Hair loss can have many causes: stress, the influence of medication or genetic predisposition. A quick test shows how high your risk of hereditary hair loss is. Also, learn what you can do to prevent hair loss.
One in three men over the age of 30 shows signs of hair loss. At 50, it’s already every second person. A bald head, a receding hairline or bald spots on the head are widespread and no reason to be ashamed. But full hair is still considered the ideal of beauty, which is why very few men feel comfortable with thinning hair.
Depending on the cause, hair loss can be counteracted more or less effectively. On the one hand, external factors such as stress, taking certain medications or a lack of nutrients can be responsible. Then the process can usually be stopped by fighting these triggers. However, if the hair loss is hereditary, there are hardly any effective countermeasures.
Answer the following questions and write down the corresponding number of points for your answer. At the end of the day, the sum of all points provides an assessment of your personal probability of going bald due to genetic factors. Important: This test does not replace a medical diagnosis, but only offers a rough assessment. If you suspect you are suffering from hair loss and want to do something about it, talk to a dermatologist.
How old are they?
Do you lose more than 100 hairs a day?
Do any of your close male relatives have or have had a receding hairline? (If more than one answer applies, select the closest relative.)
Do or did one or more of your male relatives have a light spot on the top of their head (tonsure)?
Are or were any of your male relatives significantly bald?
Do any of your closest relatives have or have they had thinning hair?
0 – 8 points: low risk
Your family history suggests that you will not be affected by hereditary hair loss even in old age. However, there is no guarantee of this, as hair loss can also have other causes.
9 – 18 points: medium risk
There are some signs that hereditary hair loss runs in your family. There is a medium risk that you will be affected yourself. If you feel your hair is thinning and you don’t want to put up with it, talk to a dermatologist. He can show you ways to stop the process and strengthen the remaining hair.
19 – 28 points: high risk
Your family history indicates a high risk of hereditary hair loss. If you’re uncomfortable with the idea of going bald later, talk to a dermatologist about it now. Medications may be able to prevent your hair from further receding.
A hair growth-promoting serum can help against hair loss
Hair loss can be a sign that the body is missing important building blocks. Without the trace element iron there is no growth in the body cells – not even in the hair roots. Well-filled iron stores are therefore important for healthy hair growth. As does protein. Hair is made of keratin – a horn-like substance that is largely made up of protein. Radical diets can lead to thin, sallow and straggly hair.
A balanced diet with potatoes, grains and soy and iron tablets can help. However, you should only take the latter after consulting your doctor. Zinc and biotin are also attributed a growth-promoting effect on hair, but the scientific evidence in humans is still very thin.
The hormonal fluctuations of a thyroid disorder can lead to hair loss. The thyroid produces hormones that regulate metabolism. If this task is disturbed, the hair cycle also gets out of sync. The hair becomes thin, brittle and falls out faster. Hair loss can be the result of either an underactive or an overactive thyroid gland. If you suspect hyperfunction or hypofunction, consult an endocrinologist. You can talk to him about ways to get your thyroid hormones back under control as well as the unwanted side effects on your hair.
Reading tip: Read here six signs that your thyroid gland is not working properly.
Certain medications can slow down hair growth. These include beta blockers (blood pressure lowering drugs), lipid lowering drugs (means against high blood fats), chemotherapy drugs (to treat cancer), anticoagulants, some antibiotics, rheumatism drugs and thyroid drugs. If you want to get to the bottom of the causes of your hair loss, it is good to know about this possible side effect. If you have been prescribed appropriate medication, you should never lightly stop taking it just to protect your hair. Talk to your doctor about this first.
When broken down in the body, stress hormones have similar effects to androgens. They damage the hair roots. Experiments on mice show that chronic stress can trigger inflammation of the hair roots, causing the hair to end its growth phase much earlier. In laboratory tests, human hair cells also reacted to a stress-inducing substance and stopped growing.
Reading tip: 10 effective immediate measures against stress and 25 tips for more serenity can be found here.
If the cause of the hair loss cannot be remedied – for example because it is genetic or caused by an incurable disease – hair restorers in the form of pills or sprays promise a remedy. The active ingredient finasteride can prevent further hair loss in men. A solution with the active ingredient minoxidil should also be able to stop the failure.
Both methods are not cheap. And where the hair has already fallen out, it can no longer be reconstructed with such tinctures. Only a hair transplant can do that. Depending on the clinic, doctors work with different techniques, such as the FUE method (“Follicular Unit Extraction”) or the DHI method (“Direct Hair Implantation”). Individual hair follicles are removed from an area of the head that is still densely covered with hair and reinserted in a bald spot – hair by hair. Either by hand with tweezers or a special implantation pen.
Such interventions are expensive. A beautiful result is also not guaranteed if hair continues to fall out in other areas with advancing age.
