All posts by miriam

A recent survey has found that British men worry more about losing their hair than they do about bankruptcy. They are also 20 per cent more likely to worry about it than they are about finding a long-term partner.

In all, 2,000 people were questioned on the subject of hair loss and there were a number of other findings. Around two thirds of men thought a full head of hair made them look more attractive and a quarter thought that losing their hair would affect their career.

Men in Wales were most worried about the prospect of losing their hair, while those in the East Midlands were least troubled by the thought of it happening to them.

The chairman of the Institute of Trichologists, Marilyn Sherlock, said:

“I don’t think it is surprising, in this day and age, how much emphasis men place on having great hair. Experiencing some hair loss is a fact of life for a vast majority of men with research showing that 8 million men in the UK currently suffer from hair loss and 40% of men under 35 are already losing their hair.”

Almost a quarter of the men questioned in the survey said that the reason they don’t seek help or advice about hair loss is because they don’t believe that treatments work, which may reflect a lack of knowledge of the many differing approaches that are available nowadays.

There are several different forms of alopecia. Total hair loss on the head is known as alopecia totalis, while loss of all body hair is known as alopecia universalis. Alopecia areata is perhaps the most common form and here hair is lost in patches. This latter form can develop quickly and can occur at any age to both men and women.

Most commonly, alopecia areata is caused by problems with the immune system. It is basically a physical manifestation of a problem resulting from hair follicles being attacked by the immune system – a process which prevents hair growth. It is an autoimmune disorder and can be associated with allergic reactions, thyroid problems, ulcerative colitis and other physical issues. There also seems to be a genetic role as it is common for it to strike several people within the same family.

If you are suffering hair loss, there are many different treatments nowadays. Corticosteroids are often prescribed and these will often control the autoimmune reactions that are preventing hair growth. However, many other treatments are used and the first step should always be to consult your GP in order to get the exact problem correctly diagnosed.

It’s a common misconception of wigs that they look fake, unnatural and nothing like real hair. Whilst this use to be the case with older, more generic types of wigs and hair pieces, things have changed an awful lot in the last few years.

Female hair loss sufferers can now wear human hair wigs, an affordable option that looks, feels and even moves like the real thing. Whilst there are a wide range of hair styles, colours, thicknesses, textures and lengths available to suit everyone, most women choose to have a bespoke human hair solution made up just for them.

You can choose a human hair wig to match what your natural hair looks like, or you can go for a completely new style. In fact, you can even change your wig to suit your mood or the occasion, as well as styling, straightening and curling your wig like you would natural hair. Put simply, these wigs make it possible for you to have fun with your new look.

Human hair wigs don’t look perfect, but this is why they look so natural. Real hair is often slightly messy or out of place, and this adds to the realistic effect.

If you are worried about hair loss or thinning hair, the first place to go is to your family doctor (GP).

Your GP is likely to ask you about your hair care routine, any recent illnesses or surgeries, hormonal changes (i.e. pregnancy or the menopause) you have experienced and many other questions to help you get a formal diagnosis for your condition.

If your GP is unable to pinpoint a specific cause for your hair loss – of which there are many, some more complex than others – after this basic assessment, you may be referred to a dermatologist (skin specialist) or a trichologist (hair growth and loss specialist).

This is when more complicated methods are used to make a differential diagnosis. Alongside a scalp biopsy, you may also undergo a trichoscopy.

A trichoscopy is a method of evaluating the scalp and hair, focusing on the analysis of hair shafts, in order to diagnose diseases affecting this part of the body. Also called a scalp visualisation technique, it has been used with some success to diagnose female androgenic alopecia as well as a number of conditions which can cause hair loss in children.

Swedish actress Malin Akerman has shaved her eyebrows and part of her head to play a character with alopecia universalis in new film happythankyoumoreplease, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival last year.

The film is directed by and stars Josh Radnor, who is most famous for his leading role in TV series How I Met Your Mother. In an interview with Filmmaker, Radnor explains how Akerman shaved off her eyebrows and the sides of her head to play Annie, a character with alopecia universalis. This is a hair loss condition which causes the total loss of hair all over the body.

In the film, Annie is a strong, intelligent woman trying to come to terms with her female hair loss condition and overcome her problems with commitment and self-image. Radnor says he based this character on a real-life friend of his who has alopecia, describing her as “hilarious and wise and wonderful, so I wanted to base a character on her”.

Explaining what it was like to play an alopecia sufferer on camera, Akerman said:

“Shaving off the eyebrows and wearing a bald cap was kind of freeing. It was the first time I looked in the mirror and saw somebody else. I felt like Annie became more of an interesting person because of her alopecia. It was more about finding that character than even the lack of hair”.

After getting a formal diagnosis of your hair loss condition from your doctor, you may be recommended treatment such as medication.

However, with some conditions, treatment of a medical kind is not needed and you simply need to wait for the hair to grow back. For example, hair that falls out after childbirth – the trauma on the body causes hair loss – will generally grow again between six months and two years later.

Regrowth is also expected when hair is lost due to illness, fever, radiation therapy or major surgery, starting when the illness or therapy ends.

It can be a comfort to some people with hair loss to know that their hair will eventually grow back on its own, but what about while you are waiting for it to happen? Hair loss can seriously damage your self-esteem and confidence in your appearance, negatively affecting the way you interact with the world and your home and work life.

Many female hair loss sufferers choose to wear human hair wigs, hats or scarves to disguise their hair loss whilst waiting for the hair to grow. If you have been told by your doctor that your hair may take a long time to return, you could also consider hair replacement treatments which use natural hair extensions to cover bald patches and thinning hair.