Читать книгу Why Are Black Women Losing Their Hair - Barry Fletcher - Страница 15

Hair loss in both men and women is caused by a combination of genetic and hormonal factors. Testosterone, a hormone found predominately in men, is also produced in the adrenal gland of the woman and has a significant long-term damaging effect on the hair follicles. The estrogen in women is able to counteract Testosterone, which prolongs the thinning process until after menopause. This is why most women begin thinning around the age of 30, approximately 10 years later than when the average male pattern of balding sets in.

More than 85 percent of hair loss is heredity, but we speed up the process when we subject ourselves to physical and emotional stress and drug usage. Anti-arthritis drugs, beta blockers, blood thinners and even aspirin, when taken over a long period of time, will promote hair thinning. If you experience an unusual pattern of hair loss, see a medical physician or dermatologist who specializes in hair and scalp disorders. Your hair can tell a lot about your overall health.

According to Nioxin research laboratories in Atlanta, there has been a new discovery about thin, lifeless-looking hair and its link to an eight-legged bug called Demodex. This microscopic bug nestles inside the hair follicle and feeds off the sebum. In order to digest the sebum, the bug produces an enzyme called lipase, which seems to have an adverse effect on the strength and condition of our hair.

Although the scientific world has known about Demodex since the 1800's, Nioxin made the connection between Demodex and thinning hair in 1997. While conducting studies at Nioxin's Biotechnical clinic, researchers discovered "Demodex Folliculorum" on the scalps of 100 percent of men and women with thinning hair. For more information, contact the Nioxin Laboratory or a doctor who specializes in hair and scalp disorders.

Hair deformities can be detected when there is a significant change in the shape, strength or texture of the hair strand. Like hair loss and breakage, hair deformities may be hereditary or self-induced through the use of hair additions, braids, weaves, and repetitious designs. If your hair texture changes and becomes thin, grainy, soft or springy, more than likely some kind of abnormality has developed.

If we were to pull an abnormal hair strand out of the head and lay it on a piece of white paper, we would see peculiar irregularities. One common deformity is referred to as Beau lines. Beau lines are defined as an indentation within the hair shaft that occurs when the hair is locked in a permanent configuration for an extended period of time. Beau lines are evident throughout the strand, especially after the hair is braided or secured with a stitch of thread. Wherever the locking mechanism is fixated on the hair, it will decrease the diameter of the strand, causing the appearance of Beau lines.