Female hair loss can be extremely difficult to come to terms with, as it represents a drastic change to your body and your appearance. Losing your hair can play havoc with your self-esteem and your confidence in dealing with the world.

The psychological and emotional effects of hair loss make many women feel desperate for their hair to grow back, something that can sometimes take a long time. It can often feel like you’re putting your life on hold whilst you wait for normal hair growth to start again.

To help you counter the feelings of frustration and impatience whilst waiting for hair to grow back, it is worth considering hair replacement systems. There are many advanced options available for hair loss sufferers these days, all designed to cover and disguise hair thinning or loss and make you feel like yourself again.

Hair replacement treatments such as the Intralace system or Medi Connections involve the use of natural-looking hair extensions tailored to your hair, which are integrated into any remaining hair so seamlessly that no one would even guess that they aren’t real. As well as being able to wash and style your hair as normal, you can sleep, exercise and even dance in these extensions with complete confidence.

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

According to BBC News, scientists at Edinburgh University are in the process of developing a new device that could reduce some of the side-effects of chemotherapy treatment for cancer patients. The side effects it could possibly prevent include sickness, a weakened immune system and even hair loss.

The micro device works by using a small amount of the metal palladium, coated in a substance which allows it to penetrate cells safely to trigger reactions. This will allow cancer treatments to work at the site of the tumour, rather than negatively impacting on normal cell activity throughout the body.

Pending further research, scientists believe that this device can be used to treat cancer patients and hopefully limit the side-effects of aggressive chemotherapy treatments. The device is still in the early stages of development, but it could help to reduce hair loss and sickness in cancer patients.

Professor Mark Bradley from Edinburgh University’s chemistry school, which is working alongside the Universiti Kebangsaan in Malaysian on this groundbreaking research, commented on the discovery. He said:

“This technique potentially gives us the ability to deliver drugs to exactly where they are needed, for example in targeting cancerous tumours.”

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.