Hair loss news

There are many treatments available for hair loss and it would be worthwhile doing your research before you undertake any drastic measures in order to get your hair back. Most doctors would recommend medication for your hair loss and also ask that you examine your lifestyle, your work life balance and other stresses that you may have in your life that could contribute to the reasons why you are suffering from hair loss.

Your doctor may also refer you to a doctor who specialises in hair loss called a trichologists. They know everything there is to know about hair loss and will be able to point you in the right direction when it come to treatment and ensure that you are having your scalp regularly checked to keep an eye on the hair loss that you are suffering.

You could also think about having some alternative treatments for your hair loss in order to boost whatever you might already be doing. It can be a difficult time but if you relax and start to take life a little less seriously, there is a good chance that your hair will return. It may take some time but you may get a full head of hair back again.

It can be difficult to come to terms with hair loss particularly when you are a woman and it isn’t something that women usually experience. However, you will find that many women suffer from hair loss during times in their lives and it mostly occurs as a result of stress. Putting yourself through a large amount of stress at any time in your life is not good for your health and if you are showing symptoms such as hair loss, it would be advisable to speak to your doctor.

You might feel embarrassed about your hair loss, but you can reassurance yourself that your doctor has probably seen it before and they might have experience in losing hair themselves. It isn’t something you should be embarrassed or ashamed about and in most cases, your hair loss can be cured quite easily through medication and reducing the stresses in your life.

There are many alternatives to receiving medication for your hair loss and this can include alternative therapies such as acupuncture and reflexology to help you relax and distress. Coping with your hair loss will make you a stronger person and if you can take the advice that your doctor has given you and utilise it to the maximum, your hair loss should only be a temporary thing.

Have you lost some or all of your hair recently but you have been wondering why it happening to you and not anybody else around you? It might surprise you to hear that many women suffer from hair loss during their lifetime and it can sometimes be a result of a stressful time in their life. We all go through periods during our lifetime when we put ourselves through an immense amount of stress, this can cause the body to go into shock and as a result, their hair on your head starts to fall out. The hair follicles have become dormant but until you remove the stresses from your life, your hair will not grow back.

Most reasons for hair loss can be sorted, however, there are some hair loss conditions that cannot be cured and this can be very distressing for women who have never been through anything like this before. In order to ensure that you are getting the best treatment for your hair loss, your doctor will have to assess the type of hair loss that you are suffering with and if necessary they will refer you to a specialist. Getting yourself to the doctors will hopefully put your mind at rest and start to give you answers for your hair loss.

You might have heard of a number of celebrities that have suffered with hair loss over the years, but some choose to keep it private, as they have found it hard to come to terms with what has happened to them. However, Gail Porter in particular thought it was important to publicise the fact that she has lost her hair as a result of alopecia so that other women that might have gone through it didn’t feel like they were on their own.

You shouldn’t ever feel like you can’t go to somebody for help for your hair loss and confiding in your family doctor is essential if you want to get to the root cause of the problem. There are many different kinds of hair loss including alopecia and telogen effluvium, however both of these forms of hair loss are temporary and can be treated with a number of different methods including medication.

If you feel self conscious about your hair loss, you might want to consider wearing a wig. This can often boost your self confidence and make it look a lot less obvious that you have lost some or all of your hair and can easily be removed once your hair has started to grow back.

Although human hair wigs are a good solution for temporary hair loss and they are becoming increasingly more realistic-looking and easy to wear; they aren’t the right solution for every hair loss sufferer.

It makes sense that more permanent conditions require a more permanent solution, one that gives you the freedom you need and allows you to live your life as normally as possible. Losing your hair changes the way you look at yourself and how you interact with people, and wearing a wig doesn’t always help you shake off that self-conscious feeling.

So what alternatives are there for women with hair loss?

Hair replacement therapy has advanced at a tremendous pace in the last few years and although it can’t offer any miracle cures, it can offer you the freedom you need and help to restore your self- confidence.
A key example of this is the Intralace system, which is a viable alternative to the standard human hair wig.

The system can either be used as a way of making clients hair look fuller and thicker, or as a wig alternative for those with full head hair loss. It is a permanent solution lasting two to three years, helping to restore a natural looking hairline and boost overall volume without the need for daily maintenance.

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.

While many hair loss treatments are suitable for both men and women, every one addresses a particular cause and some causes only affect one gender.

Finasteride is a tablet that is taken orally. Originally used for treating an enlarged prostate, it turned out to also have a use for addressing hair loss.

It works by blocking the process where testosterone is converted into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), thus reducing its presence in the blood stream. Figures indicate that it has an 80-90 per cent chance of slowing the process of male pattern baldness and can even bring it to a stop. There is also a 15-30 per cent chance of what is described as a ‘cosmetically significant’ increase in volume of the hair.

Finasteride starts to take affect after around three or four months and results should be seen after about six. However, benefits will be lost if the man ceases to use the treatment.

Side effects are possible with a 0.5 per cent chance of decreased libido or erectile dysfunction while taking the drug. Finasteride is available by prescription only.

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.