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Hair Loss Myths
The Truth:
* Alopecia is the medical or technical name for the lack of or loss of hair from areas of the body where hair is usually found.
* Wearing hats will not cause hair loss.
* Standing on your head to increase blood flow will not cure hair loss.
* Normal shampooing, combing, and blow drying does not cause hair loss.
* Massaging your scalp and brushing your hair won't help hair loss.
* Toweling off your head lightly rather than vigorously will not help hair loss.
* There is no evidence that a lack of sex causes hair to thin, or an excessive amount of sex helps hair to grow.
* Cleaning your scalp of sebum will not unclog the follicles and allow hair to grow. Follicles are tiny cavities or openings in the skin through which a hair grows (the root of an individual hair), and sebum is excreted from sebaceous glands to the surface of the skin.
* Hair loss is genetically passed down, not only through your mother's side of the family, but also through your father's side of the family - a combination of generations. This relates to both male and female pattern hair loss.
* Hair loss doesn't just happen after you turn 50, people in their late teens, early 20's can begin to experience hair loss.
* In 1989, FDA banned all nonprescription hair creams, lotions, or other external products claiming to grow hair or prevent baldness. And it has taken action against companies that continue to sell such products. In 1996, the agency sent a warning letter to Daniel Rogers Laboratories Inc., of Paramus, N.J., the manufacturer of "Natural Hairs," for claiming its product could promote hair growth and prevent hair loss. Two years earlier, after an FDA investigation, a U.S. district court judge enjoined the marketing of "Solution 109 Herbal Shampoo" because of claims that the product warded off hair loss.
* The medical opinion concerning the role of emotional stress in balding is mixed. If stress does play a role, however, it's only at times of extreme emotional trauma, according to Kayne at the University of Washington Medical Center.
* Advertisements for "hair farming" products and others that hint they can regrow hair are still plentiful. But if you're desperate, keep one thing in mind: "There will be never be a secret [ingredient] that works for hair loss," NYU's Washenik says. And, if they were to find it, he says: "It will be on the cover of the New York Times. It will be on the nightly news. ... When this happens, it's going to be wildness. You're not going to need an expert to tell you the name of the drug." FDA Approves Finasteride
References:
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - April 1997 - www.fda.gov
This summary is a general overview about the topic discussed and does not include all the facts, or include everything there is to know about any medicine and/or products mentioned. Do not use any medicine and/or products without first talking to your doctor. Possible side effects of medications, other than those listed, may occur. Full Disclaimer & General Safety Advisory