The History of Hair Loss Treatments

While
some people accept and embrace hair loss, it can be  a major concern for
others and it can sometimes even lead to more serious health conditions such as
anxiety and depression. However, if you experience hair loss and you aren’t
ready to accept your changing looks, it’s important to note that you don’t necessarily
need to suffer in silence.

There
are a whole host of treatments available that have been specially designed to
tackle the problem. From caffeinated shampoos and lotions to medically-proven
pills, such treatments are accessible from pharmacies and from your GP, and you
can seek more information from websites such as LloydsPharmacy.

People
have been experiencing hair loss for a long time. Today, we have access to
useful advice and a whole range of effective treatments. However, it hasn’t
always been this easy. So, let’s go back in time to see how hair loss used to
be dealt with.

The
Ebers Papyrus

The
first acknowledgment that history gives us of hair loss dates back to around
1553 BC. At this time, a piece of medical text was found, known to us today as
the Ebers Papyrus. This was a collection of remedies put together by the
Egyptians about 2,000 years before it was discovered. Within it, there was a
supposed solution for hair loss which included the ingredients onions, honey,
alabaster, red lead, iron oxide and the fat of animals such as lions, snakes,
hippopotamuses and crocodiles. This interesting albeit strange mix was designed
to be taken immediately after reciting a poem for maximum effect.

The
combover

During
his reign over the Roman empire, Julius Caesar attempted to cover up his bald
spot by developing a ‘comb forward’ – a hairstyle we refer to today as a comb
over. While this strategic tactic worked for a while, Caesar soon realised that
he no longer had enough hair, and so he came up with another solution for the
problem. Instead, he started wearing laurel wreaths to distract from his fading
follicles. So, it could be argued that Caesar’s lack of hair is to thank for
his iconic and powerful look.

The
wig craze

In
1624, wigs became all the rage. The French king, Louis XIII, was known to
regularly sport a headpiece so that he could cover up his thinning tresses.
However, the trend soon caught on, and even those with a head full of hair
started wearing them too. It was believed by many that a wig was associated
with authority and power.

The
gas-filled combs

The
1920s saw many American manufacturers develop and release a whole range of
products that were designed for hair loss. For example, it was at this time
that gas-filled glass combs were introduced. These combs were designed to run
over the scalp to encourage hair regrowth. Unfortunately, this contraption was
too good to be true; the comb was later found to have no hair restoring
qualities at all.

The
breakthrough

The world’s first hair transplant method was
created in 1939 by Dr Shoji Okuda. The technique involved taking hair follicles
from the back of the head and grafting them to the area where hair no longer
grew. From here onwards, there have been a number of breakthroughs
in regards to hair loss treatments. Minoxidil was scientifically proven to
trigger hair regrowth in 1988, with finasteride becoming available 10 years
later as an effective hair loss medicine.

So,
while your fading follicles may be getting you down, you could find comfort in
knowing how far hair loss treatments have come and how easy it can be for you
to resolve your hair woes.