Health tips: A hundred strokes and more

A hundred strokes and more

Among the few features that compose our appearances, one that girls and boys equally worry about is hair. Boys start carefully tousling them as soon as they learn to spell the word ‘gel’ and girls start caring as soon as they comprehend the function of the looking glass. Though hair loss is a phenomenon typically known to be associated with age, that piece of information doesn’t stop us from losing more hair from worry when we see a tangled mass clogging up the bathroom drain when showering.

The visible part of the hair is called a shaft and beneath the skin lie the root and the follicle. There are on average about a 100,000 hair on the scalp and we lose anywhere between 50 to 100 strands every day. This is because not all the hair is growing at any one point in time. Baldness occurs when hair fall exceeds the number of hair growing.

Teens are generally not afflicted with hair loss (alopecia). The most common form of hair loss that we’ve probably noticed is age-related and is in part hereditary — male-pattern baldness or female-pattern baldness (medically known as androgenic alopecia). Most men affected are around 30 years of age. However, often boys in their mid-teens are affected. Their hairlines begin to recede at the temples, thinning out at the top of the head. Women generally aren’t affected as severely and not until they are well in their advanced years. Girls, however, may sometimes be affected early with a general thinning of the hair and should consult their physician if so.

There are a few other more temporary forms of hair loss that might be found in teenagers. One of the factors causing transient effects, that a lot of people will be able to provide examples of, is stress. Hair loss often follows at the heels of stress, especially when related to an illness. The key is to work on mechanisms to cope with stress. And when being prescribed medications, don’t be afraid to ask what the side effects are. Certain medicines for depression and acne can sometimes lead to hair loss.

Poor diet — one deficient in protein, vitamins and minerals such as iron, zinc etc., in addition to eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, can be another cause. A diet rich in leafy green veggies, egg whites, meat and Vitamin B supplements will help in this situation. Keep an eye on the weighing scale, especially if on the lower side and avoid crash dieting.

Adopt better hair care habits. Stay away from excessive dyeing, chemical treatments, blow-dryers, straighteners or curling irons etc. If you are keeping your hair pulled back in buns or braids too often, you need to let them down to prevent permanent damage.

Hair loss, though cosmetic, is an awful thing to happen, and particularly at an age when one is self-conscious as it is. For androgenic alopecia, over the counter medications — namely minoxidil sold as a spray or shampoo has shown to help in a small percentage of people. However, keep in mind that both hair loss and growth might take a few months to manifest. There are also many hair myths e.g that a 100 strokes with your hair brush at bedtime can improve hair growth; this is just a myth since excessive brushing might even be harmful.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 29^th, 2011.