Lose hair? Find out about the main causes of hair loss and the treatments available

Lose hair? Find out about the main causes of hair loss and the treatments available

Why is my hair falling out? This was the question I kept asking myself as I noticed more hair in my brush and on the bathroom floor every day. I knew it was normal for everyone to shed hair on a regular basis, but as time went on, I could no longer ignore my disappearing curls. Even my hairdresser started commenting on how thin my hair was becoming and how difficult it was to style it now.

The teasing only made things worse and soon I had to wear a hairpiece to cover the bare scalp areas that were now clearly visible. When my eyelashes and eyebrow hair also began to fall out, I knew this was serious business...and I was only 68 years old. I decided to do some research and see if I could find answers to the hair loss I was experiencing.

First, like so many of us these days, I went online and searched for hair loss. I found that there could be several common medical explanations for this problem:

• Hormonelle Probleme wie ein Ungleichgewicht von Androgenen und Östrogenen
• Hormonelle Veränderungen aufgrund von Schwangerschaft, Geburt, Absetzen von Antibabypillen, Beginn der Wechseljahre
• Einige Medikamente, einschließlich Blutverdünner und Antidepressiva
• Mangelernährung und schlechte Ernährung
• Physiologischer Stress wie hohes Fieber oder anhaltende Krankheit, plötzlicher oder übermäßiger Gewichtsverlust, Operation oder Stoffwechselstörungen
• Männliche Musterkahlheit bei Männern

None of these conditions applied to me and did not explain the continued thinning of my once thick head of hair. However, upon further research, I was alarmed to read that hair loss (alopecia) can occur as part of a serious underlying condition such as diabetes, lupus or hypothyroidism. I decided it made sense to seek professional medical help. I consulted several doctors, including a dermatologist, a neurologist, and an endocrinologist, who ordered many tests to make sure I did not have any of these diseases. Although I was very pleased that all of these tests were negative, I was still left wondering why my hair was still falling out.

I grew tired of having a hairpiece put into my hairstyle every time I went to the salon. The needles gave me headaches and, even worse, my social life suffered because I couldn't risk having my hair touched.

Losing my hair had caused me a nightmare of embarrassment, loss of self-esteem, fear of intimacy and exposure, and high costs. If I couldn't find a way to reverse my hair loss, I would soon need a full wig. I couldn't face such a future. In desperation, I even tried the colored powder sprinkled on the scalp to fill in the bare areas. It was messy, temporary and didn't fool anyone.

Although I felt somewhat better once I had ruled out all serious causes of hair loss, I decided that I had to find a way to stop my hair from falling out, and I was determined to grow back the full, healthy head of hair I had always been so proud of.

I decided to check out the other hair loss solutions on the market and started with the "hair growth" lotions, shampoos, hair vitamin pills, selenium supplements, etc. that they advertised in mail order catalogs. This was a total waste of time and money.

I knew there was the more drastic option of a hair transplant, but I decided it wasn't a possible solution for me. I declined because I didn't want to suffer through the numerous painful surgical sessions that were necessary and also I couldn't afford the extravagant costs involved.

I moved on to the medicines. You are probably familiar with the expensive branded products that are advertised so much. These included dandruff shampoos, scalp treatments and the most popular products whose ingredients are quite similar. Half of the liquid was propylene glycol, a third was alcohol (both inactive ingredients) and the same 5% minoxidil. These topical solution products weren't for me as you have to apply them to the scalp twice a day and don't miss a treatment. Some you roll on and some you rub in, but no matter how you apply them, they ruin your hairstyle and leave your hair feeling nasty. Some even come with their own disgusting smell.

I'm glad I did my research and took the common sense approach. If you are suffering from hair loss, review the list of common medical causes with your doctor and have any serious medical conditions that may be responsible ruled out.

To this day, I don't have a definitive answer to the question of why my hair fell out. After months of searching and testing all kinds of hair growth products, I finally found my hair loss solution and a way to regrow my hair with effective and affordable Legitimate Scalp Air Tonic!

Inspired by Rosalind Alcana