Beauty standards include a beautiful hairstyle. If the hair is healthy and thick, it is easy to maintain an image. You can stack them, do perm or grow long curls. For such curls, colorists have created several decorative staining techniques.
Who does not want to have a thick head of hair! Unfortunately, not everyone is lucky. People spend a lot of money on ointments for hair growth, but so far they have not invented miracles. Many hairstyles become thinner with age, gray hair appears. The remaining ones become thinner, often completely disappearing in some areas. What determines hair growth? How to save what nature has given?
Structure
You may be surprised, but not all hair has the same structure on the human body. Highlight hair on the head, called “long” (they are of three types - curly, straight, wavy). Bristles represent eyebrows and eyelashes, cannons cover the whole body.
Hair has a certain period of growth, phases of stability and replacement with new ones. This order of replacing some hair follicles with others is repeated constantly. If you increase several times the area of the scalp, you will see thin and young among several rods of the same size. Sooner or later, the hair enters the replacement phase and falls out.
What affects scalp hair growth? The figure above shows that the blood vessels that supply food are suitable for the follicle. In the phase of the core formation, cells actively divide here, taking out young hair to the skin surface. With vascular sclerosis, malnutrition or metabolic disorders, there is no building material for the follicle, and the strands fall out.
On the head
The type of hair on the head is not without reason called “long”. There are cases when people grew a braid more than two meters long. But far from everyone succeeds in repeating this: for most people, the growth phase ends when they reach several tens of centimeters. It is noticed that black straight hair of Asians has a longer growth phase. The shortest period is in European light curly curls.
What affects scalp hair growth? Genes laid at birth are not the only factor. It has been established that under stress in the body vessels are spasmodic and follicles do not receive enough nutrition. That is why many people with strong feelings begin to lose their hair. After chemotherapy, all cells that are affected by the drug die. These include hair follicle cells responsible for division. Therefore, such treatment is accompanied by alopecia (baldness). This disappears after the course of treatment.
Doctors agree that tissue trophism is what hair growth depends on. For the formation of a full-fledged core, proteins, fats, vitamins and trace elements are needed. When a person’s nutrition is disturbed, this immediately affects the state of his hair. With vascular diseases, poor absorption of vitamins and other disorders, nutrition can be complete, but this is not enough. Correction of nutrient delivery disorders to the hair growth site will be required.
Bulb Nutrition
At the root of the hair is a real plant for the production of the shaft. Here keratin fibers are formed - protein compounds from oxygen, hydrogen and carbon. Keratin cells contain sulfur, traces of iron and arsenic. Their cholesterol molecules and water are held together. Thanks to sulfur atoms, the chains of amino acids subside, which ensures their reinforcement of the hair and gives strength.
The lack of food rich in sulfur, disrupts the formation of the amino acid cystine, which affects the growth of hair on the head. This amino acid delivers sulfur to the cell division site and is involved in keratin production. If there is little sulfur, the hair is thin and brittle. To provide the body with cystine, it is useful to have vegetables and meat and dairy products on the table.
In addition, three more amino acids take part in hair synthesis: histidine (suppliers are peanuts and fatty cheese), tyrosine (found in sesame seeds) and lysine (found in fish and meat, lentils). Vitamins and minerals participating in the general metabolic processes contribute to the production of collagen and keratin, on which the growth of hair on the head depends.
Growth rate
On average, hair is lengthened by a centimeter per month. These data are inaccurate: in summer, growth is faster, in winter it slows down. In some people, metabolism allows hair to grow one and a half centimeters per month. What determines the hair growth rate? This is largely due to genetics.
African peoples have very slow hair growth. No care products, no procedures affect speed. This is considered the norm, a healthy state of African fine curl. Therefore, in the shops of the hot continent they sell wigs and false locks.
The fastest growing hair in Asia. There, the length of the braid often reaches the height of a person. Europeans cannot boast of such speed. On average, the length of curls in Europe reaches half a meter, and hair stops growth.
Baldness
Hormone receptors are suitable for the bulb. If estrogen enhances hair growth on the head, then the male hormone testosterone in the hair follicle becomes dihydrotestosterone. It inhibits the follicles of the parietal and temporal region. In the case of bald patches, increased levels of testosterone, hyperproduction of 5-alpha reductase or hereditary hypersensitivity to dihydrotestosterone are suspected. This type of hair loss is called male pattern baldness. In women, their loss is uniform over the entire surface of the head.
Sometimes follicles do not just oppress, but die, stopping hair growth in men. What determines their death? These can be inflammatory processes in the dermis (fungal lesions, seborrhea, folliculitis, scleroderma, systemic lupus erythematosus, injuries, burns). At the border of the bald patch, a border of inflamed tissue is visible. If treatment is missed, then the affected area is scarred, and permanent baldness occurs.
The treatment of alopecia is performed by a trichologist. Before the appointment of drugs and procedures, blood tests are done, determining the presence of hormones and antibodies. It is shown to make a biopsy of the scalp and consult an endocrinologist.
On the body
It happens that the hair on the head is becoming less and less, but the growth of cannon hair on the legs is enhanced, undesirable facial hair appears. What determines the growth of body hair? In some cases, due to the influence of hormones. In others, due to a lack of vitamin A.
Hormones are synthesized in the adrenal glands, including those responsible for hair growth. With a lack of vitamin A, all mucous membranes suffer, the thyroid gland, ovaries and liver are disrupted. The balance of testosterone and estrogen is changing. As a result, women begin to have male type hair. The loss after childbirth and with the onset of menopause increases.
Although the importance of vitamin A is not in dispute, the normal synthesis of the hair shaft requires a complex of vitamins B, all fat-soluble vitamins and the presence of vitamin C, without which there are no metabolic reactions. These are the vitamins for hair growth.
Liver condition
Hair growth is ongoing. Some onions fade, others are reborn. A loss of 150 hair is considered normal per day. But if this indicator is increased, then there is a pathological condition. This may be due to stress, seasonal depression, poor nutrition, or diseases of the internal organs.
What organ does hair growth depend on? Cases of complete and partial baldness due to disruption of the liver and gall bladder (hepatitis and cholecystitis) are known. After a course of treatment, the bulbs are activated, and the hair is restored.
Even before the hair begins to fall out, the body signals a malfunction:
- Thinning of the hair shaft.
- The appearance of the hair becomes dull.
- Hair breaks easily.
- Dandruff appears.
- Greasy scalp.
This condition is an occasion to see a doctor. When the main filter of the body (liver) is disrupted, other diseases join in over time: pancreatitis, obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. This is what the growth of hair on the head depends on. A characteristic sign of a serious liver condition is hair loss in the axillary and pubic areas.
In this case, the liver does not bother a person for a very long time. When pain begins in the right hypochondrium, it means inflammation of the gallbladder. The liver does not hurt. Therefore, it is very important not to ignore the poor condition of the hair - this may be a symptom of a health problem. Fortunately, the liver is able to recover with proper treatment. You will need to follow a long diet, and after recovery, do not expose the body to undue strain on alcohol, smoked meats and fried foods. Fatty foods are also excluded.
Hormone effects
The following hormones influence the growth of curls:
- Testosterone in men decreases by about one percent per year, which leads to hair loss. Women with an imbalance of testosterone lose curls in the crown region. This happens due to a sharp jump in testosterone or inadequate female hormones. With the uncontrolled use of contraceptives, the consequences can be in the form of hair loss.
- Somatotropin regulates the formation of follicular structure. With an excess of it, unwanted hairs appear on the body, and with a deficiency focal alopecia occurs.
- The thyroid gland produces TSH - a hormone responsible for the quality of the hair shaft. Shine and elasticity depend on the amount of water and fat in its composition. The strength of the hair depends on the number of sulfur atoms. With a lack of TSH, the curls become dull and sparse, break and split. With an excess of TSH, they become soft and unable to hold a perm (even a chemical wave).
- Elevated prolactin levels cause hair loss.
- A progesterone deficiency makes them faded, they break down and fall out.
Here are the hormones that affect hair growth in women and men. To adjust the hormonal background, appropriate medicines are selected. If necessary, change birth control pills, but do it under the supervision of a doctor.
Trichologist's advice on how to accelerate the growth of curls
The doctor will be able to say on what the growth of hair of a particular person depends, only after examination. The trichologist works closely with the endocrinologist. The synthesis of hair is affected by the hormonal apparatus, and its malfunction must be determined. If there is no violation of the endocrine glands, vitamin-mineral complexes are prescribed on the basis of a biochemical blood test. It is impossible to decide which vitamins to take on your own. With an excess of synthetic vitamin intake, a state of microelementosis can be observed. Only a doctor can cope with it.
After examining the scalp and the condition of the hair with a trichoscope, the doctor can prescribe mesotherapy and introduce the necessary substances under the scalp. It can be zinc, selenium, hyaluronic acid and vitamin preparations. The procedure is painless due to the very thin needle that is used with such injections. The duration of mesotherapy is about forty minutes.
Often prescribed acupuncture and massage of the scalp. In some cases, massage of the cervical-collar zone helps, eliminating the spasm of the cervical muscles. Nutrition of tissues depends on how well the vessels work. There is usually no problem in the occipital part of the head, since the supply of blood (and the nutrients it carries) comes from the neck.
People's councils
Will folk advice help a person to enhance hair growth? What only recipes can not be found:
- Regular cutting of the tips makes the curls grow faster.
- In order for the hair to grow faster, use head washing with egg yolk (decoction of burdock root, nettle decoction and other herbs).
- To defeat baldness, immature walnut kernels, burdock oil and other products are rubbed into the scalp.
- To make your hair thick and healthy, you need to comb it often. This provides ventilation and lubrication with sebum.
Trichologists categorically prohibit the use of skin-irritating agents as masks. Alcohol tinctures, peppers, garlic can be dangerous - cause a chemical burn, which can lead to scarring of tissues. Hair care is allowed with the help of sour milk masks, honey. But the growth of the strands does not depend on them, it will only give the hair a silkiness.
Does hair growth depend on shampooing? Unlikely. Follicle nutrition occurs through the blood, and not through the skin. Pepper compress will cause blood to rush to some area of the skin, but this is not for long. In addition, as mentioned, there is a danger of getting a burn, and it is unlikely that hair will grow from it.
Does hair growth depend on cutting tips? No, it does not. Keratin cells do not contain nuclei, they are dead. The root of the hair is responsible for the growth, and it is located deep under the skin, and it is not affected by the monthly haircuts.
Conclusion
To summarize: in order to have good hair, you need to establish proper nutrition, rich in protein and vitamins. You should protect the scalp from exposure to chemical factors that can lead to inhibition of follicles. All skin diseases are dangerous for the hair follicles, as cicatricial lesions can form.
It is difficult to unequivocally answer the question of what hair growth depends on. This problem is treated by a trichologist. A thorough examination can help in reversible cases. If it is all a matter of genetic location, then modern medicine offers a bulb transplant. There is always a way out, you just need not to despair and act.