One of the most frightening things about hair loss is the lack of control over what is happening to your body, especially with conditions such as alopecia, telogen effluvium or pattern baldness where the hair falls out suddenly and without any noticeable cause.

There is often nothing you can do to stop your hair falling out; all you can do is watch. This can be very upsetting, causing the sufferer no end of anxiety and distress.

However, some people with hair loss take the bold step of shaving all of their hair off and embracing baldness. By stopping it in its tracks and choosing the way you look, you get to take back some control over your body and appearance.

It can be hard to face the world for the first time without the ‘self-confidence shield of hair, leaving many people unable to interact and deal with people in the same way as before.

You need a lot of support, self-confidence and self-belief to shake off the stigma of female hair loss and be happy with your new look, but you can do it if you remember that true beauty comes from the inside. You don’t need hair to look gorgeous; often all you need is a smile on your face.

When you are pregnant, a lot of changes take place in your body. The fluctuations of hormone levels in the body and increased amounts of oestrogen may mean that you find your hair becoming thicker and fuller whilst you are pregnant. However, hormonal changes may also cause your hair to fall out.

Most women who experience female hair loss at this time in their lives do so after they have given birth. After enjoying thick, healthy-looking hair throughout the pregnancy, the hair can start to fall out around three to six months after delivery.

Hair loss of this kind occurs because rising hormones during the pregnancy have caused more hairs (around 60 per cent) to enter the resting (telogen) phase.

Your hair shouldn’t fall out during pregnancy; it is only after you have given birth, when your hair growth cycle returns to normal, that hairs reach the end of the telogen phase and fall out. The normal levels of hair loss that were delayed during pregnancy may start to happen all at once.

This kind of hair loss is known to be temporary, with hair growth returning to normal within six months to a year.

If you notice some of your hair has fallen out, it’s perfectly natural to be concerned that something is wrong. However, you need to be sure you aren’t worrying unnecessarily. Learning a little more about the normal cycle of hair growth and loss can help to alleviate your fears, as well as giving you an insight into what constitutes ‘excessive’ hair loss.

Normal hair growth cycle

Hair normally grows in three stages:

• The anagen (growth) phase – lasting up to eight years. Around 85 per cent of all hairs on your head are in this phase at one time
• The telogen (resting) phase) – this is where 10-15 per cent of the hair and the follicle remains dormant for up to four months
• The catagen phase – the transitional phase, lasting around two weeks

On average, hair grows around 1.25 cm (0.5 inches) a month. This adds up to around 15cm (6 inches) a year.

Normal hair loss

As you will have noticed, everyone loses some hairs every day. These are the hairs that are at the end of the telogen phase falling out and being replaced by new hairs growing in the follicle. It is normal to lose around 50 to 100 hairs every day; if you notice considerably more than this falling out, you should make an appointment to see your GP.

There is no ‘magic’ cure for hair loss, but there are some things you can do to help improve the condition. These mainly relate to staying healthy and eating properly, making sure you get all the essential vitamins and minerals you need every day.

Certain vitamins can be helpful in preventing hair loss, encouraging hair to regrow and generally improving the health of hair. The main vitamins and minerals you should consider getting more of in your diet include:

• B vitamins
• Iron
• Zinc
• Folate
• Calcium

A good quality multi-vitamin taken daily can ensure you get the right amounts of these vitamins and minerals in your diet. If you have a deficiency of just one of these, such as vitamin B12 or iron, you will need to see your doctor for diagnosis and advice. Occasionally, dietary deficiencies can be a main cause of hair loss.

What about biotin?

The B-complex vitamin known as biotin or vitamin B7 is often promoted as a hair growth supplement, but scientific tests haven’t yet proven whether it helps with regrowth or not. However, biotin is good for strengthening nails and hair in general.

You may have heard of the terms ‘generalised hair loss’ or ‘diffuse balding’ before, but do you know what they mean?

Put simply, generalised hair loss relates to an overall thinning of the hair on the scalp. There aren’t any specific bald patches, spots or patterns; more a loss of volume and thickness. In some cases, the loss of hair is only really noticeable to the sufferer and other people don’t notice.

What causes generalised hair loss?

There are two main conditions that cause the general thinning of hair on the head. These are:

Androgenic alopecia (also known as androgenetic hair loss or male/female pattern balding)

This kind of hair loss has genetic origins, and most often occurs in men who have inherited the condition from their parents or grandparents. Androgenic alopecia does occur in women too, mainly because of hormonal changes in the body.

Telogen effluvium

This is a condition in which a higher than normal number of hairs enter the telogen (resting) phase, rather than remaining in the anagen (growth) phase. At the end of telogen, the sufferer may notice shedding on a relatively large scale. This condition is triggered by things like fever and severe illness, childbirth and sudden weight loss.

One of the many causes of hair loss in women is hormonal changes. These sorts of changes can occur in the body following a pregnancy, due to problems with the thyroid gland and before the menopause.

According to research, up to 13 per cent of women approaching the menopause have experienced hair loss. This kind of hair loss is called androgenic alopecia, a condition which some people have a genetic predisposition to.

Androgenic alopecia affects around 50 per cent of men over the age of 40, causing a condition known as male pattern baldness. It affects nearly the same amount of women over the age of 40, and as many as 75 per cent of women over the age of 65 are affected.

With this condition, hair loss is caused by increased levels of the androgen known as dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Testosterone, a male hormone that both men and women have, is converted to DHT in a hormonal process aided by an enzyme stored in the hair follicle’s oil glands, Type II 5-alpha reductase.

DHT is known to shrink hair follicles, interrupting the growth cycle and causing hair loss. Women only have a fraction of the testosterone that men have, but this is enough to cause hair loss in menopausal women.