Provillus - The Best Hair Loss Prevention Treatment

Understanding Hair Loss

Hair is the fastest growing tissue of the body, made up of proteins known as keratins. Every strand of hair is made up of three layers: the inner layer or medulla (only existing in thick hairs); the central layer or cortex, which determines the strength, texture, and color of hair; and the cuticle, which protects the cortex. Hair grows from roots, which are enclosed in follicles. Below this is a layer of skin known as the dermal papilla, which is fed by the bloodstream transferring nourishments essential to the growth of hair.

Only the roots of hair are in fact living, while the perceivable piece of hair is dead tissue, and thus unable to heal itself. It is essential then to take care of the scalp and body in order to maintain hair growth and preservation. Expensive treatments that claim to treat the visible hair and nourish it therefore are generally no more than bogus claims made to sell products.

Hormones called androgens, commonly testosterone, can cause hair follicles to shrink, causing thinning of hair or eventual hair loss. Reportedly just bone marrow grows faster in our body than hair does. The normal scalp contains 100,000-150,000 hair follicles and hairs, with 90% growing and 10% inactive at any given time. Hair in fact grows in three stages: anagen, catagen, and telogen.

The anagen stage is the stage where hair is actively growing, and of course this stage is longer for follicles in the scalp than anywhere else on your body, and lasts longer for women than men. It is ordinary for follicles to atrophy and hair to drop or come out, and this is called the catagen stage. This phase is just temporary, and finally the follicle enters the telogen phase where it is resting. These are the 10% at rest mentioned above. Standard anagen phases last approximately five years, with catagen phases lasting about three weeks, and telogen phases lasting approximately 12 weeks.

As you see it is natural to lose some hair. Standard hair loss is considered to be in the range of 100 hairs per day. It is not obvious to most people that hair is actually being lost until more than 50% of a person?s hair is actually lost.

Male Pattern Baldness (MPB) or androgenetic alopecia is the condition that over 95% of persons that suffer hair loss have, and it is caused by a rise in DHT, a direct component of testosterone. The scientific developments of the past two decades have brought expectation and promise to many who suffer with this kind of hair loss.

Treatments like Rogaine, Rogaine for Women, Propecia, and superior surgical treatments have brought alleviation to many who would have previously had to settle for regular hair loss, wigs, or hairpieces. The finding of the role of DHT in preventing hair loss has even opened the doors to possible herbal solutions to hair loss prevention, such as saw palmetto, nettles, rosemary and horsetail.

Even more promising is the truth that the hair loss usually known as androgenetic alopecia is found to occur mainly in Western culture or those who have adopted the ways of Western civilization, meaning that there may be dietary practices that contribute to hair loss and consequently giving hope to the possibility that diet could control not only temporary hair loss, but androgenetic alopecia as well.

Doctors and scientists are studying DHT production in the body to understand it more thoroughly. There is an apparent link to hair loss and prostatic health and this only increases the stride of hair loss discoveries. Most treatments for prostatic diseases such as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) also have the pleasant side affect of growing hair on the heads of those engaging it. With the pace of investigating and discoveries today, there is a great deal of optimism in the field of hair loss prevention. Hair is an vital piece of our attire and appearance, therefore a big part of our pride. It is likely that there are answers for your situation presently or coming in the near future.

Note that the contents here are not presented from a medical practitioner, and that any and all dietary and medical planning should be made under the guidance of your own medical and health practitioners. This content only presents overviews of hair loss prevention research for educational purposes and does not replace medical advice from a professional physician.