Facts and fiction about a receding hairline, is there a solution?
Are you also panicking because your hairline is receding more and more? Although I've never worried about it before, lately I find it worrisome to see my hair thinning.
Although hair loss is an issue that affects 50% of men and although it is natural for this to happen, I believe that little is said about the self-esteem problems it causes us and how difficult it is for us to accept this new reality that we have to live with.
I, for the moment, do not give up and I am going to tell you what I have discovered after researching the subject.
Why do we have a receding hairline?
In principle, a receding hairline is the result of the genetics of the person and/or the presence of androgenic hormones, such as testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Depending on the degree of sensitivity of our hair to them, our hair may fall out to a greater or lesser extent.
However, there are many other causes that may be affecting your hair. that you may not even be aware of:
Stress and anxiety for example, create what is called "telogen effluvium". which is basically the temporary thinning of the hair.
Another reason why you may be noticing changes in your scalp may be due to a problem of the thyroid. After all, the thyroid regulates many of the male hormones, including testosterone and DHT..
Medication for the blood pressure may also be affecting your hair follicles without you even realizing it: it may be one of its side effects.
Finally, diseases such as alopecia areata can also create those partial bald spots on your head that are starting to worry you.
Facts and fiction about men's receding hairlines
How many times a week do we have to wash our hair? Is gray hair a sign that my hair won't fall out? If I shave my head all the way back will my hair grow back stronger? These questions have been on my mind every now and then since I noticed that my hair was falling out more.
Incredible as it may seem, the frequent use of shampoo does NOT weaken hair... It's a myth! (Of course, we have to make sure it is gentle and for daily use.)
Also, I'm happy to tell you that the sun doesn't make your hair fall out more (although it is always a good idea to moderate sun exposure for the health of our skin).
On the other hand, as for shaving our hair to make it grow stronger and stronger... we'd better not do it, because it's also a myth! We may get the impression that our hair is thicker, but this is not because it is stronger, but because the roots are always a little thicker than the ends.
And what about gray hair? The old myth that if you are young and have gray hair you will never go bald has gone too far and it has nothing to do with it! Gray hair is the consequence of the depigmentation in the structure of the hair, while hair loss is related to the hair cycle.
And we finish with the last myth that wearing hats, caps, etc. favour baldness? NO and no again, there is no scientific proof that wearing hats or caps suffocates our hair follicles, as we have heard many times... hair picks up oxygen necessary from the bloodstream and not from the air. So now you know!
And now that we have cleared up many of the doubts we might have had, let me give you a few tips to avoid certain habits that may be accelerating the process of hair loss that you may be suffering from.
Wash your hair whenever you notice it is greasy. If you do not maintain proper hair hygiene, this weakens the hair follicles and prevents their normal development.
In addition, if you are smoker, if you do not have a diet balanced or you consume alcohol often, I'm sorry to tell you that not only is it going to be bad for your health, but it may be speeding up the process of your hair loss.
And finally, stress affects the hair so you have to start taking life easy!
Is there a miracle to get rid of a receding hairline?
Nowadays, the only path to a definitive solution for a receding hairline is hair grafting, a technique more and more men are resorting to.
Another option to increase the growth of hair is to decrease your DHT levels with dihydrotestosterone blockers such as the Minoxidil. Although it is a quick solution and quite efficient it can also produce side effects. I recommend you to do some research before making a decision.
On the other hand, there are natural ingredients that have proven to be equal or more effective than Minoxidil, among them are peppermint, rosemary and lavender. So watch your shampoo ingredients next time!
One of the things that we can do to improve the health of our hair is massaging the scalp to stimulate the hair follicles, do not wring the hair if you have long hair, and try and have a moderately healthy life.
After all, information is power, right? Well even though a miracle cure for the receding hairline in men doesn't exist (yet), we can at least stay relaxed a little longer with the solutions we have available to us.
