The life cycle of hair is ordinarily around two to three years. It will differ according to the person and their stage of life, but whatever the rate, not all your hair is growing at any one time. Around ninety per cent of hair follicles will be growing. Hair is lost as part of the natural growth cycle.

Hormones
Certain hormones can affect hair growth. Overactivity or underactivity of certain glands may lead to more hair being lost than normal. The balance between testosterone and oestrogen can play a part and it is sometimes the case that women will lose hair after giving birth as hormone levels may be out of balance at this time.

Disease
Diabetes can cause hair loss, but skin problems are a major cause as hair follicles are situated within the skin. Many skin problems can be easily treated with medication, although it is also the case that certain other forms of medication can actually cause hair loss.

In any case of hair loss, it is important to get a proper diagnosis before undergoing any form of treatment. Your GP may refer you to a dermatologist who may be better able to advise you.

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.

Hair loss can sometimes be downplayed and treated as something of an inevitability as a person grows older, but the truth is that thinning hair can have a profound emotional impact on the sufferer and there are many possible causes.

It is not really vanity to be concerned with the state of your hair as thinning hair can be a symptom of hormonal imbalance, poor nutrition or illness and as such is a visible sign of your health.

Hair is lost all the time, but at certain times, the process may quicken or hair may not regrow. A proportion of our hair is always in the rest phase of its growth cycle, but if too much hair is in the rest phase, this is indicative of a problem.

A lot of products are available that help enhance hair, thickening it, but this does not address the cause of the issue. Many women experiencing hair loss while going through the menopause believe that this is an inevitability, but this is not true. You should not automatically seek out hair thickeners or wigs, because you may be able to improve hair growth and this is a preferable solution.

Hair passes through four phases during its growth cycle. At any one time, different hairs on your head and body are in different phases and it is the balance of these that keeps the volume of your hair pretty much constant.

There is the growth or anagen phase; the transition or catagen phase; the resting or telogen phase; and the returning growth or mesanagen phase. The full cycle can take between two and five years to run through. If follicles are stuck in the telogen phase, hair loss will slowly become apparent, particularly if those hairs affected are all in the same spot.

There can be a number of causes for hair loss and these might be:

• Stress
• A hormonal imbalance
• Genetic predisposition
• A thyroid disorder
• Poor diet
• Cosmetic treatments
• Certain medication

The important thing to remember is that if you are losing hair due to too many follicles being in the resting phase, there is every chance that the condition can be reversed as the follicles themselves are not damaged in any way.

In any hair loss situation, your first step should be to consult your doctor, who may refer you to a dermatologist to diagnose the cause of the condition.

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.