Lifestyle Choices That Affect Hair Growth
Do you want the good news or the bad news first? The bad news is that some people are naturally selected to suffer from hair loss and for others, a number of common lifestyle choices made every day affect hair growth. The good news is that there are proven medical treatments that offer hope to those who are genetically predisposed and a lot of the time, hair loss caused by various lifestyle factors is manageable.
Smoking has been linked to baldness and it’s no wonder really – it’s one of the fastest ways you can accelerate the aging process. Living amongst heavy pollution is also thought to play a part, if only minimally, in hair loss. Research shows that keratins, the basic protein molecules that form the hair structure, can be damaged by various toxins, chemicals and carcinogens found in polluted air and tobacco smoke that make their way into the skin, bloodstream and then the hair follicle. As a result, hair growth begins to slow, leading to thinning hair and if the cause isn’t dealt with, hair loss. By cutting back and quitting smoking you’re not only going to save your follicles from withering, but yourself as well.
An improper diet is also a key factor that affects hair growth and shows not only through your scalp but in your entire well-being. High-fat, high-sugar, high-salt and high-animal protein diets damage the kidneys, create acidic blood, deplete the body of nutrients, raise hormone levels, affect your ability to handle stress and are basically your body’s worst nightmare. Living healthier is clearly better but hair supplements can help until you turn your life around. Stick with the mantra “everything in moderation” and there’s no reason you shouldn’t get all the nutrients your body and hair needs without having a little of the things you love.
It’s no myth that stress causes hair loss. If you’re constantly on the go and not taking any time to wind down, your stressful lifestyle could indeed be wreaking havoc on your hair. Stress increases cortisol levels and induces the hormone changes that are responsible for hair loss. By learning and practicing effective stress-management techniques you can help yourself to reduce the severity of the symptoms and hair growth boosters could be beneficial to restore hair to its previous quality.
Unfortunately for all the women out there, your regular hormone imbalances ensure you’re not exempt from hair loss either. All the above lifestyle factors equally affect your hair growth as do your choices regarding pregnancy and birth control pills. Usually there’s a delay of a month or two but childbirth almost always causes temporary hair loss and it’s one of the major symptoms of excessive dieting. So if you’re trying to shift that baby weight, do it gradually and sensibly and try not to exceed a rate of more than two pounds per week. Birth control pills can also create hormone shifts and while it’s not within your control, menopause is another big factor in female hair loss. Talk to a hair loss specialist if you’re concerned about the health of your hair for individual advice.
There are two main explanations as to why you haven’t been able to rectify your hair loss situation if you’ve managed to set right the lifestyle factor that was affecting your hair growth. Either the damage to the hair follicle was so severe it needs more time to heal in which case it would be beneficial to find a suitable hair loss product to speed up the process, or you were had a genetic predisposition to hair loss and the lifestyle factor wasn’t the cause but the trigger. Male pattern baldness and female pattern hair loss are common hereditary conditions that are accelerated when those with the condition live the lifestyles described above.
Book an appointment with a good hair loss specialist to find out if you have genetic hair loss or if it’s related to something else. There are a number of proven hair loss treatments that can stop its progression and re-grow hair but so long as you know the cause and what the condition is, the smarter you’ll be in deciding what, if anything, you need to do.
For more information call the Belgravia Centre – the UK’s leading hair loss clinic – on 020 7730 6666 or fill in the online diagnostic form for a free hair loss assessment.
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