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Treatments
Hair Follicles
The first two outer layers of your skin are called the
epidermis and the dermis. The dermis contains a rich
lode of blood vessels, nerve endings, fat reserves, and
your hair follicles.
The follicle is depression that penetrates into your
dermis, the second layer of skin. This is where all the
hair-growing action takes place. Once you understand
this, you can see the basic flaw in many hair loss
remedies. A hair loss product that you apply directly to
your scalp has little chance of penetrating down to your
dermis, where all the new hair growth takes place. Some
chemical hair loss remedies can do this, but these hair
loss products have other drawbacks that we'll get to
later.
At the bottom of the follicle there's a bundle of cells
called the papilla. The papilla contains all the blood
vessels that feed the hair, and also produces new hair
cells. The ideal hair loss product feeds and nourishes
the cells of the papilla. These cells are highly active
in a healthy, hair-producing follicle. The cells
constantly divide and create new hair cells. As the new
hair cells are formed, older cells are pushed up and out
of the follicle, creating the hair shaft.
The follicles go through a regular 3-phase cycle. In the
anagen phase, or growth period, the papilla is
vigorously active, producing strong, thick hair. The
catagen is like the yellow light, when the growth slows
down. The telogen phase is the resting period. It's like
a red light, where cell production stops. If the
follicle is healthy, this last phase is temporary. Soon
the light turns green, and the papilla goes back into
the anagen phase again, creating new hair.
The papilla is your key to treating and preventing hair
loss. Although there are many different causes of hair
loss, the effect is always the same: the papilla
produces fewer and weaker hair cells, or stops producing
altogether. If you can find an herbal hair loss product
that nourishes the papilla and stimulates the production
of healthy new hair cells, you'll grow stronger,
healthier hair.
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