Many people who are losing their hair believe there’s nothing they can do about their hair loss. While there is no miracle cure out there, there are treatments that have been clinically proven to slow down and, in some cases, stop the progression of male pattern balding.
Genetics plays a large role in whether you develop hair loss.
When it comes to the subject of hair loss, there’s a lot of bad information people continue to believe even today. It’s somewhat understandable, since most people will not research the subject properly until they’re personally affected.
Below are five of the most common myths surrounding hair loss and why they’re not true.
- It’s caused by stress – This is a very persistent rumour and has stuck around because there is some element of truth to it. While the main cause of balding is genetics, diet, lifestyle and environmental factors all play a role in hair loss. However, to say stress is a primary factor is incorrect. Extreme forms of stress and trauma can cause a person to lose their hair for a time, but this is different from the classic male pattern balding most people associate with hair loss. Hair lost due to trauma will nearly always grow back, whereas people suffering with MPB will lose their hair permanently, unless treated.
- There is no cure – It’s amazing that in this day and age, so many people still believe that there’s nothing that can be done about hair loss. While there is no miracle cure out there, there are treatments that have been clinically proven to slow down and, in some cases, stop the progression of male pattern balding. The two main treatments currently available are finasteride (brand name – Propecia) and minoxidil (brand name – Rogaine).
- Hair transplants look bad – A lot of people still think of the terrible “plug” style of transplants that were commonplace in the ’70s and ’80s when they think of hair transplants. The truth is that modern hair transplant techniques such as FUT and FUE provide very natural-looking results, and most people cannot tell the person has had a transplant at all.
- Only men suffer from hair loss – It’s a common perception that only men suffer from hair loss but in fact, 40 percent of women will suffer from thinning hair at some point during their lifetime. Women can also suffer from alopecia, where there is total hair loss, although this is much less common.
- Wearing hats can make your hair fall out – There is a tiny bit of truth to this in that constantly wearing tight-fitting hats can cause some hair to fall out. However, it’s not a cause of hair loss in the way that most people think of it. In fact, a person with a full head of hair who wears hats a lot probably wouldn’t even notice any hair loss as a result.
People who believe wearing hats can cause balding wrongly believe that the hair follicles need to breathe by being exposed to the air. However, hair follicles get their oxygen from the bloodstream, so there’s no need for them to be exposed to the air.
