Hair tonics and magic elixirs have been around for centuries and sold to customers desperate to keep their hair from thinning. Today, doctors know a lot more, and the Food and Drug Administration has approved scientifically proven treatments to slow hair loss and encourage new growth.
How Hair Grows
It's normal to lose about 50 to 100 strands of hair a day. That may sound like a lot, but the Mayo Clinic reports that with about 100,000 hairs on the scalp, the loss of those hairs generally isn't noticeable. All hair goes through a cycle of growth and rest. During the growth phase, which generally lasts two to three years, hair grows about a half inch a month. Once hair stops growing, it enters a resting phase for three to four months and then falls out. A new hair begins to grow in its place, and the process starts again.
Reasons for Thinning Hair
Hair naturally thins as we grow older, but in some people, the amount of hair loss is great enough to cause balding. Heredity plays a major role in conditions such as male- and female-pattern baldness. An autoimmune disease is responsible for a type of hair loss known as alopecia areata, and excessive hairstyling can lead to a form of hair loss known as traction alopecia, according to the Mayo Clinic. Other reasons for thinning hair include certain medicines and medical treatments, disease, severe stress, poor nutrition, hair treatments and scalp infections.
Home Treatments
Sometimes it just takes patience for hair growth to return to normal. If a medicine, medical treatment or disease are responsible for the loss, hair may thicken again once that problem is addressed. If poor nutrition is causing the thinning hair, it's time to adjust your diet. If you're damaging your hair through chemical treatments and rough handling, change your hair-care regime. If the natural aging process is to blame, you can try an over-the-counter medication called minoxidil. The Mayo Clinic reports minoxidil is sold as a liquid or foam that's applied to the scalp, and some people have had success with it.
Prescription Treatments
Doctors can prescribe an oral medication called finasteride, which has shown some success in treating male-pattern baldness. The Mayo Clinic says it may take months to see positive results, but many men have seen their rate of hair loss slow, and some have experienced new hair growth. This prescription is not approved for use by women. It has been linked to serious birth defects.
Surgical Treatments
There are a number of surgical options for treating thinning hair and bald spots. Several types of hair replacement surgeries involve grafting anywhere from one to 40 hairs at a time, the University of Maryland Medical Center reports. Some people might also consider tissue expansion, flap surgery or scalp-reduction surgery. These procedures may be done in a surgeon's office, at an outpatient surgery center or, on rare occasions, at a hospital.
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