Urban dwellers face high work pressure and a fast-paced lifestyle, leading to severe hair loss and even baldness in many. Experts suggest that skin tests at a hospital can reveal the true cause of hair loss, and that a diet rich in zinc is recommended.
Normal hair loss is like an animal molting; hair goes through a cycle of shedding, especially during seasonal changes when the amount of hair loss is greater than usual, with around 100 hairs a day considered normal. If it is non-scarring abnormal hair loss, such as androgenetic alopecia, hair can grow back with treatment; however, if it is scarring hair loss, there will be scars on the affected area, and the only option is to treat it as early as possible to slow down the rate of hair loss.
Simple hair pulling test
The most accurate way to test for abnormal hair loss is to collect hair from three locations: a pillow, a bathroom drain after showering, and the floor of your room. If more than 300 hairs are collected, it is considered abnormal. A simpler test is to insert your fingers into your hair and gently rub and pull it three times from root to tip. If more than 10 hairs are lost in three different locations, you should get checked.
Eat more potatoes, broad beans, and oranges.
There are two treatment methods for hair loss: traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine. Zhu Minghua said that traditional Chinese medicine believes that hair loss is due to “blood deficiency,” and the treatment focuses on nourishing yin and blood, dispelling wind and moisturizing dryness. Oral Chinese medicine such as He Shou Wu, Dang Gui, Di Huang, and Shan Yu Rou can be taken, and topical Chinese medicine can be applied to the scalp to promote hair regeneration.
Western medicines include vitamin B6, vitamin B2, and cystine. Vitamin B6 plays an important role in regulating the synthesis of fats and fatty acids, inhibiting sebum secretion, and stimulating hair regeneration. Foods rich in vitamin B6 include potatoes, broad beans, herring, oranges, and sesame seeds.
Eat more seafood to supplement zinc
To prevent hair loss, eat more foods rich in zinc and iron. To supplement zinc, choose seafood such as oysters and shrimp. To supplement iron, eat more red meat and pork liver. Vegetarians can eat more brown rice, sweet potato leaves, or supplement their nutrition with zinc and iron health foods.
Eat less animal products and keep a cheerful mood.
In addition, people with hair loss, especially young people, should pay attention to five lifestyle details:
1. Maintain a cheerful mood and a happy spirit.
2. Avoid consuming too much animal-based food and avoid staying up late.
3. Control the frequency of shampooing. Generally, twice a week is sufficient. At the same time, choose a shampoo that has a good cleaning effect but is gentle on the hair.
4. If hair loss is caused by damage to hair follicles due to scalp diseases, you should consult a dermatologist for active treatment.
5. Be patient. Hair growth is a slow process, generally taking 3 to 6 months or longer. Therefore, patients must cooperate with the doctor’s treatment and persevere to achieve satisfactory results.
Daily hair loss prevention and care
First, avoid combing your hair too vigorously. Combing too hard can damage your hair and scalp. Firstly, it can easily scratch the scalp; secondly, it can easily pull out tangled hairs from the root, damaging the hair follicles. Therefore, avoid pulling your hair forcefully with a comb. Also, when washing your hair, gently massage your scalp, not your hair.
Secondly, it’s essential to eliminate or control the bad habit of smoking. Smoking has numerous harmful effects; besides causing diseases like cancer and heart disease, it can also lead to hair loss. It’s rumored that, just as smoking damages peripheral blood vessels, it may also negatively impact the blood supply to hair follicles.
Finally, avoid frequent perming and dyeing of your hair. Frequent perming and dyeing can damage your hair and cause hair loss. The large amount of bleach in hair dye (almost all products used to lighten hair color contain bleach) strips the hair of its natural molecules, leading to dryness, brittleness, and breakage. Furthermore, the chemical paraphenylenediamine (PPD) in perming and dyeing solutions can cause severe allergic reactions and dermatitis on the scalp, subsequently damaging the scalp and hair follicles.
