Androgenetic alopecia, commonly called male or female pattern baldness, was only partially understood until the last few decades. For many years, scientists thought that androgenetic alopecia was caused by the predominance of the male sex hormone, testosterone, which women also have in trace amounts under normal conditions. While testosterone is at the core of the balding process, DHT is thought to be the main culprit.

Testosterone converts to DHT with the aid of the enzyme Type II 5-alpha reductase, which is held in a hair follicle's oil glands. Scientists now believe that it's not the amount of circulating testosterone that's the problem but the level of DHT binding to receptors in scalp follicles. DHT shrinks hair follicles, making it impossible for healthy hair to survive.

The hormonal process of testosterone converting to DHT, which then harms hair follicles, happens in both men and women. Under normal conditions, women have a minute fraction of the level of testosterone that men have, but even a lower level can cause DHT- triggered hair loss in women. And certainly when those levels rise, DHT is even more of a problem. Those levels can rise and still be within what doctors consider "normal" on a blood test, even though they are high enough to cause a problem. The levels may not rise at all and still be a problem if you have the kind of body chemistry that is overly sensitive to even its regular levels of chemicals, including hormones.

Since hormones operate in the healthiest manner when they are in a delicate balance, the androgens, as male hormones are called, do not need to be raised to trigger a problem. Their counterpart female hormones, when lowered, give an edge to these androgens, such as DHT. Such an imbalance can also cause problems, including hair loss.

Hormones are cyclical. Testosterone levels in some men drop by 10 percent each decade after thirty. Women's hormone levels decline as menopause approaches and drop sharply during menopause and beyond. The cyclic nature of both our hair and hormones is one reason hair loss can increase in the short term even when you are experiencing a long-term slowdown of hair loss (and a long-term increase in hair growth) while on a treatment that controls hair loss.

The following are the most common causes of women’s hair loss:

Andogenetic Alopecia

The majority of women with androgenic alopecia have diffuse thinning on all areas of the scalp. Men on the other hand, rarely have diffuse thinning but instead have more distinct patterns of baldness. Some women may have a combination of two pattern types. Androgenic alopecia in women is due to the action of androgens, male hormones that are typically present in only small amounts. Androgenic alopecia can be caused by a variety of factors tied to the actions of hormones, including, ovarian cysts, the taking of high androgen index birth control pills, pregnancy, and menopause. Just like in men the hormone DHT appears to be at least partially to blame for the miniaturization of hair follicles in women suffering with female pattern baldness. Heredity plays a major factor in the disease.

Telogen Effluvium

When your body goes through something traumatic like child birth, malnutrition, a severe infection, major surgery, or extreme stress, many of the 90 percent or so of the hair in the anagen (growing) phase or catagen (resting) phase can shift all at once into the shedding (telogen) phase. About 6 weeks to three month after the stressful event is usually when the phenomenon called telogen effluvium can begin. It is possible to lose handful of hair at time when in full-blown telogen effluvium. For most who suffer with TE complete remission is probable as long as severely stressful events can be avoided. For some women however, telogen effluvium is a mysterious chronic disorder and can persist for months or even years without any true understanding of any triggering factors or stressors.

Anagen Effluvium

Anagen effluvium occurs after any insult to the hair follicle that impairs its mitotic or metabolic activity. This hair loss is commonly associated with chemotherapy. Since chemotherapy targets your body’s rapidly dividing cancer cells, your body’s other rapidly dividing cells such as hair follicles in the growing (anagen) phase, are also greatly affected. Soon after chemotherapy begins approximately 90 percent or more of the hairs can fall out while still in the anagen phase.
The characteristic finding in anagen effluvium is the tapered fracture of the hair shafts. The hair shaft narrows as a result of damage to the matrix. Eventually, the shaft fractures at the site of narrowing and causes the loss of hair.

Traction alopecia

This condition is caused by localized trauma to the hair follicles from tight hairstyles that pull at hair over time. If the condition is detected early enough, the hair will regrow. Braiding, cornrows, tight ponytails, and extensions are the most common styling causes.

Here at Soapbox we have a few vegetarians and vegans on the team. We wanted to do a little bit of research into vegan and cruelty free cosmetics and share our findings with you.

Below is a list of common ingredients that can be in your cosmetics. If you look on cosmetic labels you will be able to see if these are in your lipstick or mascara etc. If you are unsure on any ingredients that aren’t listed here, a simple google search should re-assure you.

BEESWAX (AKA CERA ALBA, CERA LAVA)
 – This is the wax from a bee’s hive. Bees must consume six or more pounds of honey in order to create one pound of wax. It is created by either being secreted by worker honeybees from four pairs of glands on the underside of their abdomens, or by secreting droplets of wax called "scales." It can be found in many forms of makeup, from eye shadow to foundation to lipstick.

CARMINE (AKA COCHINEAL, COCHINEAL EXTRACT, CRIMSON LAKE, NATURAL RED 4, C.I. 75470, E120, CARMINIC ACID)
 – This deep red color is taken from crushed cochineal insects. The color is extracted from the insect’s body and eggs. It is a very common colorant in lipsticks and blushes.

COLLAGEN
 – This is a protein that is naturally produced in the bodies of animals. In order to extract the protein, collagen is taken from dead animals by cooking cartilaginous animal materials, such as bones, connective tissues and skin. Collagen is typically used because of its temporary plumping or firming effect and can be found in lotions, creams or lip sticks.

GUANINE (AKA CI 75170)
 – Guanine is fish scales that have been scraped off dead fish. It is then soaked in alcohol to create a pearly essence that is added to products. In mainstream cosmetics you can find it in the sparkles of your products such as blush, eye shadow and nail polish.

KERATIN
– This is another protein found in mammals. It comes from hair, nails and horns of animals. It is often found in hair products.

LANOLIN – This fat is derived from the grease in a sheep’s hair. It is most often found in lotions and lip balms.

SQUALANE
 – This ingredient can be made from squeezing oil from the liver of a shark. You can find it in all sorts of moisturisers and cosmetics.

If you have ever thought about making the transition to vegan-friendly brands but don’t want to break the bank. Here is a list of amazing drug store brands that provide some vegan and cruelty free options.
e.l.f – All of their the makeup is vegan, but some of their makeup brushes are not.

CIRCA – Eva Mendes’ makeup line will be available at Walgreens.
Flower Beauty – The company is 100% cruelty-free—not entirely vegan.
Hard Candy – This brand is sold exclusively at Walmart.
NYX Cosmetics – Most items are vegan. Here’s their official statement: "Most of our products are but a few do have animal derived ingredients and/or could contain gluten. It is best for the customer to view the labels of each product in-person and determine if there is any ingredient that could be derived from animals and/or contains gluten."
Pacifica – Available at Target. This company is completely vegan and cruelty-free.
Physicians Formula – Also 100% cruelty-free and mostly vegan but look at the individual labels.
Pix – This line is cruelty-free with lots vegan options – just be sure to read ingredient labels.
Sonia Kashuk – This line is cruelty-free with vegan options. Available at Target.
Wet ’n’ Wild – This line is cruelty-free with mostly vegan options, but some products contain carmine.
Milani – This bunny friendly beauty line has heaps of vegan options. Our favourites here have to be e.l.f, NYX Cosmetics and Sonia Kashuk. They are really great quality and if you read the labels you can make sure your whole makeup bag is cruelty free and vegan friendly. A lot of products simply have a sign on the packaging so you don’t have to read through a ton of weird and confusing product names. Peta have an amazing in-depth list of not only cosmetics companies, but hair, nail and other personal care products. On this list are all the companies that have signed their agreement and given a statement that they do not test or harm animals. There are also a wide range of similar symbols depending where in the world you are!

After researching into the vegan cosmetics industry – we have come to the conclusion that if you can, you SHOULD be buying cruelty free and vegan cosmetics. There are so many options out there. Do you really want to be brushing your face with the hair of a goat? Technology is changing, for example Tweezerman have just released a line of complete vegan and synthetic makeup brushes.

Unfortunately, many different factors of life can negatively affect a woman’s breast tissue over time, such as weight changes, pregnancy, childbirth, genetics, and gravity. While many women just turn to push up bras to get their breasts back into place, others begin to consider permanently boosting them up through plastic surgery. The breast augmentation procedure is currently the most commonly performed procedure in the U.S. with over 300,000 surgeries per year. If you have started to consider getting breast implants, there are a few things you should think about.

The right time. Before getting implants, many doctors recommend that women should be in good health, not smoke, be at a stable ideal weight, and have fully developed breasts. Some women also prefer to wait until after they are done having children, but this is not necessary. Due to swelling of the breasts during pregnancy and nursing, women sometimes end up with bigger breasts and don’t find the need for breast implants after all. But there is no way to predict if this will happen to you. Think about when would be the perfect time for your breast augmentation.

Do it for the right reasons. It is important that you do this for yourself and not for anyone else. Plastic surgery is a big a deal and should not be done to please anyone but yourself. Before following up with this decision, make sure it is exactly what you want.

Have realistic expectations. It is extremely important to have realistic expectations before getting breast implants. For the first few months and possibly up to a year, your breasts may not look completely natural. They will rest high on your chest for the first few months and it will take time for them to soften up. Do not expect to go from a AA to a DDD. Most patients with minimal breast tissue cannot jump to a huge breast size because the skin’s elasticity may not cooperate, causing stretch marks. Your doctor will help you decide which implant size is right for your body.

Know the risks. Although a breast augmentation is a low risk procedure, there are possible risks that come with this procedure, just like any other type of surgery. Some risks include infection, bleeding, loss of sensation, contracture, and wrinkling of the breast implant. Following all orders from your doctor can help prevent any of these complications from occurring.
Introduction to Breast Augmentation Miami

Breast Augmentation surgery or augmentation mammoplasty, is the surgical procedure used to increase the volume of the breasts and improve their symmetry by using implants. It is also aimed to restore breast volume lost after weight loss or pregnancy. In addition, this procedure can serve as breast reconstruction after mastectomy or injury which can enhance self-image and confidence of the patient.