All posts by miriam

Once you have been diagnosed with female hair loss, the next step is to find a treatment that works for you. There are many options available nowadays, from medication and surgical procedures to more natural hair replacement techniques.

In terms of medication for hair loss, you may be prescribed:

• Minoxidil (also known by the brand name Regaine)
This is one of the most commonly used non-prescription medications for female hair loss, particularly the condition known as alopecia areata. It comes in the form of a foam or liquid that you frequently rub into the scalp. Around 30-40 per cent of people using minoxidil experience some form of regrowth, although any improvement can take up to 12 months to become noticeable.

• Corticosteroids
This medication, often used to treat alopecia areata, comes in the form of injections or oral pills. Results can take up to a month or more to be noticeable, depending of course on the patient and the condition.

• Hormonal modulators
These come in the form of oral contraceptives or something called spironolactone and is often used to treat androgenic alopecia (female pattern hair loss) associated with hyperandrogenemia.

Nutrition and diet has an effect on all parts of the body, including the hair. If the body is lacking certain vitamins and minerals, or simply isn’t getting enough food, it can cause the hair to fall out.

Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia can be devastating to a number of the body’s systems and can even be fatal if left untreated. The excessive weight loss associated with these illnesses can cause stress to the body, resulting in the shedding of hair.

Eating disorders cause hair loss in the following three stages:

• Due to a lack of proper nutrition, gastric abnormalities and organ function insufficiency, the hairs in the anagen (growing phase, occurring at the roots in the hair follicles) become starved

• Hair then skips the catagen (transitional) phase

• Hair goes straight into the the telogen (resting) phase and then the exogen (loss) phase of the hair growth cycle. This can cause mass shedding and premature loss of hair in a condition known as telogen effluvium

For the sake of your hair and more importantly, your health, it is crucial that you eat properly and take care of yourself. If you think you have an eating disorder, you need to see your doctor as soon as possible for diagnosis, treatment and support.

Hair loss can completely change the way you feel about yourself, affecting your confidence in your appearance and your self-esteem overall. This can have an impact on all aspects of your life, from your career to your relationships and home life.

Negative thoughts and self-criticism can impact on:

• Your performance in job interviews
• Romantic relationships and friendships
• How you approach new challenges and opportunities
• Meeting new people and trying new things
• Job performance and career progression

Of course, hair loss can only affect these aspects of your life if you let it. You need to find methods and tricks to banish negative thinking, to help you believe in yourself and achieve more. Try listing things you like about your appearance (e.g. your figure, your sense of humour, your eyes etc.) and your personality. Also, try to focus on your strengths as a person in different environments, such as at work or as part of a family.

You can’t let female hair loss hold you back and impede your success, so get rid of those negative thoughts and start being nice to yourself. If you believe you can do something, others will too.

Human hair wigs can be a great solution to help with hair loss management, allowing you to disguise any thinning hair or bald patches and get on with your life feeling confident.

Some people believe that wigs can never look the same as the real thing, but this isn’t really true anymore. Human hair wigs have come a long way in the last few years, and some types are now so natural-looking it can be hard to tell the difference!

The only way to get a natural-looking human hair wig is to ensure that it suits you, which you can do by choosing carefully. Bear in mind the following factors when choosing your new wig:

• The wig needs to be durable, easy to use and maintain every day
• The style should suit the shape of your face and the colour should complement your skin tone – ask your hair loss specialist for guidance with this
• It should be comfortable to wear, not making your head hot or itchy
• Choose between custom-made or machine-made wigs
• You may want a versatile wig that can be customised and re-styled
• Choose an anchoring cap method – i.e. lace, thin skin, capless etc.

Finally, you should always weigh up the cost of the wig to ensure it is value for money (i.e. will last a long time) and that you can afford it.

There is a lot of ground to cover when trying to understand what hair is, what it is made of, how it grows and what causes female hair loss conditions. We have already looked at a number of key facts, but there is still some way to go.

The following are a few more facts and snippets of information about human hair.

• One of the main functions of hair is to regulate the temperature of the body, helping with heat insulation and cooling

• Hair also protects the skin from the dangers of exposure to UV radiation from the sun

• Hair also has a sensory function, helping the skin to sense touch by other objects and movements of air
• The function of eyelash and eyebrow hair is to protect the eyes from dust, dirt, sweat and any other forms of moisture (i.e. rain)

• The most common causes of female hair loss are conditions such as alopecia areata, telogen effluvium and androgenic alopecia (pattern baldness). Chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment for cancer can also cause hair loss

• Other hair loss conditions include trichotillomania (the compulsive pulling out of one’s own hair) and traction alopecia (where excessive tension on the scalp causes hair to fall out)

If you have been diagnosed with a female hair loss condition, it can be helpful to know a little more about hair, such as what it is made of and how it grows.

The following are a number of key facts about hair, which may prove relevant to your female hair loss condition.

• Hair is made of keratin, which is a fibrous structural protein used by the body to form skin and nails too

• Hair growth starts in the hair follicle and occurs everywhere on the skin apart from on the lips, soles of the feet and palms of the hands. This tissue is known as glabrous skin

• Visible hair is considered to be ‘dead’ tissue; the ‘living’ portion of the hair is found in the follicle

• Hair is made up of the bulb (at the base of the root), the sebaceous gland (used to lubricate the hair) and the erector pili muscles (these make the hair stand up)

• Human hair varies in thickness from 0.00067 to 0.0071 inches

• Hair colour is created by melanin, which is produced inside the hair follicle

• Hair growth follows a specific cycle, moving through the anagen (growth), catagen (transitional) and telogen (resting) phases. These phases all occur simultaneously; meaning that different hairs are in different phases at the same time.