Hair loss can be caused by many factors, not all of them hormonal.  Stress can play an important role in hair loss, as can such activities as braiding the hair too tightly, causing lack of blood flow to the hair root.  Food allergies, chemicals, drugs and poor eating habits can all be contributing factors to hair loss.

Genetics, of course, play a major role in the amount and quality of hair that you possess, including such factors as colour, shine, thickness and even whether your hair is curly or straight.  For all the wonders of modern technology and scientific progress made by the human race, we have not yet discovered the cure for hair loss.

Most hair loss is permanent, but some is temporary, depending on environmental factors such as stress, which I have mentioned before.  Patients who undergo stringent chemotherapy treatments are very likely to suffer from hair loss, but after the treatments are stopped, hair re-growth is experienced.

Hormonal treatment in women and even in men can trigger hair loss.  This is particularly noted in some contraceptive pills designed to prevent pregnancy in women.  Chemical treatments on the hair itself can damage the hair follicles and even products designed to improve hair appearance, like hair thickeners, are not advised for use directly upon the scalp.

The best way to disguise hair loss is of course to apply the use of toupee’s, wigs, weaves and synthetic or natural hair implants.  The choice of product is a very personal choice, with one option being suitable to one person but abhorrent to another.  Each option has its pro’s and con’s and whichever you choose, the details will be fully explained by a professional.

Toupee’s and wigs can be attached with special types of glue or can be woven into your natural hair.  Some weaves are surgically attached to the scalp via the means of steel loops or hair loss sufferers can choose to have synthetic hair implanted into dormant follicles on the scalp.  The last option is to have strips of living hair surgically cut from your scalp and to then have the living follicles transplanted after having the wound stitched shut.  The only other option available is to dare to go bare!

Again, a very personal choice to make!  There is no way to guarantee that the genetic lottery will bless you with a healthy head of hair, even if your parents both sport glossy heads of exuberant curls!  Only time will tell if you’ll keep your Samson-like locks or if due to hair loss in the future you’ll brave that Kojak impersonation.

Right.  You’ve woken up this morning and whilst brushing your teeth you’ve noticed a fine line that you’re quite sure wasn’t there before.  Time to panic!  What can you do to reverse the visible signs of ageing, you wonder?  Ah, you are not the first, nor shall you be the last to ask this age-old question.

A visit to the beauty department can be quite confusing in and of itself.  Sure, there’s a well dressed and expertly coiffed lady at the cosmetics counter who will be only too happy to assist you, so long as you are going to buy the product that she is selling.  She’ll extol the virtues of anti-ageing cream X, but so will the ten other beauty professionals at each cosmetics stand you approach.

Hmmm.  My advice?  Educate yourself.  Each beauty product has a vast list of ingredients on its packaging, but what does all that mumbo jumbo actually mean?  Let’s begin with a fairly common ingredient in many popular anti-ageing creams that have proven results. Retinoid.  What are retinoid, you may ask?  These wonderful chemical additives cause the skin to build more skin cells more quickly, giving an overall smoother and finer appearance over an extended period of time.

Vitamins feed not only the body, but also the skin, so it should come as little surprise that you will find vitamins in some of the anti-ageing creams available on the market today. Vitamin C boosts collagen production, which gives the skin a fuller, plumper appearance and boosts blood flow to the skin, which increases nutrient uptake, feeding the skin more effectively.

Vitamin A is another popular additive to many anti-ageing skin creams.  It aids in sloughing off dead skin cells and in plumping the appearance of the skin.  Alpha-hydroxy acids are derived from fruit acids and this ingredient in anti-ageing creams helps to shed older, dead skin cells more quickly and effectively, revealing a smoother, finer, younger skin that exudes a youthful glow.

Your beauty regime will indeed benefit from the addition of one or two good anti-ageing creams, but as with all things, its going to be a case of trial and error until you find the one that is going to suit your skin type.  What works for one person will not necessarily suit the other, so don’t give up if you’re not happy with the first one you try.  Persevere, there is such a vast variety available, you are guaranteed to find the perfect one for you!

Anti ageing creams clutter the shelves of every high end department store on the planet and with so many name brands claiming to reverse the signs of ageing, it really is very difficult to choose any one product.

Choosing the correct product for your skin type and specific needs can be a daunting task indeed.  The old adage ‘prevention is better than cure’ seem to apply.  Don’t wait until you are on the wrong side of ninety to decide to start shopping for a decent anti ageing cream.  Begin a skin care routine at an early age and you are less likely to look like last seasons Italian leather handbag when the years start to show.

Anti ageing creams cannot be expected to carry the entire load alone.  To maintain that youthful glow you will need to eat a healthy diet, exercise, get enough sleep and keep the dancing ‘til 3am fuelled by copious amounts of tequila to a minimum.  Anti ageing creams are a pick me up, a little helping hand, to maintaining a youthful appearance.

Ingredients in anti ageing creams that have been proven to assist in the maintenance of a youthful skin include vitamin A, which helps to reduce the depth of wrinkles.  The nourishment offered by vitamin C when applied to the skin increases blood flow and boosts collagen production.  Collagen is a component of the skin that assists in a plump, youthful appearance to the skin.

Alpha-hydroxy fruit acids speed up the process of shedding old skin cells, revealing the new skin beneath.  Retinoids are added to anti ageing skin creams to assist in the quicker production of new skin cells and over time the skin appears smoother and finer in appearance.

You have to choose the product that feels right for you and this, I’m afraid, requires kissing many frogs before you find your prince.  You will have the guidance of the usually well-informed cosmetics assistant at your local department store to assist, but as with all things, the proof is in the pudding and you’ll only know if you’re happy with your new anti ageing cream once you’ve used it for several months and notice improvements to your skin.