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For hair loss due to heredity, age, and hormones, the topical medication Rogaine (minoxidil) can be helpful for both male and female pattern baldness. Expect to wait 6 months before you see results. The oral medication Propecia (finasteride) is effective in some men. This medicine can decrease sex drive. When either medication is stopped, the former baldness pattern returns.
Call your doctor if:
You are losing hair in an atypical pattern.
You are losing hair rapidly or at an early age (for example, teens or twenties).
You have any pain or itching associated with the hair loss.
The skin on your scalp under the involved area is red, scaly, or otherwise abnormal.
You have acne, facial hair, or menstrual irregularities.
You are a woman and have male pattern baldness.
You have bald spots on your beard or eyebrows.
You have been gaining weight or have muscle weakness, intolerance to cold temperatures, or fatigue.
Your hair ultimately reflects the overall condition of your body. If your body is healthy and well nourished, your hair will be your shining glory.
If you are having any health problems or suffering from any nutritional deficiencies, your hair may stop growing or show damage.
The right vitamins and minerals play a major role in keeping your hair healthy. Any nutritional deficiencies can lead to thinning hair or even total baldness. It is a well known fact that an under active thyroid can result in frizzy or brittle hair while an overactive thyroid turn hair greasy and limp.
Unfortunately many people are not aware of the fact that while hair can be extraordinarily resilient, once it has emerged from your scalp is has no facility for renewing itself. It is considered to be dead protein.
Both men and women tend to lose hair thickness and amount as they age. Inherited or "pattern baldness" affects many more men than women. About 25% of men begin to bald by the time they are 30 years old, and about two-thirds are either bald or have a balding pattern by age 60.
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