Although baldness is mediated by hormonal factors, it tends to run in families; your risk may be deduced from the number of bald males among members of both parents' families. Abnormal hair loss may be precipitated by metabolic disorders (including diabetes, thyroid disease, and crash diets); damage to hair shafts caused by harsh treatments; stress brought on by illness; hormonal changes of pregnancy; medical treatment, including cancer chemotherapy; and very severe scalp disorders.

Nutritional causes may be a grossly excessive intake of vitamin A or a deficiency of iron, biotin, zinc, or protein. Such deficiencies are rare, although an excessive intake of raw egg whites can lead to a depletion of biotin.

Treatments. The only medicines for baldness are minoxidil (Rogaine), a topical medicine, and finasteride (Propecia), an oral prescription drug. Hair loss due to stress or drug treatment is generally temporary. Hair that falls out during a crash diet soon regrows once nutrition returns to normal. Hair lost in patches usually grows back without treatment, but in some instances, corticosteroid injections may be needed.

About dandruff. Dandruff -- excessive scaling of the scalp -- affects more than 50 percent of the population. It may be due to stress or a chronic or recurrent skin disorder, such as seborrheic dermatitis, but the most likely cause is infection by Pytyrosporum ovale fungus. This fungus is found naturally on the scalp but some people are more affected by it than others. It feeds on the skin's natural oils and causes irritation and shedding of dead skin. Many people shed flakes of dandruff, especially in winter, when the scalp may be dry. But some people have a hereditary tendency to develop skin problems that are triggered by a sensitivity to specific foods. Because the offending food varies from one person to the next, the only reasonable advice is to avoid foods that seem to make dandruff worse.

Treatments. Some cases of dandruff may respond to flaxseed oil, which seems to help itchy skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema. Take 1 to 2 teaspoons a day. You'll need to wait several weeks or months to see an effect.

However, federal law classifies contact lenses (both traditional and cosmetic) as medical devices. As such, both nonprescription contacts and traditional contacts need a prescription in order to legally purchase them .

This means if you don't require vision correction, but you want to purchase a pair of nonprescription contact lenses, you must still make an appointment with an eye doctor. Once the optician is informed of the reason for your visit, there will be an eye examination, a fitting of contact lenses on your eyes, and then a prescription will be given for a pair of cosmetic lenses.

Outside of the legal ramifications, the main purpose for seeing an eye care practitioner even though you don't have vision problems is because you need to be professionally fitted for cosmetic contacts. Not all contact lenses are the same size and posses the same curvature. If you were to wear a pair of contact lenses that were not specifically matched to the shape of your eyes, you could end up of severely damaging your eyes

So why bother with contact lenses if you don't need them? Primarily people do it to change the color of their eyes. Nonprescription colored contact lenses are extremely popular for not only teenagers and those self-conscious about their looks, but also for those who want to change their appearance for a special occasion

Practically all visual effects pertaining to the eyes in movies, on television, or on stage are achieved through special effect nonprescription contact lenses. They really are that popular.

Remember, if you want to change or enhance your natural eye color then nonprescription colored contacts are definitely the way to go. However, it is important to remember that due to the uniqueness of every individual's eyes, you should never swap or share your contacts with another person. Only purchase cosmetic contact lenses with a prescription from an eye care practitioner.