As a kid, the fact that you’d start to lose your hair someday probably barely crossed your mind if ever. But, for many young men, hair loss starts early and hits hard. And, if you’re like most people, your hair is a big part of your identity. So losing your hair can feel like losing a part of yourself. And, often, your confidence goes with it.
The good news is there are changes you can make to address hair loss and restore your confidence. Some of them are cosmetic while others are more internal. You get to choose which appeals to you most. Read on about four major approaches to hair loss you can take and reclaim your confidence.
1. Take Medication
In order to address hair loss, it’s important to first understand it. And the cause of most hair loss is actually relatively simple. It all has to do with the health of your hair follicles.
Your hair growing, falling out, and then growing back is its natural cycle. But it’s your hair follicles that actually grow your hair back. Most commonly, hair loss results as these follicles shrink over time. So, if you can restore the follicle, you can restore the hair. And thankfully there are two FDA-approved medications that can help you do exactly that.
The first is finasteride, which inhibits the production of dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, a hormone that binds to and shrinks your follicles. The other is minoxidil, which keeps blood flowing to your scalp, feeding your follicles with essential nutrients. Take one or the other depending on your needs, or just use both with a topical finasteride and minoxidil solution. It may take a few months to see results, but it will be well worth it when you wear your hair with confidence again.
2. Consider Surgery
Medication can be highly effective at curbing hair loss and potentially even regrowing it. That said, it isn’t magic. Because medication works by strengthening existing hair follicles, it won’t do anything once those follicles are gone. So if you’re missing follicles on your head, why not just get them from somewhere else?
Transplanting your hair follicles from other areas to your scalp is exactly what surgery aims to do. When deciding on undergoing a transplant, you have to decide what method you’d prefer. Follicular unit transplantation has been the traditional method for years. However, follicular unit extraction is becoming more popular as technology advances and surgeons gain more experience. FUT transplants groups of follicles from a strip of skin harvested from the donor site. FUE, on the other hand, transplants individual follicles one by one.
It’s important to note that both methods leave minimal scarring, though FUE is generally the less noticeable of the two. FUE leaves tiny dot-like scars while FUT leaves a larger linear scar. Depending on how you wear your hair, this could be a deciding factor in which is right for you. Hair transplants are incredibly effective and worth considering if you’ve already suffered major follicle loss. They’re the only “permanent” hair loss solution.
3. Develop Your Diet
Restoring your hairline and your confidence isn’t only a matter of cosmetics. It’s also about making changes to your lifestyle. And one of the most immediate lifestyle changes you can make is improving your diet.
There are quite a few foods that promote hair growth. Protein and biotin are essential nutrients for hair growth, both of which are found in abundance in eggs. Salmon is also a great source of protein in addition to omega-3 and vitamin D, which help nourish your scalp. And many berries are rich in vitamin C and antioxidants that protect your follicles from damage.
These are just a few of the foods that you can easily incorporate more of into your diet. Do some research into foods for healthy hair to see what others you’re missing. The great news is that eating healthy food will help strengthen other areas of your body too, not just your head. So it will be an overall improvement to your life as you continue to age.
4. Combat Chronic Stress
When it comes to your brain chemistry, prolonged stress is accompanied by increased cortisol levels. Cortisol is a stress hormone that can disrupt your hair’s natural regrowth cycle when its presence is prolonged. Simply put: the longer you feel elevated stress, the more likely your hair is to fall out. Hair loss due to stress is a condition called telogen effluvium. If you suspect this is the reason you’re losing your hair, focus your efforts on destressing.
There are quite a few ways you can start to destress. And, in fact, it can be as easy as going outside for a walk. Walking in nature is great for your mental health, especially in places with lots of trees like parks. As little as 20 minutes on a brisk jaunt in the woods can noticeably lower your cortisol.
Besides just taking a walk, you can develop a yoga or meditation practice. Or, for those who like more vigorous activity, hit the gym or spend time playing your favorite sport. All of these activities increase the presence of feel-good hormones while decreasing stress. By incorporating stress-reducing activities into your routine, you can promote a healthier hair regrowth cycle and take significant steps toward preventing telogen effluvium.
Take a Multi-Faceted Approach
When it comes to hair loss, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. So it’s important to try different approaches to see which one works best for you. Keep in mind it will likely take some time before you start to see results. But stay patient and do your best to be methodical and consistent. Addressing hair loss is a lifelong endeavor that you can reap the benefits of well into old age.
