Hair Loss

Hair Loss
People all over the world see hair as important. In the
west, for instance, almost all brides are prepared for
their approach to the altar by the hands of an expert
stylist. On that supreme day, their hair style may be the
most elaborate they will ever have in their lives. At the
opposite extreme, when a young girl of one of the
aboriginal tribes of the Amazon jungle reaches puberty the
women of the village ceremonially remove all the hairs from
her head, one by one. The ritual significance and mystique
of hair on these occasions are undeniable.

We use our hair to express our personalities - to conform,
to make a statement, to help us feel good, to attract other
people. Sometimes our hair even seems to reflect our mood,
especially when we are sad or depressed. Our hair is
perhaps our most distinctive feature. Any sudden change in
its color or style startles our friends and produces
comments from our family. Hair is an amazing material.

In the hands of an expert and with the use of modern hair
products, it is soft and shining and seems full of life.
Strangely, however, hair is dead. Hair, like beautiful
wood, can be shaped, moulded, colored and, if properly
looked after, made to shine with 'health'.

Yet all too often this 'crowning glory' of ours is
neglected. And then it can look shoddy, dull and lifeless.
It becomes a constant disappointment, all the worse because
we know that, however expensive and beautiful our clothes,
if our hair looks a mess we won't be seen as well-groomed,
poised and fashionable.

Hair so often fails to do for us exactly what we expected.
Its behaviour raises endless questions, sometimes almost
despairing: Why did my hair suddenly collapse just before
that vital interview? What could I have done to avoid that
happening?

Why did it look fine when I walked out of the salon
yesterday, and terrible this morning?

Why, when it had so much volume and 'body' when I was on
that Mediterranean holiday, has all that gone now I'm at
home in November?

Why were the results of that home color so disappointing?

Why does a woman's hair so often 'fall out' after she has
had a baby?

Why do so many men (and some women) go bald?

Why does so-and-so's lovely red hair never perm very well?
Why does my hair go out of condition so easily? What can I
do to restore it?

All hairs naturally fall out at the end of the growing
period. Everyone loses between 50 and 80 hairs a day. They
tend to come out with brushing and shampooing. So if you
wash your hair only once a week, it is perfectly in order
for you to lose several hundred hairs at one go!

Sometimes, however, a person may start to lose more hairs
than usual. If this hair loss is significant, and if it
persists, then sooner or later the scalp may become visible
through the thinning hair. The condition is called
alopecia. The name comes from the Greek word alopekia,
which means 'fox': foxes (and also dogs) sometimes suffer
from bald patches due to an unpleasant disease called
mange. (Fortunately, humans do not get mange!)
http://www.overcominghairloss.com

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Jim Moore has spent the last 20 years as a professional
writer working for some of the world's largest companies.
Jim's personal goal is to pass on what knowledge he has
gained throughout his career to help as many people as
possible.
http://www.overcominghairloss.com