How to Stop Hair Loss

Heading Off Baldness

As we get older, hair loss seems like an inevitable step in the aging process.  But in some cases, that hair loss can be stopped or slowed down.In the case of receding hairlines, the causes can be many and varied.  They include genetics, stress, pregnancy and hormone problems.  Men will find that if their fathers had male-pattern baldness, then they are more likely to lose hair as they get older.  Stress can cause hair to fall out.  It can also cause people to pull their hair out through nervous energy.  Pregnant women often experience hair loss as their hormones change.  And hormone changes for other reasons, including medications and illnesses, can cause hair loss.When you consider how to stop hair loss, you need to consider the cause first.  There is no cure for hereditary or genetic hair loss.  But there are some nutritional supplements that people report will help improve thickness of hair.  These supplements claim to reverse the effects of DHT, the substance in our body that causes hair to fall out.  There are also prescription medications that will cause some hair growth, although they will not replace everything that has fallen out.  And surgery that implants hair plugs into the scalp is a popular method to reverse male-pattern baldness.  But surgery is expensive, and the hair plugs do not always “take”, resulting in many repeat surgeries.When stress causes hair loss, the best cure is to reduce stress.  Meditation, soothing baths, vacations: whatever it takes to reduce stress and its effects on hair loss.  If stress or another disorder causes you to literally pull hair from your scalp (or eyebrow hairs from your face), counseling and medication can help you stop that destructive habit.Pregnant women will usually find that hair loss ends when the pregnancy is over.  But for other women with hormonal imbalances due to medication or menopause, hair loss can be harder to treat.  Some find relief with hormone treatments.  Others just put up with the inconvenience of hair loss due to feeling uncomfortable with hormone therapy.Sometimes answering the question of how to stop hair loss is as simple as a decent shampoo.  A dirty, oily scalp can plug hair follicles, reducing their ability to produce hair.  A good scrubbing and scalp massage may stimulate hair and keep it from falling out. There are literally thousands of shampoos, ointments and other treatments in stores and on the Internet that claim to stop hair loss.  In most cases, they are a waste of money and time.  In the most severe cases, they can be downright dangerous.  Remember that hair, although it seems to grow, is actually dead tissue.  There is no way to really “grow” it, just ways to keep it from falling out.