Category Archives: Hair Loss Treatments

A new device designed to reduce hair loss during chemotherapy treatment for cancer has been successfully tested and approved for use in Europe, as well as in Canada and Japan.

The Dignicap system has been developed by a Swedish firm called Dignitana, who claim that the cap is able to limit hair loss for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

The cap, consisting of a form-fitted silicon cap, a mobile cooling unit and a neoprene outer cap to keep everything in place, works by chilling the scalp and shrinking the blood vessels. This reduces the dose of chemotherapy that reaches the hair follicles, thereby limiting hair loss whilst still allowing the treatment to work properly.

The Dignicap system has not yet been FDA approved in the USA, but it is in clinical use in some other parts of the world. Trials have shown a number of positive results; namely, that the cap helps to decrease hair loss during chemotherapy, is safe to use and is well-tolerated by patients.

Susan Melin, breast cancer specialist and Wake Forest Baptist associate professor of internal medicine-haematology and oncology, commented on the device, saying:

“One of the first questions my patients ask is whether they will lose their hair with the chemotherapy recommended for their breast cancer.

“Preventing chemotherapy-induced hair loss by using the scalp cooling cap may relieve severe psychological and emotional stress and improve the patient’s quality of life.”

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.

Trichotillomania is an impulse control disorder in which the person with the condition is unable to stop themselves pulling out their own hair. It is not a condition that is talked about much, but it can destroy people’s lives and self-esteem.

However, there are a number of treatment options available for people who have been diagnosed with trichotillomania. These include:

Habit reversal training

This is a kind of behaviour therapy which teaches people with the condition to identify the conditions in which urge to pull hair arises. Through relaxation and other techniques, they are taught new responses and new behaviours. These are called ‘competing responses’ and could be something as simple as squeezing a stress toy with the hand they use to pull out hair.

Cognitive therapy

This is used to deal with any kinds of distorted thinking the sufferer experiences in relation to stress and its consequential hair-pulling behaviour.

Medication

Medication can be used as part of a treatment programme for trichotillomania, particularly an anti-depressant medication known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). This medication can help in controlling very intense urges, such as the urge to pull hair.

For most women suffering from hair loss or thinning, the first thing they want to know is whether there is an effective treatment available for hair loss.

The first point to remember with hair loss treatment is that there is no ‘wonder cure’, although there are many organisations and individuals looking to make money by selling you such medication or ointments.
The next thing to bear in mind is that the treatment for hair loss depends a great deal on the condition itself, the person and their medical history, and even psychological or environmental factors.

Alopecia treatment

As yet, there is no cure for alopecia that has proven to be 100% effective. There are some creams, lotions and injections that can encourage hair to grow, but they don’t always work. For most people (60 – 80% of cases) hair grows back on its own.

Female pattern baldness

A lot of people with female pattern baldness, a hereditary condition, use medication called minoxidil to treat their hair loss. Most people do notice improvements, and up to 25 per cent of female hair loss sufferers experience regrowth.

The only proven treatment for female-pattern baldness is minoxidil. Most users see improvements, including a halt to the balding or slowing down of it, as well as thicker hair. Up to 25% of women experience hair regrowth.

Trichotillomania, the compulsive hair-pulling disorder, is not a condition that is talked of much in the public sphere. This is mainly because sufferers are embarrassed to admit to pulling their own hair out, and so many conditions go undiagnosed.

Once this hair loss condition has been diagnosed, however, it’s time to think about treatment. Even though research into trichotillomania has advanced a great deal over the last few years, there is no one definitive treatment known to ‘cure’ all sufferers.

However, there are numerous treatment offers you can try, some of which have been successful at improving the condition. These include:

• Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy – This is a type of therapy that aims to change behaviour by pinpointing exactly what causes a person to pull their hair. The patient will learn new responses to identified triggers, helped by a psychologist.

• Medications – Drug therapy has not proved to be very successful for trichotillomania patients, although it does work for some. Seek advice from your doctor if you are considering medication.

• Alternative Therapies – Some people choose to try herbal remedies, yoga, dietary changes, hypnosis, meditation and prayer.

• Support Groups – As with any female hair loss condition, talking about how trichotillomania affects you with other sufferers can be really helpful.

There are now many hair replacement options out there for women with hair loss, but you need to ensure that the treatment you choose is safe. You also need to choose a solution that won’t damage the scalp or hair follicles any further, as well as allowing hair to grow back in its own time.

Some of the most effective kinds of hair replacement solutions available at present are those which utilise specially designed hair extension systems. For example:

• Medi Connections – This is a system designed to cover patchy hair loss or thinning hair. It uses super-fine, naturally looking hair extensions to disguise hair loss, and can also be used to boost hair volume.

• The Intralace System – This is similar to Medi Connections, but uses a fine mesh to integrate extensions into existing hair. It is suitable for people with moderate to severe hair loss.

Provided you visit a high-quality hair loss and replacement specialist, these treatments should be perfectly safe. They are designed to be breathable and non-damaging to hair, and they also allow natural regrowth.

If you have any doubts about safety, you simply need to check that the bonding adhesive used to attach hair extensions is safe and also milder than the industrial bonding agents widely used in hair salons. You should also ensure that a test patch is done before any adhesives or other substances are applied to the hair or skin.