Hair loss at any age can be alarming, but a condition in children can leave parents extremely worried. One potential cause of children’s hair loss is trichotillomania, an impulse-control disorder in which the child tugs at and pulls out his/her own hair.

Trichotillomania in children can be very distressing for parents, especially as not all children will admit to their behaviour. The condition is often associated with feelings of embarrassment or shame, which is why so many instances of trichotillomania go unreported, undiagnosed and untreated.

The good news for parents is that depending on the child’s age, behaviours associated with trichotillomania will go away on their own and the hair should grow back. If the condition shows itself when the child is under five years old, it is considered to be self-limiting and the child will grow out of the behaviour in time. Intervention is not normally required.

For older children and in more serious, persistent cases of trichotillomania, a type of psychosocial therapy may be needed. This may be in the form of habit reversal training, which teaches the child to recognise the trigger or the impulse to pull hair and learn new responses to it. Some types of anti-depressant medication can also be prescribed, although its success in curing the condition has not been fully proven.

If you notice your hair is starting to thin or fall out, you may immediately head online to seek out the cause and to look for some answers. Whilst the online community can be helpful when it comes to dealing with the emotional effects of hair loss, you really need to see a doctor first to get a formal diagnosis.

On visiting your GP, you are likely to be asked about:

• Diet
• Stress
• Hormonal changes (i.e. pregnancy or the menopause)
• Illness or major surgery
• Hair care and mistreatment (i.e. excessive dyeing or straightening)

Unless your hair loss condition is straightforward, you are then likely to be referred to a specialist, such as a dermatologist or trichologist for diagnosis. The specialist may perform a number of tests to determine what is causing your hair to full out, so you can expect any of the following:

• The pull test – this is where groups of hairs on different areas of the scalp are gently pulled to see if they loosen.

• The pluck test – this is where hair is pulled out by the roots for further examination

• Daily hair count – if the pull test is negative (less than three hairs fall out), the patient is asked to track and collect the number of hairs that fall out a day

• Scalp biopsy – a tiny sample of hair around the bald or thinning patch is taken for analysis

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.