Losing your hair can be a scary experience, especially when you feel like there is no real explanation or it seems like you’ve lost a good amount in a matter of weeks — or days! On average, we lose between 50 to 100 strands of hair per day as part of the natural hair growth process, but there are also the same number of new hairs growing in. In other words, at any given time on a healthy scalp about 80% to 90% of the follicles are growing hair, while 10% to 20% are transitioning, resting or shedding. Routine shedding like this is natural and does not result in noticeable thinning or bald spots. So when should you be worried? It’s easy to feel paranoid about losing your hair, but if you notice bald spots, a thinning part, or overall thinning across the scalp, it is a good idea to seek treatment.
Millions of people, both men and women alike, are victims of severe hair loss. Many people mistakenly assume that hair loss does not affect women when in reality, recent studies have shown that around 20% of women over the age of 25 experience hair loss. These are frightening statistics, especially for women, who often to find hair loss more detrimental to their self-confidence and appearance than men. So what exactly causes hair loss? We’re breaking down the most common causes for men and women as well as everything you need to know about hair regrowth.
Stages of Hair Growth
One of the most important parts about coping with hair loss is understanding exactly how the hair growth process works. The more you know about hair growth the easier it is to understand how hair loss occurs and how to best remedy it. It’s easiest to break down hair growth into three main stages: anagen, catagen and telogen. The disruption of the initial hair growth process in the anagen phase is where hair loss begins.
Anagen
The anagen phase is most commonly known as the growth phase during this phase hair continues to grow. Hair follicles typically remain in this phase for about two to six years growing an average of ½ an inch per month. The amount of time your hair spends growing is most often determined by genetics, but can also be affected by hormones, environmental factors and stress, which we’ve learned can have a profound effect on hair growth.
As you may have guessed, the longer your hair stays in the anagen phase, the longer your hair will grow, resulting in a full thick head of hair. On a healthy scalp, at any given time, about 85% of hair follicles are in the anagen stage, with about 15% in the catagen and telogen phases.
Catagen
The catagen phase, lasting about one to three weeks, is known as the transition phase for hair follicles. When hair enters this phase the follicles begin to shrink and the papilla, the base of the hair follicle, detaches, cutting the hair off from the blood supply. This causes the hair follicle to be pushed upward as a new bulb forms below it. About 1% of all hair is in this stage at one time as it essentially prepares itself to fall out.
Telogen
The telogen phase lasts for about two to four months and is when the natural shedding of hair occurs. The 50 to 100 strands of hair we lose each day are in this phase. During this period, epidermal cells continue growing to build a base around the hair follicle anchoring them to your scalp. Eventually the follicles begin to regrow which damages the base of the epidermal cells. This leads to the hair shedding and the anagen stage starting all over again.
Hair Loss in Men
You may be surprised to learn that by the age of 35, two-thirds of men will observe symptoms of male pattern baldness. Even more striking, by the age of 50 almost 85% of men will see significant evidence of male pattern baldness. Hair loss is brought on by many factors including stress, disease, and reactions to specific medicines. However, the vast majority of hair loss is caused by androgenic alopecia, more commonly known as male pattern baldness.
Androgenic Alopecia (Male Pattern Baldness)
Male pattern baldness results from sensitivity to the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This “sensitivity” is switched on at a certain age, depending on the individual’s genetic disposition, in certain patterns on the scalp, also dependent on one’s genetics. A by-product of testosterone, DHT is created by a specific enzyme also found deep in the hair follicle’s glands. Sensitivity to this hormone causes inflammation at the base of the hair root, which in turn constricts blood vessels that supply the necessary oxygen and nutrients that hair needs to grow. This results in a much shorter lifespan of each hair follicle as well as irregular hair production.
As the hair follicle’s blood supply is constricted, anagen is shortened after each life cycle, the new hair grows in thinner and dies faster. The follicle becomes shallower and eventually is only able to grow vellus hair, which grows to around 2mm and is colorless. As more follicles fall victim to this cycle, the area on the scalp becomes less and less covered. This eventually leads to pattern baldness, every man’s worst nightmare. How can you spot the warning signs of pattern baldness? Look for a rising hairline and thinning crown. These are the areas that tend to be most sensitive to DHT. When a strong sensitivity to DHT is left untreated, it can lead to complete baldness.
Hair Loss in Women
You may have never thought that women would be at risk for hair loss but in reality they make up 40% of hair loss victims. With primary symptoms first showing in their 20s and 30s, hair loss is often a devastating and emotionally draining experience for women. A rarely discussed or publicized issue, women often suffer with their self-image and overall confidence. Luckily this issue is starting to be more openly discussed allowing women to find a solution to their problem as they are no longer forced to suffer in silence.
Androgenic Alopecia (Female Pattern Baldness)
While female pattern baldness is also caused by androgens, women may see a rather different pattern of hair loss. A widening part is typically the first thing that women will start to notice. So what exactly causes androgenic alopecia in women? First off, androgen is a male hormone that is typically found in females in small amounts. So when the baldness gene kicks in, the hair loss is not usually as aggressive as in the male counterpart, however, by the time it’s noticed, it is more devastating to women. Also ovarian cysts, birth control pills, pregnancy and menopause can all cause a shift in hormone levels and have been linked to androgenic alopecia. Similar to what we see with male pattern baldness, when these hormone levels shift, hair follicles fail to get the nutrients and oxygen needed to continue to grow and shrink away.
Telogen Effluvium
Most likely, the second major form of hair loss mostly in women is telogen effluvium (TE) or resting phase outflow. This occurs when the number of follicles growing hair (in anagen) drops, causing a significant shift in the balance, increasing the number of dormant, or telogen stage hair follicles. Though there has not been a large amount of research on TE, it is believed that it could be triggered by a traumatic event, such as childbirth, environmental shock, malnutrition or extreme stress.When a large number of follicles rapidly shift to the shedding phase, women may notice significant hair thinning. This shedding can go on for 6 weeks to 3 months depending on the case.
Another form of TE develops much more slowly, but also persists for much longer. This is when follicles enter telogen as they normally would, but stay in the resting state for much longer periods of time rather than returning to anagen, as they normally would within the 6 to 8 weeks. Though this form of TE happens more gradually, it lingers for a much period of time or indefinitely. The third form of TE is when follicles cycle through growth cycles very rapidly and hairs do not have time to grow to full length, thus excessive shedding of short and thin hairs is observed. Women who experience TE will rarely lose all of their hair, but will experience hair loss more severely in some areas of the scalp more than others. It is a good idea to try to pinpoint the trigger and seek treatment, to help revive the follicles and jumpstart anagen.
Scalp Med: A Hair Regrowth Solution
Scalp Med is a hair regrowth solution for men and women; our goal is to help users regrow their natural hair with a topical, noninvasive solution. Our founder Shane, a chemist and the inventor of Scalp Med, was a victim of hair loss himself and sought to find a solution to the problem dear to his heart. Like many, Shane just wasn’t satisfied with the invasive and side effect-ridden solutions available on the market. Fed up with the limited options available to those in his position he looked to make a difference for men and women experiencing similar symptoms.
With a personal stake invested in finding a reliable solution Shane set out to design a product that worked to regrow the hair he’d lost without damaging any of his existing healthy hair. The result is a product that sets users up for success and prevents them from undergoing costly surgeries or living pesky side effects. Scalp Med’s goal is to provide users with a sustainable solution that they can rely on to give them back the hair and confidence they have lost. Our formulas are designed specifically for men and women ensuring that each user experiences as much healthy hair growth as possible.
How it Works
A 2-step process, Scalp Med is a daily regimen that helps you regrow your hair in a timely and healthy manner. We have engineered a solution that is proven to help both men and women combat the effects of hair loss and hair thinning. The first step is Nutrisol® a patented pre-treatment application that helps create an ideal scalp environment ensuring that you receive the best results possible when using Scalp Med. This first step is the one that many people overlook but is most important. Our unique formula of ingredients is what sets Scalp Med apart, and helps ensure that our users get the results they want by setting them up for success from day one.
The second step is Vitadil®, a clinically proven, topical solution that contains Minoxidil, the only FDA-approved ingredient clinically proven to stimulate hair growth. What exactly is Minoxidil? Minoxidil, when applied topically, is designed to stimulate hair growth for users with androgenic alopecia (male or female pattern baldness), the most common cause of hair loss. Essentially, when applied to the scalp, Minoxidil is able to open up blood vessels and potassium channels on the scalp and allow for more oxygen, blood and nutrients to reach the hair follicle. So the hair follicles that have shrunk and failed to grow are then able to get the nutrients needed to grow back thicker than ever.
The Regrowth Process: What to Expect
Scalp Med users typically begin seeing results within three to six months. This is simply how long it takes to restart your hair growth process for the areas in which you have experienced significant loss. This means that during the first few weeks you may feel like you are still finding hair in the sink and shower—this is a good thing! These first few weeks is when your body will begin shedding the unhealthy hair as newer, thicker and healthier hair grows in. During these first few months it’s important to remember that this is not an overnight process in order to see the results you want. You must be consistent in your application of Scalp Med. Remember, you are breathing new life into your hair. Each follicle needs to spring back to life, start forming new healthier hair and that hair needs to grow through the scalp and be large enough to be visible. That, combined with thickening of the thinning hairs is what makes it visible that Scalp Med is working and that your hair is actually growing back in.
Within the next three to four months users may start to notice their hair thickening and patches of hair growing back in. During months five and six, you will really begin feeling like your normal self before hair loss became an issue for you. Even more exciting, some people even begin to see more of their natural hair color growing in and replacing gray hairs. Six to twelve months is when the magic really happens as hair continues to grow into a full head of hair! To keep up this consistent hair growth you will need to continue your Scalp Med regimen each day—a small price to pay for healthy hair!
Learn more about Scalp Med today and find out why we are so confident in our product that we offer a money-back guarantee if you don’t love your results. You might question does Scalp Med work? The answer is yes, and we have the consumer results to prove it. We strongly believe that the answer to hair loss is not surgery or strong side effects, it is a noninvasive, effective solution designed to promote healthy hair regrowth.
