Treatments for Thinning Hair

Thinning hair can be induced by a number of things: improper diet, hormonal changes, medical conditions or bad hair care. Illness and medication (like chemotherapy to treat cancer) can cause hair loss. Hair loss can also be inherited from a parent. Often, hair thins because it is fine-textured — or because too many harsh chemicals have been used on it — so it breaks easily. Hair is made up of three different types of proteins that truss together to make up the hair shaft. Thinning happens when the connectivity of the proteins breaks down and causes the hair to become weak, which leads to breakage. Hair can become so thin that it looks as if balding spots are developing. To correct thinning hair, you must first correct the underlying cause of it.

Internal Treatments

Healthy hair first comes from the nutriments that we are feeding into our body. Optimizing a balanced diet with vitamin supplements provides beautiful hair and skin that grows healthy and strong. Since hair is made of protein, it is only obvious that hair will need a diet that has lean proteins to be healthy. In the case of thinning hair, engrossing proteins will add the connectivity to the hair strands.

Hair is part of the Integumentary system, along with the nails and skin that continues to grow no matter how old we get. To certify the proper production of new cells for this organ, generous amounts of nutrients are needed. That is why it is important to yield the body with these nutrients through the diet. Foods like green leafy vegetables, poultry, fruits and whole grains provide the body with these nutrients—along with protein—that allows the hair cells to rejuvenate and correct thinning hair.

One of the causes of thinning hair is vitamin deficiency. When proper nutrients can’t be endowed by food, vitamin supplements should be taken. With thinning hair, the nutrients supplied to the body are already at a crucial state—so vitamins are an ultimate route to take. Take vitamins A, D, B-Complex, Iron and Biotin for healthy hair growth.

External Treatments

Hair thinning can also come from the harsh chemical and improper hair care that we subject our hair to in the name of fashion and current hair styles. Using perms, dyes and products that contains alcohol causes self-indulgent drying, which leads to hair breakage. Taking care of the hair from the inside means nothing if the outside care is still disastrous for the tresses.

Proper hair care should cover regular shampoo and conditioning with moisturizing products. Do a deep conditioning treatment to the hair at least once a week. Avoid using styling tools that supply direct heat to the hair more than three times a week. Use oil-based products—instead of alcohol-based—to maintain the moisture to the hair and roots.

Medical Treatments

Medical treatments for thinning hair are two-fold. For one, if the thinning hair is a result of a medical condition (such as thyroid disease, stress, diabetes, etc.) or a side effect to medication taken for a medical condition, then correcting the condition or wavering medications will warrant the re-growth of hair. If changing the medication is not possible, ask the doctor about maybe lowering the dosage.

The other part is using medications to help re-grow thinning hair. Medicated products like Rogaine and Propecia work topically to help thinning hair grow back. Not all medical hair re-growth treatment works for everyone and they don’t work overnight. However, they could be a valid solution to correct thinning hair.