Why Nutrition is Important in Treating Traction Alopecia
Where female and male pattern balding is caused by hormones, traction alopecia is caused from a result of too much tension on hair follicles. Any time tension is constantly applied to the hair follicles they will become weaker and weaker with time and ultimately stop creating new hair. The head’s crown and hairline are the most common places to find traction alopecia, but constant hair pulling can also result in thinning generally all around the head.
In order to treat traction alopecia, you must first give the damaged hair follicles the opportunity to repair and gradually grow new hair that is strong and healthy. Aside from stopping the activity causing the tension on the hair follicles, other external symptoms such as scalp inflammation caused by the traction alopecia mush also be addressed. If the inflammation causes discomfort and is severe, it is suggested that your visit your doctor for an appropriate prescription. If the scalp has dandruff, you should regularly use an over-the-counter treatment that is suitable such as a shampoo.
While battling the external symptoms can provide some short-term relief, it will not help healthy new hair grow. The treatment of traction alopecia takes time for a couple reasons. First of all, the scalp will take time to heal itself. Next, hair follicles will need to be able to regenerate healthy hair-producing cells again. Finally, individuals have different hair growth rates. Most commonly, hair growth rate can vary from a half centimeter to an entire inch but this will depend on the individual’s biology. The damage applied to the hair follicles from the constant pulling will produce a slower growth rate.
To make sure growth is sustained for the long-term the scalp must receive a good amount of nutrients that enable hair growth. Since hair is largely made-up of protein, increasing consumed protein amounts if highly advised; and not just any protein is sufficient. Certain foods have protein inside that is broken down by the body easier, and thus is absorbed and used by the body better than others. We are referring to the protein’s biological value (BV). More specifically, whey protein has a Biological value that is higher than any other type of protein, and that is why it is used in so many protein supplements. Whey, which is found inside cow’s milk, is known for making up nearly 20% of milk’s protein. Whey protein exits your digestive track rather quickly as the body is able to digest it pretty quickly. The foods known for containing the highest levels of whey protein are milk derivatives which include cottage and ricotta cheese. Other foods that are known for having protein with high biological values are fish, eggs, beans, fowl (turkey and chicken), soy, casein, and red meat that is lean.
There are other nutrients essential for healthy hair growth and those include B vitamins, iodine, tryptophan, folate, copper, iron, and selenium. Examples of foods high in iodine are baked potatoes with the peel and dried sea weed. You can find good selenium levels in sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts, and grains like oats, brown rice, wheat germ, and barley. Great sources of iron come from the dark leafy veggies like watercress, spinach, and curly kale for example.
B vitamins are known to include riboflavin, vitamin B6, biotin, vitamin B12, niacin, pantothenic acid, thiamin, and folate (also referred to as folacin or folic acid). The best sources for B vitamins include wheat germ, milk and other milk products, dark leafy vegetables, almonds, spinach, lentils, turnip greens, and pecans. Biotin is found in egg yolk and liver. Biotin is great for helping keep the hair within its growth or anagen phase for a longer amount of time. The benefit of this is that the longer you can keep your hair in its natural anagen phase, the longer your hair will grow before it begins to naturally shed.
If you begin adding a variety of the aforementioned foods into your diet will help give you the amino acid, minerals, and vitamins your scalp needs to heal and begin regenerating hair follicles. However, we should mention that circulation in the scalp must be increased to allow nutrient-rich blood to reach it.
You can increase your scalp’s circulation through exercise which actually boosts the entire body’s circulation. For example, scalp massages and neck exercises. If you cannot increase the circulation through exercise, there are artificial ways such as using products made with caffeine such as hair tonics and shampoos.
Just keep in mind that you will need to remain patient as your new diet will need at least three months to begin treating your traction alopecia.
This is an article by Danielle McLoughlin, who writes more about Traction Alopecia and thinning hair treatments at her website – www.tractionalopeciatreatments.com. You can download her free ebook to learn how to reduce scalp stress and stimulate the growth of healthy hair.
Danielle McLoughlin, writes more about Traction Alopecia treatments at her website – http://www.tractionalopeciatreatments.com. You can download a free copy of her ebook to find out how to stimulate hair growth – http://www.tractionalopeciatreatments.com/10-step-prescription-for-re-growing-healthy-hair
Author Bio: This is an article by Danielle McLoughlin, who writes more about Traction Alopecia and thinning hair treatments at her website – www.tractionalopeciatreatments.com. You can download her free ebook to learn how to reduce scalp stress and stimulate the growth of healthy hair.
Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: traction alopecia treatment, traction alopecia, best vitamins for hair growth, stressed scalp