Why is my hair getting thinner?

Recently, I have seen many friends asking about how to make their hair thicker. In fact, when we talk about making our hair thicker, we can think about it from another angle, that is, why does our hair become thinner? This is the problem many people face: hair loss. So why does hair loss occur? Today, let's talk about why hair loss occurs and how to save hair loss!

01. Why does hair loss occur?

Most hair loss phenomena are caused by seborrheic alopecia. The main cause is that androgens in the head are converted into dihydrotestosterone through 5α-reductase, which is the culprit that damages hair follicles. Once formed, it will continuously attack healthy hair follicles, further affecting the development of hair follicles, causing hair follicles to shrink and become smaller, shortening the hair growth period, and thus causing hair to become weak and the amount of hair decreases [1].

In addition, excessive oil secretion is also one of the main problems leading to seborrheic alopecia. In fact, researchers noticed a long time ago that most people with hair loss have oily scalp problems, and the sebum content in the hair loss area is much higher than that in other areas.

02. Why does oily scalp cause hair loss?

At this point, someone asked, why does oily hair also cause hair loss? Don't worry, let me explain it slowly.

First, let's take a look at hair oil. A normal person's scalp secretes 1-2 grams of sebum every day, which is mainly composed of triglycerides, wax fats, free fatty acids, squalene and cholesterol. In fact, this oil is beneficial to the human body under normal circumstances. They will form a sebum film on the scalp, thereby protecting our scalp and hair.

However, if the sebum is not cleaned in time, the oil will start to deteriorate over time, especially the free fatty acids and squalene in it, which will be converted into unsaturated fatty acids or peroxidized lipids, which are not so healthy. These ingredients will not only make the hair look more greasy, but they will directly stimulate or even damage the scalp and hair follicles, causing inflammation, increased dandruff and other phenomena, and in severe cases, will lead to hair loss. In addition, our daily environmental factors will also aggravate this process. For example, ultraviolet radiation can easily lead to a decrease in the squalene content in sebum and an increase in the peroxidation product malondialdehyde. As a result, the scalp is more vulnerable to damage, so our scalp barrier is destroyed. You know, the scalp barrier, like other skin barriers, is one of the important barriers in our body. Once it is destroyed, it will lead to infection, and the recovery and regeneration of the scalp will be more difficult, which will also make it difficult for the hair follicles to recover, so that many times, hair loss is more stubborn.

03. How to avoid hair loss?

Then some people can't wait to ask, how to save hair and avoid hair loss? To avoid hair loss and save hair, we need to start from two aspects:

On the one hand, to inhibit 5α-reductase

There are already a number of ingredients that specifically work on 5α-reductase [2]. In addition, there are ingredients used to treat seborrheic alopecia, which work from the perspective of vasodilation [3]. If you are facing severe hair loss, you can go to the hospital and use it under the guidance of a professional doctor.

On the other hand, it repairs the scalp barrier and activates hair follicles

Normal hair has a shedding and growth cycle, so even if we experience hair loss, it is normal. However, when the scalp itself is damaged, the hair follicle cycle will also be affected, so that hair cannot be generated in time, and the overall hair volume will decrease. Especially in the area of ​​hair loss, the hair follicles are often completely necrotic, and there are no new hair follicles, resulting in the inability of hair to grow. Therefore, repairing the scalp barrier, maintaining a healthy scalp, and activating hair follicles can ensure the normal progress of the hair follicle cycle, thereby gradually reducing hair loss.

Currently, the hair loss strategies on the market that start from the above two aspects are divided into medical strategies and daily care strategies.

Medical strategies are mainly aimed at serious hair loss, using relevant drugs to restore hair, but these drugs often require some specific usage methods and side effects, such as a period of rapid hair loss and not being suitable for some people, etc. So everyone should pay attention, and following the doctor's advice is the most important thing.

If the hair loss is not serious, it would be a good idea to use some repairing products on a daily basis.

In short, if you find that your hair volume is decreasing and you have hair loss problems, then generally you should first think about whether your lifestyle and eating habits are not healthy. If this is the case, you need to make timely adjustments and choose products with anti-hair loss ingredients in your daily hair care to gradually restore your hair health. Of course, if you are experiencing a lot of hair loss, you need to go to a specialized hospital to seek help from a doctor.

[1] Rebora, Alfredo. "Pathogenesis of androgenetic alopecia." Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 50.5 (2004): 777-779

[2] Kaufman, Keith D., et al. "Finasteride in the treatment of men with androgenetic alopecia." Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 39.4 (1998): 578-589.

[3] De Villez, Richard L. "Topical minoxidil therapy in hereditary androgenetic alopecia." Archives of dermatology 121.2 (1985): 197-202.