This post will explain the reasons for bald spots, what you can do to slow down balding, even reverse it and an almost 100% guaranteed method of halting and even restoring hair loss.
Cause of Bald spots
Alopecia Areata
Alopecia areata is a disorder of the skin that can cause hair loss, often in patches – roughly the size of a coin – and usually on the scalp. Usually they only affect a small area and can appear suddenly. Usually the hair will grow within 12 months, sometimes less. For other people the problem can be a lot more severe and last a lot longer. In extreme cases it can result in total baldness, known as alopecia totalis.
Cause
The cause this kind of baldness is usually an autoimmune reaction and is the body’s immune system causing the body to attack the cells in the hair follicles, especially the follicles within the scalp
Inherited factors may also play a role particularly if you develop the disorder before the age of 30. Alopecia areata is unusually high in people who autoimmune conditions, such as overactive thyroid, diabetes, asthma, hay fever, vitiligo, down syndrome or pernicious anemia. Surprisingly there is little evidence that aplopecia is caused by stress.
Symptoms
Symptoms include small round or oval patches of baldness sometimes with mild itching, tenderness, tingling or burning sensation. If you suffer from alopecia areata you may have abnormalities in the surface of your fingernails.
You doctor can diagnose Alopecia Areata from looking at the systems including examining hairs around the bald patch, inspecting them for any abnormalities of the shaft or root for example.
Treatment
Although there is no permanent cure for alopecia areata there are ways to short-circuit the body’s autoimmune system in the scalp and encourage hair growth. You would need to speak to your doctor about these.
These options include creams or solutions such as cortisone which are either applied to the bald patch or injected. Immunotherapy using chemicals, topical minoxidil (rogaine) which can speed up hair growth, anthralin applied to the scalp, Psoralen and ultraviolet A phototherapy, or a short course of corticosteroids by mouth.
The good thing to know is that even without treatment in over 90% of cases your hair will grow back and fill in the bald spot within just one year.
How to Slow Down Balding
Stress
It’s often stated that stress can cause bald patches. However my research from various health sites indicates that this is not the case. Stress however can cause a thinning of the hair which can expand an area of baldness over time but the area is rarely localized to a small area.
The gradual lost of hair that results in male pattern baldness is largely down to genetics and the male sex hormones called androgens.
However there are ways of slowing down male pattern baldness and even in some cases reversing it. Later I will show you a guaranteed method of getting rid of bald spots.
Some Advice and Tips
For typical male pattern baldness there are things you can do to stop, even reverse the process.
These can include
Hair Dyes and Bleaches:
Try and avoid hair products that contain chemicals or toxins that lead to hair loss, or example hair dyes, particularly hair bleaching. This will inevitably result in weaker hair and hair follicles leading to accelerated hair loss.
Diet:
Alopecia is usually caused by an auto-immune response. One way of building up your immune system is by improving your diet.
There are also foods that are particularly important for healthy hair. If you would like to know more see How to Regrow your Receding Hairline Naturally where I provide a list of important foods. Foods that are particularly good for hair include mushrooms, nuts, pumpkin seeds and spinach
Supplements:
A supplement that I use myself that contains all the supplements needed for healthy hair growth is Hairgenics Pronexa Hair Growth Supplement. I’ve noticed since taking these supplements thicker hair. Judging by the reviews for this supplement others have had similar results.
Shampoos and Serums:
There are Shampoos or Serums that are effective at reducing or stimulating hair growth and reducing testosterone are products that contain high levels of Caffeine.
You purchase these as shampoos or serums which can be used with your regular shampoos. They provide essential nutrients to the hair follicles such as caffeine, saw palmetto and Ketoconazole. Ketoconazole has anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties.
A top rated shampoo for hair regrowth containing all of these ingredients is ultra Labs Hair surge and is one I use myself.
Laser Hair therapy
The jury is still out on whether laser hair therapy works for baldness. Laser hair therapy is supposed to help with mild degrees of androgenetic alopecia, or pattern baldness.
One such product is the iRestore Laser Hair Growth System which the manufacturer claims “uses clinical-strength laser technology to treat balding, thinning hair and receding hairline”.
The manufacturer claims that” Users can expect to see visible improvement in as little as 12 to 24 weeks “.
Positives include the fact that unlike drug-based hair loss products, iRestore is a drug-free alternative with no negative side effects. It is GMP-certified meaning it is safe, plus you have a 6-month money back guarantee.
Guaranteed Method
I would argue that the most powerful method of hair restoration are surgery, laser hair surgery and drugs such as Propecia and Rogaine. Combined with the other advice in this article it should provide an almost 100% guarantee of hair restoration.
Hair Translant Surgery
This is where the hair follicles are harvested from the side or back of the scalp and relocated to the balding area. Hair transplantation is a procedure that needs skills of a surgeon and you should only go with the best clinic so check out reviews of clinics beforehand. It may be worth spending a bit extra for a job that is going to be done more professionally.
In general, people with frontal hair loss will benefit most from hair restoration surgery whereas hair loss in the crown is more amenable to medication.
Drugs
While Rogaine targets the hair follicle itself, Propecia (finasteride) works at the hormonal level to combat hair loss. Propecia is more successful at stopping further hair loss than any other medication. Rogaine, on the other hand is better at promoting new hair growth
Propecia is a powerful drug and if you’re a women you should avoid Propecia altogether as it only inhibits male pattern baldness. Also if you’re pregnant Propecia can even lead to abnormal developments of a baby!
Propecia is taken as an oral tablet once a day, every day whereas Rogaine is a cream that must be applied to the scalp twice a day.
Another big difference is Rogaine does not need a prescription and can be purchased over the counter whereas Propecia must be prescribed by your doctor.
