Category Archives: Hair Loss General

Most hair loss conditions have a number of causes and contributing factors, some of which are unavoidable, like genetics. If you have a hereditary condition (i.e. it runs in the family), you may not be able to stop it in its tracks, but you can limit its effects through medical treatment, hair loss management and a good diet.

This last measure, good nutrition, is very important. Ensuring you get the right vitamins and minerals, and that you eat the right kinds of foods, can prevent your hair falling out or thinning in the first place. It can also contribute to the regrowth of hair that has fallen out, as well as improving the healthiness, strength and general appearance of hair.

There are no ‘superfoods’ that will make your hair grow back if you have a condition, but you do need to ensure that you get enough:

• Protein – Hair is made up of protein, so you need to ensure you get enough from both animal and vegetable sources. Good sources of protein include poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, beans, nuts and seeds.
• Silica – This is a structural component of hair, and you need it in order to strengthen hair. You can find it in the outer skin of vegetables such as cucumber, red peppers and potatoes.
• Zinc
• B vitamins
• Iron

Female hair loss can have many causes, such as stress, poor nutrition or hormonal changes. However, one often overlooked cause is problems with the thyroid, or thyroid disease.

The thyroid is a gland located in the back of the neck. It is an endocrine gland, which means that it secretes its hormones directly into the bloodstream. The thyroid is responsible for the speed at which the body uses energy and makes proteins, as well as controlling how sensitive the body is to other hormones.

If the thyroid malfunctions, it can cause either hyperthyroidism (overactive) or hypothyroidism (underproduction). Either of these conditions can cause female hair loss or thinning as a secondary symptom, with other symptoms including weight gain, sensitivity to temperature, fatigue and dry, itchy skin.

If you have noticed your hair thinning or falling out, and you think it’s due to a thyroid problem, you must take the following steps:

• See your GP
• Consult or get yourself referred to a dermatologist
• Check that your hair loss isn’t being caused my thyroid medication you are already taking
• Make sure you aren’t being undertreated
• Find out about any nutritional deficiencies which could be making your condition worse
• Consider alternative hair replacement treatments to cover thinning or balding patches

Most women like to change the style, cut and colour of their hair every now and again, with some opting for a new look more often than others. As long as you take the right advice about hair dyes and styles and aim to keep your hair healthy, you should have no problem.

However, in some cases, dying and styling hair can have negative effects. If you have an allergic reaction to a particular dye, bleach or hair lighteners, it can cause:

• Burning
• Itchiness
• Redness
• Facial swelling
• Trouble breathing
• Hair loss

If this happens to you, you need to see a doctor or head to the hospital immediately for treatment. If some of your hair falls out, it is likely to only be temporary so it should grow back in time.

Hair loss can also be caused by excessive application of hair dye, rather than an allergic reaction to it. If you colour your hair too often, it can make it brittle, thin and prone to breakage. This is also the case with other styling treatments such as perms, hair relaxers and other treatments which involve the use of chemicals.

Although you may have heard a lot about hair loss conditions such as alopecia, mainly due to celebrity sufferers such as Gail Porter, one of the most common female hair loss conditions is pattern baldness.

Pattern baldness, known as androgenic alopecia in both women and men, is caused by mainly genetic components. This means that if your mother, father or their parents suffered from pattern baldness, you have a greater chance of experiencing it too.

Androgenic alopecia shows itself differently in women than in men, as it is not generally characterised by a receding hairline or a bald spot on the top of the head. Instead, it shows itself as visible thinning over the crown. Women usually start to notice they have this condition when they spot that their parting has widened or that they have thinning hair.

Is there a treatment for pattern baldness?

The only medication currently used to treat this kind of hair loss in women is minoxidil, usually the 2% variety. This medication attempts to prolong the hair’s growth (anagen) phase, giving the hair more time to grow to its full length. You can see your doctor to find out more about this treatment, but be aware that you will need to be patient if prescribed it.

If you are experiencing sudden and significant hair loss, it is likely to have been caused by an interruption to the normal growth cycle of your hair.

Hair follicles go through three stages – growth (the anagen phase), transitional (the catagen phase) and a period of rest (the telogen phase). The anagen phase normally lasts between four to six years, before resting for just a few months.

If the follicles experience too short a growth phase or enter telogen early, this can cause massive shedding or thinning of hair. But what causes this interruption to the normal growth cycle? The most commonly known triggers include:

• Sudden hormonal changes such as those which occur after childbirth
• Acute physical, psychological or even surgical trauma
• Diseases such as lupus and diabetes
• Chemotherapy and radiotherapy
• Burns
• Severe and sudden change to diet
• Thyroid problems
• Certain medications, such as some birth control pills, medication for blood pressure and anti-depressants
• High fever

If you believe that any of the above is causing your hair to fall out, the most important thing to do is to see your doctor, dermatologist or trichologist for a formal diagnosis.

Alopecia areata is the name given to an autoimmune skin disease which results in loss of hair. The first signs are usually fairly small smooth patches on one’s scalp. Over time, these can develop into total hair loss.

It is estimated that around two per cent of people suffer from alopecia areata to some degree, meaning it is quite a common problem. Troublingly for sufferers, progress is unpredictable and often occurs in cycles. This means that a period of hair regrowth can be followed by another bout of loss, which can prove extremely dispiriting.

However, it is also worth noting that in all forms of alopecia areata, hair follicles remain alive, meaning the return of normal hair production is always possible. Hair might regrow even without treatment and even if the sufferer has not had hair for many years.

Alopecia is generally classified into one of three types. Alopecia areata is the most common and this is the form where hair loss is patchy. Alopecia areata totalis refers to cases where all the hair on the scalp is lost. Finally, Alopecia totalis is the term used when all hair is lost on both the scalp and the body.