Hair Raising Hair Loss Tips From World History

It may not surprise you to know that men have been tearing their hair out over hair loss since time immemorial. The remedies that have been concocted to deal with the common problem of male pattern baldness have often been extravagant and startling. Luckily, today there are successful medical treatments to deal with hair loss. While many people believe these treatments are extreme, one need only compare them with remedies of old to gain some perspective. Read on to learn the top historical hair loss tips worldwide!

If you were concerned about hair loss in ancient Egypt, there was a multi-step cure you could pursue. First of all, you could cover your hair loss with an ingeniously crafted wig while performing the steps necessary to regrow your hair. These involved incanting a spell to Ra and consuming a potion of honey, onions, red lead, alabaster and iron. This solution would either solve your hair loss problem or put you in such a state that you would no longer be concerned with hair loss.

The comb-over is a time "honored" form of hair loss treatment that was started by none other than Julius Caesar and is still sported by one of the most powerful and infamous people on the planet today. This odious hair loss treatment involves simply growing whatever hair you have as long as possible and plastering it over the bare spots. One need only look at the demise of Rome and photos of the rich and famous who sport this trend today (especially on windy days) to realize that this is not a viable option.

Around the world and at various times throughout history, men and women have come up with a number of rather startling concoctions to apply to the hair and scalp to prevent hair loss. Among them are:

* Mashed bananas (an Amazonian cure)
* Nettles, horseradish, pigeon poop and/or cumin (Hippocrates)
* Chicken or cat poop (thanks to Britain in the 17th Century)
* Vigorous brushing and lots of cologne (US circa 1900)
* Nightly application of spirit of camphor (US circa 1900)

Needless to say, hair loss treatment has come a long way since these early days, and surprisingly, this is in part because of Hippocrates, who is known as the father of medicine. Regardless of his bizarre topical treatments, he also recognized that eunuchs (men who were castrated young to spend a lifetime of servitude) did not suffer hair loss. He realized that there must be some connection but did not have the means to determine exactly what it might be. Today, we know that testosterone is converted into DHT (dihydrotestosterone) in the male system, and this can cause hair loss. Luckily, modern treatments are not as dramatic as Hippocrates findings would indicate necessary.

Modern medicine has come up with a number of prescription and surgical treatments for hair loss in both men and women. If you are worried about losing your hair, don't resort to extremes. Make an appointment with your doctor who will probably want to give you a complete physical and blood work up and then may make some dietary recommendations, give you a prescription and/or refer you to a specialist.