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Natural Help for Thinning Hair
If you’ve noticed tangles of hair in your brush and shower drain, don’t panic. There are remedies that can help you prevent thinning hair and improve the health of your entire hair ecosystem—scalp, follicles, and strands.
According to The New York Times, “Since the pandemic, many doctors report an uptick in patients suffering from stressrelated hair loss.” The phenomenon is a byproduct of both stress and post-viral inflammation from Covid-19. Temporary hair loss can be caused by fever, illness, childbirth, and severe stress, pushing more hairs than usual into the shedding phase of the hair growth cycle. But those are just a few causes of hair loss. “The main cause of thinning hair in men and women is androgenic alopecia, a genetic condition,” says Gary Linkov, MD, founder and medical director of City Facial Plastics in New York. “Less
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common causes include temporary hair-loss conditions such as telogen effluvium, as well as hair loss caused by hormonal imbalances or medications.” New research has shown that oxidative stress is a common cause of daily hair loss. The same UV rays and pollution that produce lines and wrinkles on your face can also speed hair shedding by weakening the connection of each hair strand to the scalp. Calming a stressed scalp with shampoos, conditioners, and treatments formulated with antioxidants, zinc, and B vitamins can help relieve oxidative stress and boost the health of your scalp.
Aside from medical therapies, Linkov offers practical, healthy tips to keep the hair you have. “A gentle shampoo—avoid strong shampoos that c0ntain salicylic acid and ketoconazole—and reducing traction and heat on the hair are important for preserving it. Keeping the blow dryer on a low heat setting can help prevent damaging the hair. The same goes for the shower-water temperature. Viviscal, a biotin-based vitamin, helps thicken hair especially in women, and Nutrafol, another biotin-based vitamin, boosts the health of hair follicles for both men and women.”
Photo: Getty Images
BY SHERRIE STRAUSFOGEL
• AUGUST 2021
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6/22/21 4:25 PM
