This Supplement Combo Reduced Hair Loss In 90% Of The Women Who Took It http://www.prevention.com/beauty/beauty/supplements-reverse-thinning-hair Your hair may be just as happy with your choice to load up on omega-3s and antioxidants as your body is, according to new research published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. A group of 80 otherwise healthy women with mild female pattern hair loss (picture thinning in a horseshoe-like shape, starting at the crown) took fish oil, blackcurrant seed oil, vitamin E, vitamin C, and lycopene supplements every day for 6 months. The result: hair density increased for 62% of the women, hair became measurably thicker in diameter, and 90% of the women reported a decrease in overall hair loss. (A control group didn't supplement at all—and didn't see the same results.) According to the study, 92% of the women who took the supplements were happy with the outcome. Though women's hair loss typically stems from hereditary, inflammatory, and hormonal factors, the researchers believe the fatty acids and antioxidants found in the supplements likely support the health of the blood vessels, cell membranes, cell growth, and anti-inflammatory activities in and around hair follicles. While many vitamins that claim to boost your hair only work if you're seriously lacking in key nutrients, you don't have to be a slacker in the diet department to see a benefit from this combo—researchers excluded any women with nutritional deficiencies. If you're interested in giving it a try, be sure to check with your doctor first (blackcurrant seed oil can lower blood pressure further in people who already have low blood pressure, and it can also slow blood clotting). Here are the supplements and doses the women in the study took: Fish oil: 460 mg Blackcurrant seed oil: 460 mg Vitamin E: 5 mg Vitamin C: 30 mg Lycopene: 1 mg Don't worry if you can only find the supplements in larger doses (especially lycopene and vitamin E, which are almost always sold in amounts larger than those used in the study)—a little extra won't hurt. Also keep in mind that, like any hair loss treatment, you'll likely need to keep up with the supplement cocktail to maintain the results.
Hiya Bea I have 2 concerns for me, 1. I cant have any fish oil due to my food allergy, but there is a plant omega 3 but I am not sure if that will be the same. 2. Blackcurrant seed oil slow bloods clotting and I already take a baby aspirin, so I am going to have to find out if Blackcurrant seed oil is okay for me. My cousin who is a vegan guru, who wrote books and travels the world giving lectures, told me to get saw palmetto berry extract and a b complex vitamin 50 mg, but I need to run saw palmetto berry extract by my allergist since I am taking her herbs for my allergies and make sure she approves.
For those of us who think a medication ie antivirals are causing our hair loss. I found this interesting article about why it happens and a few things to try if it does. The one thing I found interesting is the suggestion of altering the dose. I have for the last 2 days tried taking my acyclovir at a different time of the day plus I started a b complex 50 mg supplement. I am curious to se eif the time of the day helps at all if not I will try taking 400 mg in am and 400 mg in pm like I used to before I noticed any significant hair loss. I have been taking 800 mg a day for months now. http://www.hairsentinel.com/medications-that-cause-hair-loss.html The list of medications that cause hair loss is surprisingly long! The bad news is that you might not have been made aware of the risk when you were first prescribed the medication. The good news, on the other hand, is that drug induced hair loss usually reverses itself as soon as you stop taking the medication concerned, so damage is rarely permanent. Medications That Cause Hair Loss - Why Does It Happen? Our hair passes through cycles of growth. One of these cycles - the anagen phase - lasts for 3 to 4 years and is the time during which the hair is actually growing. It's followed by the telogen phase - lasting for around 3 months - during which time the hair 'rests'. Once the telogen phase is over, the hair falls out... and new hair grows to replace it. But some medications may interfere with this hair growth cycle. The most common type of interruption results in a type of hair loss called 'telogen effluvium'. The hair falls out because the medication causes it to enter the telogen - or 'resting' phase - earlier than it should. This type of hair loss doesn't take place immediately after taking the drug, though. In fact, it doesn't usually occur until around 2 to 4 months AFTER taking the medication. Medications that cause hair loss The second type of hair loss associated with certain medications is 'anagen effluvium'. As the name suggests, this kind of hair loss happens at the 'anagen' stage, when the hairs are actually growing. It's caused by the medication acting upon the matrix cells, preventing them from dividing normally and producing new hairs. And THIS type of hair loss occurs very soon after taking the drug involved - anywhere from just a few days to a couple of weeks later. Anagen effluvium can cause the majority of the hair on the head to fall out and can cause the loss of body hair too, including eyebrows and eyelashes. It's most common among people taking the chemotherapy drugs used to treat cancer - these drugs, unfortunately, destroy or damage the hairs' healthy matrix cells, along with the cancer cells. Chemotherapy-related hair loss seems to be more common and more severe when the patient is taking a combination of drugs, rather than a single chemotherapy drug. Some women experience hair loss when they stop taking birth control, after having used it for some time. Although the reason for this isn't completely clear, it may be because some oral contraceptives contain something called 'anti-androgens'. Anti-androgens lower the body's testosterone levels... and testosterone can cause hair loss in some women. Once the contraceptive pill is stopped, the protection against the testosterone is taken away and hair loss can be the result. Some drugs don't directly cause hair loss, but may indirectly lead to it. For example, lithium can cause thyroid problems - and, as we explain on this page - thyroid problems themselves can trigger hair loss. NOT ALL MEDICATIONS THAT CAUSE HAIR LOSS WILL HAVE THE SAME EFFECT ON EVERYONE TAKING THEM. So - even though you may see a drug listed on this page as having the POTENTIAL to cause hair loss, it doesn't necessarily mean that it will cause YOU to lose your hair if you take it. There are other factors involved - for example, your dosage may be lower than for someone who experiences hair loss as a result of taking the drug. Or their sensitivity to the drug may simply be higher than yours. List of Medications That Cause Hair Loss http://www.hairsentinel.com/medications-that-cause-hair-loss.html How to Tell if Your Medication is Causing Your Hair Loss Ask your doctor if your medication is causing your hair loss If you think your medication is causing your hair loss, DON'T be tempted to carry out your own experiments to see if this is the case! Instead, discuss your concerns with your doctor. He or she will likely run some tests and ask you some questions to determine the cause of your hair loss issues and whether or not any other underlying health issues might be contributing to the problem. Tests may include a scalp examination, examination of the hairs themselves, scalp biopsy, hormone tests and thyroid tests. If your doctor DOES suspect that your medication is contributing to your hair loss, then he/she may suggest altering your dose, stopping one drug at a time, or trying a different drug to pinpoint the culprit. Remember, though, that any improvement to your hair will not be immediate... it can take a couple of months after stopping the drug for the hair to stop falling out. How to Stop Hair Loss Caused by Medication With the majority of medications that cause hair loss, stopping the drug is all that's needed to reverse the problem and the hair tends to be restored to its former glory within 2 to 3 months. If your hair does not grow back within a few months of stopping the drug, then see your doctor to discuss the possibility of further medication to promote hair growth. When you're being prescribed any medication, it's always worth asking if hair loss is a possible side effect. If it is, then see if there is an alternative drug you could use instead. Use the power of the internet to do your own research! It's not unheard of for doctors to deny a certain medication's association with hair loss, when there are many, many patients online who say otherwise! And speak to your pharmacist too - many people tend to forget that their pharmacist is an excellent source of comprehensive drug information. Chemotherapy Medications That Cause Hair Loss - Can the Effects be Prevented? Not everyone who is given chemotherapy drugs will lose their hair, but for those who do, the loss can be devastating. There is one technique that can minimize the hair loss associated with chemotherapy and that's called scalp hypothermia. Like the name suggests, the technique involves keeping the scalp very cold by placing ice packs or a 'cold cap' on it, before, during and for about half an hour after treatment. The way it works is that the low temperature reduces the flow of blood to the hair follicles, which cuts down on the amount of the chemotherapy drug that gets into them. It also cuts back on biochemical activity, which means the follicles are not as vulnerable to damage. Scalp hypothermia cannot be used if you have lymphoma or leukemia - and, sadly, the technique does carry the risk that cancer cells could remain in the scalp after chemotherapy is finished. There is also a risk that the technique may NOT be completely effective and that hair loss could still occur. On the positive side, however, your hair should grow back very quickly once the chemotherapy is over. Sometimes it can be a little thinner than before - and if it's slow to return at all, your doctor might suggest trying Minoxidil. You may also notice that your hair's texture is different from how you remember - and in some cases it may even be a different color, or curlier than before! In most cases though, you should have a full head of hair within 4 to 6 months of the end of your treatment.
I meant to say I have been taking 800 mg once day for months now. (as opposed to my usual 400 mg 2 times a day and didn't notice such significant hair loss then)