium type of hair loss. As these drugs kill cancer cells throughout the body, they also can damage healthy cells, including hair matrix cells. The hair typically starts to fall out within two weeks of starting chemotherapy and progresses more rapidly after 1-2 months, according to the American Cancer Society. Hair loss is more common and severe in patients taking combinations of chemotherapy drugs than in those who take just one drug. Chemotherapy drugs that tend to cause hair loss include: adriamycin cyclophosphamide cactinomycin docetaxel doxorubicin etoposide ifosfamide irinotecan paclitaxel topotecan vinorelbine How Is Drug-Induced Hair Loss Diagnosed? If you are experiencing hair loss, your doctor will ask you several questions, including: When did the hair loss start? How quickly has the hair been falling out? What other symptoms do you have, such as scalp itching, burning, or tingling? What drugs were you taking in the four months leading up to the hair loss? What other illnesses do you have? Have you made any changes to your diet or hair-care routine? The doctor also will examine your scalp to look at the pattern of hair loss. Tests that may be done include: Thyroid function tests to look for thyroid disorders, which can sometimes cause hair loss Hair shaft exam to look at the shape, length, and fragility of the hairs Pull test: gently pulling on about 60 hairs to see how many come out Biopsy: removing a piece of scalp tissue for examination Hormone tests It can be difficult to prove which drug is causing the hair loss, or even that a drug is to blame. Your doctor may ask you to stop taking one drug at a time and see whether your hair stops falling out, but it can take two to three months after stopping a drug for the hair loss to end.
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/drug-induced-hair-loss

The difficulties of dealing with hair loss

People who do not suffer from alopecia or hair loss may not understand the social difficulties and self image issues that those who are affected by it have to endure. Hair loss can really hurts one's confidence and self worth. Although baldness and hair loss affect almost 40% of men and it is fairly common among women as well, it is still consider a minor problem. However, men and women alike are willing to try any hair loss solutions and alopecia treatment they can find, in order to get over this frustrating condition and regain their hair and their confidence. Baldness in women and men is still seen as in-aesthetic, especially in today's world where looks and appearance carry so much weigh.

A lot of the blame regarding the perception of baldness in men and women lays on the media, because it constantly portrays people suffering from hair loss as both overweight and physically unattractive, subconsciously implementing the idea that only people with a full head of hair are sexy and attractive. Although the media mainly focuses on male hair loss, women are also having trouble dealing with alopecia, maybe even more than men, which is why the market started to fill with women hair loss treatment options, some authentic, others not so much. The variety of available treatments range from oral medication, which sometimes comes with several negative side effects, different creams and solutions to hair transplant or scalp reduction, which are very painful surgical procedures, not to mention quite expensive.

The causes of hair loss are also very diverse, but in 95% of the cases is related to an existing excess of DHT, a hormone that affects hair follicles and stops them from growing hair. Of course, in some cases, the hair fall is caused by certain diseases or disorders, such as thyroid disease or iron deficiency. But whatever the cause, the effect is the same. From a psychological point of view, people suffering from hair loss are known to be less social, avoiding contact with other persons and constantly trying to overcompensate with devious behaviour. The emotional state of people affected by alopecia is also more fragile, due to the low self image and sense of confidence. Seeing that it is quite difficult to deal with this kind of condition, it is completely understandable how people are dedicated to finding the best men hair loss treatment or the most effective hair solution for women.

All things considered, baldness or hair loss can have devastating effects on a person's lifestyle and well being, from both emotional and psychological points of view. Either because we are surrounded by impossible to reach standards that focus greatly on looks or because appearance helps us boost our self esteem, dealing with hair loss comes really hard for both men, who are always seeking the best hair solution for men, and women, a difficulty that people who are not affected from the condition have a hard time understanding and may disregard it with ease.

Titles:

1.      Psychological issues regarding hair loss

2.      The adversity of baldness in men and women

3.      Why hair loss solutions are greatly sought after

4.      The search for alopecia treatment

5.      Emotional distress associated with hair loss

6.      Self confidence issues of people suffering from hair loss

7.      The social hindrance of hair loss

8.      Managing hair loss

9.      How to cope with baldness

10.  Psychological concerns about hair loss

11.  Handling baldness and hair loss

12.  The emotional infliction of hair loss

13.  The pain of baldness in women and men

14.  Hair loss – management and solutions

15.  The importance of hair loss solutions

16.  The harm of baldness

17.  The prejudice brought by hair loss

18.  Perceiving hair loss

19.  Facing the effects of alopecia

20.   Enduring hair loss or baldness

Descriptions:

1.      People suffering from hair loss or baldness often have a hard time dealing with the issue and building up their self confidence, because of the image standards of the society.

2.      Hair loss and alopecia are very serious conditions affecting many people, men and women alike, and making it hard for them to integrate in a world where looks is everything.

3.      Hair loss can greatly impact a person's life, starting with the self image and confidence and ending with how other people perceive that person.

4.      Hair loss solutions are greatly sought after because people who suffer from alopecia are willing to try anything that would restore their hair.

5.      It is very hard for men and especially for women to confront an image problem, such as hair loss or baldness, even though it is a fairly common condition.www.haircapixyl.com

the makers of capixyl

capixyl A unique solution for anti-hair loss and hair regrowth! Quebec, March 15, 2011 – Unipex, a world leader in the manufacturing and marketing of innovative active ingredients for the cosmetics and personal care industry, will unveil its latest release: CapixylTM, at the in-cosmetics trade show at the end of March 2011. CapixylTM is an innovative and unique active complex designed to prevent, and stop the hair loss process and stimulate hair growth. CapixylTM, a proven alternative to address hair loss CapixylTM is a biomimetic peptide combined with a red clover extract. Based on the combined and synergistic action of its two ingredients, CapixylTM targets directly three contributing factors in hair loss. It prevents hair miniaturization, favors a better hair anchoring, and reduces inflammation, an aggravating factor in hair loss. CapixylTM is a clinically proven alternative to address hair loss and boost hair growth! Clinical tests demonstrate its effectiveness in increasing the hair density by 46% in addition to being more effective on hair growth than the reference product on the market and without causing side effects. A new niche for Unipex “Capixyl TM is a first for us in the field of hair treatment. It is for Unipex the result of several years’ of work carried out jointly with The Institut Européen de Biologie cellulaire (IEB), our research facility specialized in the development of biomimetic peptides.” states Antonio Lara, General Manager of Unipex Innovations. Unipex is once again proving its vitality and leadership in the field of biomimetic peptides for cosmetic use. Like all other Unipex products, CapixylTM offers an innovative mechanism of action and is manufactured to meet the highest quality and safety standards. About Unipex Unipex is a privately held company specializing in the development, production, marketing and distribution of active ingredients and specialty chemicals for world-class producers in the cosmetics, pharmaceutical, specialty chemical and nutrition industries. Unipex is also active in the areas of vigilance and consumer testing through its Iris subsidiary. Its distribution and marketing network serves more than 50 countries in North America, Europe and Asia. The company has over 165 employees in six offices across North America and Europe. Additional information regarding Unipex is available at www.unipex.com.

Guidelines to hair loss treatment

Hair loss is a condition that affects many people, men and women alike, especially after the age of 40. There are several types of hair loss, medically known as alopecia, depending on the underlying cause and the manner in which it manifests. There is a common belief that baldness is hereditary, but the truth is that, while that may be the case, there are several other causes to hair loss, whether in men or in women. There are cases in which alopecia is not the result of genetics, nor of androgen activity, but rather of several deficiencies, auto-immune disorders or even environmental factors. Sometimes hair loss can occur gradually, others it can be very sudden. Seeing that there is a diversity of types and causes for alopecia, it is only normal that there would be a variety of female hair loss treatment options, as well as male hair loss treatments. Nowadays, there is a lot of information on the topic available online, as well as many products on specialized websites, such as haircapixyl.com. However, it is important to know that female or male hair loss treatment should only be decided upon after identifying the exact cause. As mentioned above, there are several types of alopecia and each has its own progress, as well as its own proper course of treatment. Of course, things aren't quite that simple when you are confronting with such a condition, as no treatment is highly effective on its own and, more often than not, physicians recommend several male or female hair loss treatments simultaneously. To that extent, several such remedies have proven efficient along the way for the majority of people in the sense that the hair loss progress was slowed down or, in the best of cases stopped, or the hair was helped to regrow. So, as there are numerous factors that influence hair fall, the best thing to do is to try a mixed approach, meaning combining several treatments that address several underlying causes. Anti-androgen medication is one of the basic treatments and there are separate pills for men and women, which you can combine with several foams or creams that stimulate hair growth. Therapeutic shampoos are also beneficial as a female or male hair loss treatment, not to mention that they can also work to prevent hair from becoming thin or unhealthy. The hair cells are the fastest growing cells in your body, but they need proper nutrition in order to do so. Diet pills or poor nutrition can lead to hair loss, because the body redirects the energy to the places that need it the most. This is of course mainly seen in women, as they are constantly preoccupied with being skinny, so consuming more fruits and vegetables in order to get more vitamins and minerals in your body should definitely be part of a female hair loss treatment. However, for more severe cases, apart from efficient solution that you can find online, on haircapixyl.com and other such websites, you also have the option of surgery, such as scalp reduction or hair transplant.

Types of alopecia in men and women

Alopecia is a term used to describe loss of hair, either form the head or from the body. There are several types of hair loss, depending on the rate or the pattern, as well as on what causes the alopecia in men and women alike. Sometimes the condition is genetic, sometimes it is a result of lifestyle, while others it's caused by medical conditions, such as iron deficiency. Treatments for alopecia in women and in men are as various as the causes are and range from different oral medications to surgery in the form of hair transplant or scalp reduction. However, many people go for natural remedies or pharmaceutical solutions that have proven effective in others or that they read about online, on dedicated websites like http://haircapixyl.com/. The most common type of alopecia in men, although it is fairly often met in women as well, is androgenic alopecia, which also goes by androgenetic alopecia or alopecia androgenetica. It causes hair thinning and eventually hair loss. Humans are not the only ones that can be affected by the condition, as you can also see it in chimpanzee and orangutans. This particular type of alopecia is frequently referred to as male pattern baldness, because hair loss is usually pretty well defined, starting above the temples and at the crown of the head. Androgenic alopecia in women is slightly different and it is called female pattern baldness. The pattern however is different from that of men, the hair thinning around the entire scalp. Researches have shown that it is not only genetics that causes androgenic alopecia, but several environmental factors may do that as well. But it is widely acknowledged that pattern hair fall is strongly related to DHT, a hormone with important functions in the male and female body. The excess of DHT affects the hair follicles, shortening their life. Another form of the condition is traction alopecia, which is a gradual loss of hair mainly seen in women. The main cause of traction alopecia in women is the application of a pulling force to the hair, which happens when a woman wears her hair in braids or tight ponytail very often. This type of alopecia is most frequently seen in African American women, due to their hair style, such as dreadlocks or extension braids. Traction alopecia is easily visible at the hair line, around the temple and the sides. Because it mainly thins the hair, you can counteract with using hair solutions that help strengthen your hair, many of which you can find over the Internet, on websites such as haircapixyl.com. Alopecia areata is what happens when the hair falls without pattern, from the body, but usually from the scalp. It is a medical condition that leads to bald spots, being commonly known as spot baldness. This type of alopecia in men or women rarely progresses to complete baldness, but in 1–2% of cases, it can actually spread to the whole scalp, leading to alopecia totalis. In even more rare cases it can spread to the entire epidermis, in which case it is called alopecia universalis. The causes of this type of alopecia in women or men are not quite clear, although stress is said to be a huge factor, as well as autoimmune disorders.

Common facts about baldness

People generally refer to baldness as a complete or partial loss of hair. While you might think that it is a condition that affects only male, there are millions of women that fight hair loss everyday. Actually, baldness in women does not manifest that much different than baldness in men. It is a very common problem for both genders, especially after the age of 40, which is why one should take great care of one's hair, regardless of age, in order to prevent hair thinning. Plus, it is a known fact that hair is a health barometer for your body, reflecting one's internal health. Natural products are always recommendable, as well as using hair thickening solutions that you are able to find anywhere, including online, on websites like haircapixyl.com. Baldness in men and women can be hereditary, but it can also be a result of a serious illness. Beside these causes, baldness can also be the result of a poor diet or scalp cleanliness, stress and the excess of DHT. Scalp cleanliness for example, usually refers to dandruff, as many people also experience this problem, which, in combination with the chemicals that are found in shampoos and dirt or excess sebum oil, can also cause hair loss. So, if you have dandruff, try changing you shampoo or your other hair products, as a dry scalp can be the cause of dandruff, as well as stress. Using conditioners and shampoos with natural ingredients is the best way to get rid of dandruff. Lifestyle is a major contributor to our health in general and hair makes no exception. Excessive stress can be both a primary and secondary cause of baldness in women and men alike. When your body feels stress, it redirects the energy in places that most need it and hair cells shut down. Try to reduce the level of stress as much as possible and also it may be a good idea to add nutritional supplements to your diet. And this brings us to another probable cause of baldness in men, but mostly in women – diet. Women are very concerned with being skinny and are often eating poorly or taking diet pills. Therefore, the body does not have enough nutrients to feed the hair cells, so the hair growth unhealthy or thin. You can counteract this by eating more fruits and vegetables. Baldness in women has another major cause that is DHT formation and accumulation. DHT forms when there is an excess of testosterone in the body. , which for women mainly happens when they reach menopause. The hormone accumulates at the hair root, thus blocking blood flow to the follicle, which weakens the hair. However, there are now all sorts of treatments and solutions for hair loss, available even online, on several websites, such as haircapixyl.com, that can really help hair regrow or prevent future hair loss. They also have beneficial effects on your scalp, making it a healthier environment, for the hair to grow stronger and thicker.

Treatment options for alopecia

Alopecia is a condition that manifests through hair loss from the body and head. Patterned loss of hair is called androgenic alopecia and it is generally referred to as baldness. This is a fairly common condition that affects men and women alike, although the popular belief is that men are more affected by baldness than women. The causes that can lead to alopecia are various and range from certain deficiencies, such as iron deficiency, and medical conditions, such as thyroid disease, to hormonal disturbances, stress or even hairstyling routines like tight braids and ponytails. Also very diverse are the alopecia treatment options and, even if you don't seek advise from a dermatologist and just simply conduct a search over the Internet, you will be able to find many websites that offer useful information, as well as hair loss solutions, such as haircapixyl.com. As a general rule, hair fall occurs in patches and you need to react immediately in order to prevent it from progressing. If the early stages of hair loss are left untreated or the alopecia treatment doesn't generate any results, the condition can progress to complete baldness or, worse, complete hair loss on the entire body, which is very similar to chemotherapy effects. As mentioned, there are several hair loss solutions and treatments available, but in order to find the appropriate course of treatment for you, you must first identify the exact cause of the hair loss. One of the most common alopecia treatment is the one based on oral medication. There are several drugs and pills, some that you can even get without prescription, that are approved and recommended for treating certain types of hair loss. Moreover, some of them are only recommended to male patients and not women. However, oral medication is not one of the best hair loss solutions, because they can have many side effects, such as myopathy, erectile dysfunction, decreased libido or gynecomastia. Furthermore, it can take a really long time for the hair to regrow, sometimes even a year and it only happens in about 30-40% of the cases. An alternative to the oral medication is the use of corticosteroids. Results may appear sooner than on the case of pills, but you would have to inject cortisone into your scalp and more often than not, doctors also prescribe oral medication simultaneously. There are several surgical options available, such as hair transplant or scalp reduction,a s well as laser therapy, although the latter has proven quite limited. The hair transplant and scalp reduction are very painful hair loss solutions, not to mention quite expensive. Therefore, the best alopecia treatment one can opt for is the use of several creams, foams or solutions that you apply or rub into your scalp. You can find many such option online, like on haircapixyl.com for instance. And these solutions are not only beneficial for hair loss, but they can also help you maintain a healthy hair, making it grow stronger and thicker. It is definitely an option worth taking into consideration.