17 myths about hair loss, debunked
17 myths about hair loss, debunked
Hair loss is a big concern , as it is a reality that hair falls out. But are all the beliefs about hair loss true? Hair goes through various stages of renewal, so it is normal hair loss. Although, as you know, there are variables that make it go down more, so they have multiple causes, both genetic and environmental. In this article, we present some of the most common views on hair loss that have not been proven to be true.
Which false myths about hair loss should be discarded?
There are many beliefs associated with hair loss. Not all of them are true, and sometimes some of these may be contraindicated and harm the condition of our scalp.
1. Hair loss is permanent.
This statement has been false ever since the irreversibility of hair loss will depend on the type of hair loss . Therefore, a chronic fall, which is considered so if it has occurred for at least 12 months, can be corrected. Although it is true that androgenic alopecia, also known as common baldness, is produced by the action of androgens, male hormones, in various areas of the scalp, causing hair loss that no longer grows back.
2. Certain foods can help prevent hair loss.
This belief is not entirely true, since there are no specific foods that prevent hair loss. What is clear is that eating a healthy and balanced diet with all the essential nutrients, such as vitamins from groups B, C, and E or rich in zinc and iron, can help and facilitate hair growth.
3. If you wash your hair a lot, it will fall out more.
It is false that washing your hair every day causes more hair loss. Yes, it can give the feeling that the force of the water helps the hair to come out already loose and we imagine it all together in the shower, but it is not more than what usually falls per day but rather we see it more concentrated.
One factor that we must take into account for the healing and health of our scalp and thus prevent it from becoming irritated is the use of hair products such as shampoos, which contain sulfates or other elements that are harmful to the hair, as they are. It can cause dryness, itching, or dandruff.
4. If your hair is dyed, straightened, or blow-dried, it falls out.
This statement is not entirely true since it is not a direct cause that all these actions that we carry out on our hair cause a consequent fall, although it has been proven, for example, that if we dye it continuously, we foresee it or we foresee it. It’s because we apply a fixed color to all these actions damaging the hair, damaging its structure and compromising its quality and strength.
Cutting your hair will prevent it from falling out.
This statement is a myth since the hair will fall in the same way whether it is short or long . The only thing that happens is that when we wear long hair, the fallen hair becomes more visible compared to when we wear short hair, where it is no longer noticeable.
Food supplements and hair loss treatments do not work.
This disclaimer is false because the supplements we take or the treatments we apply have the right components with nutrients that help strengthen the hair follicle, which is the area of the hair follicle where essential functions are performed for the cell to function. transformation into hair, we will be able to generate, improve the quality, and help the hair grow better .
7. If you wear a helmet or a cap on a regular basis, your hair will fall out more or less sooner.
This statement is a myth because wearing a helmet or cap does not cause the hair to fall out more since it can continue to “breathe” in the same way since it does so through the root and not through external contact. What has been noticed is that friction increases with the constant use of a cap or helmet and can irritate or damage the scalp, thus affecting the density or quality of the hair.
Although we find that the option of not wearing a cap or a much smaller helmet is not enough since they protect us from much worse consequences, such as accidental or capillary injuries to health, they also prevent the sun’s rays from always hitting us. Do you know that they are associated with damage and aging of the skin and scalp?
8. Smoking causes more hair loss.
It is false that smoking is a direct cause of hair loss. It is clear that smoking is a bad habit and damages all the organs of our body in general, but we cannot say that it causes more hair loss .
9. If my father has alopecia, I will have it too.
This belief is not 100% true, since hair loss is not always hereditary . For example, acute telogen effluvium is a change in the hair growth cycle that occurs for a limited time and falls out, appearing as hair loss. hair.
Similarly, while androgenetic alopecia is known to be hereditary, preventive actions can be taken, such as the anti-loss treatments mentioned above, which can stop hair loss and help hair growth.
10. If I brush my hair more, I encourage it to fall out less.
These beliefs are not true because if our hair is brushed more, it will not fall out more or, on the contrary, it will fall out less. When we brush our hair, we activate blood circulation, but this does not mean that we are going to reverse its loss. Of course, we must be careful not to brush too aggressively, since we can injure the scalp.
11. Hair loss is due to aging.
This belief is a myth because we experience changes such as androgenic alopecia that occur at an early age, for example, at only 20 years of age when it is impossible to have an aging effect on the hair.
12. To avoid hair loss, wash your hair less frequently.
It is not true that if we wash our heads less, our hair will fall out less, since this fact can generate the opposite effect. If we do not wash our hair enough, too much fat accumulates in it, which makes the hair follicle unable to breathe or nourish itself well, which weakens it and supports its fall.
13. Women can not have alopecia.
This belief is false since, despite the fact that the percentage of men suffering from alopecia is higher than the percentage of women. We see that between 70-80% in men compared to 29-42% in women, we see that women are not completely free of having alopecia.
Alopecia is due to a hormone called DHT that comes from testosterone, which is the male hormone that has higher levels in men, but women also have testosterone, although in less quantity, so they can cause alopecia to occur as well. I developed
14. If you wash your hair with cold water, your hair doesn’t fall out less.
This statement is incorrect since the temperature of the water does not influence hair loss, even if we do it with colder or hotter water. Yes, it has been observed that washing with very hot water can cause hair dryness, but this fact is not directly related to hair loss.
15. If I do a hairstyle that pulls my hair, it falls out more.
This belief is not true. We can notice that after a tighter hairstyle some hair falls out, but it is not because of the type of hairstyle, but rather it is a normal fall. That is, the hair that we see that has fallen out is because they were in the renovation phase and thus they were already weaker and had to fall.
16. Hair massages prevent hair loss.
This statement is a myth since the capillary massage acts in the same way that we have seen what happens with a hairbrush, the flow of blood, but the lack of flow does not cause hair loss or the appearance of hair loss.
17. Hair loss is a symptom of alopecia.
It is not true that hair loss causes alopecia. As we mentioned, hair goes through renewal stages when it falls out more, so this is normal. The fall is not a symptom of alopecia, but other variables that we must look at, such as the quality or quantity of hair that grows back.
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