Category Archives: Hair Loss Treatments

Losing your hair can knock you for six, shattering your confidence and changing your perception of yourself and your place in the world. Some people will take the view ‘it’s only hair’, but it isn’t only hair; it’s an integral part of your self-esteem.

From being a young child to an adult woman, we are conditioned by the media, entertainment and fashion industries to believe that shiny, healthy hair is a symbol of beauty, youth, femininity and sexuality. This is why losing it can be so devastating, as we feel that all of these ‘attractive’ qualities are robbed from us, often without warning.

Confidence-boosting tips

The key to regaining your self-esteem and confidence when interacting with the world is acceptance. Once the initial panic of losing your hair has passed, you can accept what has happened and start to look for solutions.

Here are some confidence-boosting solutions for:

Temporary hair loss (caused by hormonal changes such as pregnancy)

Whilst you are waiting for your hair to fully grow back; human hair wigs are a great idea. Some of the latest wigs are extremely realistic, so you never need to feel self-conscious about your appearance.

Permanent hair loss (caused by alopecia, female pattern baldness)

Hair replacement treatment has improved rapidly in the last few years, with solutions such as the Intralace system offering you a way of disguising hair loss even if you cannot cure it.

Minoxidil has been heavily tested and is now widely used for treating certain forms of hair loss for both men and women. Originally produced as a treatment for high blood pressure, one of the side effects was the promotion of hair growth.

The mechanism causing this is still not yet known, but there is around an 80 per cent chance that the rate of hair loss will slow or even stop in both men and women. Studies are currently taking place at Bradford University looking at how the drug acts on the body.

Minoxidil is applied as a lotion. It is used twice a day on a dry head. A small percentage of people develop an allergic reaction, but generally it is free of side effects. Minoxidil foam is also available for men and is known as Rogaine.

Minoxidil is used in dilute form with different strengths recommended for men and women. An extra strength five per cent solution is what is advised for men, while a two per cent solution is advised for women. The effects of Minoxidil are lost if its use is discontinued.

There is only one method guaranteed to overcome hair loss permanently where the person can once again have a head of growing hair and that is hair transplantation. Hair transplantation is now so sophisticated that the results look completely natural to the extent that even hair stylists will not know.

The technique can be used anywhere, including the scalp, hairline, eyebrows and eyelashes. Facial hair can also be restored with this method and hair can even be grown in scar tissue.

The most refined form of hair transplantation is known as ultra-refined follicular unit transplantation. This involves hair roots being taken from an area where hair is still growing and moving it to where hair is thinning or absent. Around the hairline, hairs are placed individually to create a completely natural look.

Great results can be seen after just one session. An anaesthetic is used to prevent pain and the procedure will take between two and eight hours depending on how much hair is being transferred. You can go home within half an hour of finishing and no bandaging is required.

The hair will obviously take time to grow, but within three to four months, you should start seeing results and from then on, the hair will grow as normal.

For a lot of women suffering from hair loss or hair thinning, the simplest solution is to cover up the problem area with a hat or a human hair wig. This isn’t a permanent solution, but is it preferable to extensive and potentially expensive hair loss treatment and medication?

The answer is that it is different for everybody, and which option you choose to some extent hinges on how you feel about your hair loss and your new self-image. Some sufferers find their hair loss devastating to their self-esteem and are willing to do whatever it takes to recover their hair. These women take advantage of the latest treatments for female hair loss, and can end up with a successful and permanent solution in place of hair that may never grow back naturally.

Other patients choose to embrace their hair loss, throwing off society’s typical association of hair with beauty and youth and celebrating their own ‘bald is beautiful’ look.

For those less willing to give up on their hair but who aren’t convinced that medical or cosmetic treatments are worth the hassle, the perfect compromise is human hair wigs. The latest wigs are so realistic; other people need never know the hair isn’t your own.

Nowadays, there are thousands of websites offering ‘miracle’ cures and products for everything from weight loss to female hair loss treatment. The reason these fraudulent sites continue to exist is because there will always be people desperate enough to find a solution to a life-altering health problem to fall for the sales spiel.

The truth is, for female hair loss in particular, that spending your hard-earned cash on these ‘miracle’ products and treatments will ultimately lead to crushing disappointment. This is because the overwhelming majority of these products do not work, and the people who make and sell them are making money out of your willingness to believe they do.

Go to specialist clinic or doctor instead

The best way to avoid being ripped off on these internet products is to avoid disreputable or dubious- looking websites altogether. If the product and its low price seems too good to be true, it most likely is.

All this isn’t to say that there aren’t treatments and solutions out there for women suffering from hair loss, but the way to find them is through a registered GP or a specialist hair loss clinic.

There are many different ploys you can use to camouflage lost or thinning hair. What you choose depends on the degree of hair loss and how it is manifesting.

Scalp make-up
This is a common way of camouflaging bald patches. It involves spraying the scalp the colour to suit a person’s hair. This is only really suitable for mild, patchy hair loss and is unsuitable for masking greater hair loss for obvious reasons.

Medi connect
This is another way of covering patches of scalp where hair loss has taken place, but it is a bit more sophisticated than scalp make-up. It is similar to hair extensions and thickens up patches where hair is thinning.

Synthetic hair
Another option is synthetic hair which can be woven into real hair for added thickness. It is actually a fibrous plastic that is often used in wigs and also for hair extensions. Human hair extensions are also available for a similar purpose.

The above treatments are unsuitable for greater hair loss for which more comprehensive options are also available. Hair loss consultants will be able to advise you as to what would be best for you.