One of the biggest issues bald people face when trying to understand baldness is the endless list of myths, peculiar ideas and strange ‘cures’ that bounce around the internet and social media. From wearing a hat too tight to shampooing too often and the level of your testosterone, it’s hard to know what’s fact and what’s not.
Myths
1. Wearing a hat makes you go bald.
No matter how you wear your hat – tight, loose, sideways or back-to-front, it makes no difference to the hair follicles in your scalp. Hair follicles do need oxygen to stay healthy, however this is derived from your blood, not the air.
2. Frequent shampooing causes hair to fall out.
Just like shampoo can’t make your hair grow faster, frequent shampooing won’t cause your hair to fall out. Occasionally, people who are concerned about hair loss tend to wash their hair less frequently. In between these less frequent washes the hair that is shed as part of the normal growth cycle builds up, so there is a perception that shampooing frequently can cause hair to fall out.
3. Playing with your hair can cause baldness.
Running your fingers through your hair or playing with your hair is not going to cause baldness. These actions can be a sign of stress however, which can be a contributor for hair loss. The obsessive action of pulling out your hair is different to playing with your hair. Trichotillomania is a hair-pulling disorder where a person has a recurrent, irresistible urge to pull out their hair which can lead to baldness.
4. Shaving your hair will make it grow back thicker.
Hair grows from healthy follicles in your scalp. Shaving your head has no way of increasing the number of or improving the quality of healthy hair follicles in your scalp. It won’t create thicker hair either.
5. Thinning hair is always permanent.
In some cases, thinning hair can be a temporary reaction to a trigger, for example pregnancy, menopause, stress, diseases or infections. Once the trigger is corrected, hair growth usually resumes.
Facts
1. Genetics is the number one contributor for baldness.
Androgenetic Alopecia, also known as male-pattern baldness is a genetically determined disorder and is the leading cause for hair loss in approximately 90% of men and women affected. The gene can be inherited from either parent.
2. Hair loss can be reversed.
For temporary triggers such as hormonal imbalances, disease/infection, smoking, a poor diet, or excess stress, once the trigger has been treated, normal hair growth usually resumes.
3. Baldness is influenced by internal factors rather than external or environmental factors.
Loss of hair and baldness is driven by internal factors such as genetics, health and diet, whether you smoke or not and hormones. Thinning hair can also be a cause for stress and anxiety which then fuels the cycle even more. Baldness is not affected by frequent hair washing, wearing a hat or any other external or environmental factors
4. Getting a correct diagnosis is important
Seeking advice from a hair restoration professional is key. Only a correct diagnosis can put you on the right path to a successful treatment. Now, you can diagnose your individual treatment needs with the comprehensive DSA system and the new Hair Biology Test. The DSA Diagnostic System was developed by a team of world renowned experts to provide an acccurate and personalized diagnosis for all types of alopecia – hair and scalp disorders and the Hair Biology Test is extraordinary new aspect recently added to the DSA which provides answers as to whether oxidative stress has caused damage to the DNA in hair follicles of all those suffering from Androgenetic Alopecia.
