Q: In one of your columns in the past year or two I read a testimony from a reader that suggested over-the-counter supplements to help restore hair growth. One of the supplements was Biotin but I do not remember the other(s). Do you perhaps have this information still available?
A: The Biotin to which you refer is a form of vitamin B found in small amounts in many foods. It helps the body break down fats, carbohydrates and other substances and is used to prevent such things as malnutrition, rapid weight loss, hair loss, brittle nails, mild depression, and more.
Hair is made up of a protein known as keratin that is produced in the hair follicles located in the outer layer of our skin. As new hair cells are produced, old cells are pushed out through the skin’s surface. If you are a person for trivia, the average adult’s head has between 100,000 and 150,000 hairs, of which 100 are lost each day. The life cycle of hair is divided into three phases – the active growth that lasts between two to six years; the transitional growth that lasts between two to three weeks; and the resting phase that lasts two to three months. At the end of each final or resting phase, each single hair is shed and the growing cycle begins all over again.
The most common cause for hair loss is alopecia, a/k/a male or female pattern baldness. One natural phase is the gradual thinning that comes with age because more hair follicles go into the resting phase than ever before and the remaining hairs become shorter and fewer in number. Androgenic alopecia is genetic and the most common cause of hair loss in men and women. Men with the condition may experience hair loss in their teens and 20s, while women don’t generally exhibit hair thinning until they are in their 40s. Women may be aware of an overall thinning, while men commonly notice it from the scalp or crown. Further, while there are other types of alopecia, I will mention one other – telogen effuvium that is a temporary condition of thinning hair over the scalp and the result of changes in the growth cycle of hair. When a great number of hairs enter the resting phase at the same time, hair sheds and subsequently thins.
Other than normal age-related hair loss, several factors are known to cause a person to lose hair. The first is medication such as anticoagulants, beta blockers used for blood pressure control, birth control pills, and chemotherapy drugs prescribed for cancer treatment. Autoimmune diseases and disorders are also known to cause alopecia areata, as is stress, illness, burns, injuries, medical conditions including diabetes, eating disorders, anemia, thyroid disease, lupus, and iron deficiency. It may be necessary to test for suspected disorders that may be the answer to your problem and I must clarify that once the medical condition is identified and treated, hair is more likely to return. Shampooing too frequently, coloring and permanents may also be to blame for hair loss, as is a low-protein diet. Again, the loss will likely be temporary if steps are taken to correct the underlying condition.
Treatment for hair loss may include OTC minoxidil (Rogaine) helpful in some cases of hair loss, or prescription finasteride (Propecia), Anthralin and corticosteroids injected into the scalp. For the latter, this treatment may be painful and on rare occasion may cause a temporary skin thinning at the sites of injection. It is common for two or more treatments to be used simultaneously.
Work with your physician on this perplexing issue so you can put the problem behind you.
