Monthly Archives: July 2010

Gail Porter, the woman who is almost single-handedly responsible for raising public awareness of female hair loss has been honoured this week with an award for her charity work.

As most people know, Gail, a former TV presenter famed for her long, blonde locks, started losing her hair in 2005 when filming in the US. She was diagnosed with alopecia areata, which she believes was triggered by the stress of a divorce from then-husband Dan Hipgrave in late 2004.

Gail lost all of her hair, but refused to hide her condition with hats or wigs. She wanted to raise awareness of female hair loss and subsequently became an ambassador for the Little Princess Trust, a charity which supplies human hair wigs to children who have lost their hair after cancer treatment.

The former Live and Kicking presenter is also involved with numerous other charity projects such as breast cancer charity Pretty in Pink, the Royal National Institute for the Blind, Marie Curie Cancer Care and anti-poverty organisation Action Aid.

For all of her inspirational work and personal triumphs, Gail Porter has been nominated for the Entertainer of the Year award at the 2010 Bighearted Scotland Awards. The event will be held in September.

The Intralace Freewear system is suitable for women who are experiencing total hair loss. It serves as a superior alternative to a human hair wig.

When using a hair replacement system, it is usually necessary to have at least one spare, as back-up. However, this is not the case with the Freewear system. It is affixed using medical grade tape and also a liquid adhesive that is friendly to the skin. If you opt for the Freewear system, you can have a natural parting with it or natural side hair line panels which offer more flexibility in terms of styling – a fringe isn’t necessary and hair can also be tucked behind the ears with confidence.

With the Freewear system, you basically treat it as you would your own hair. You sleep in it and wash and dry it just as you would ordinarily. It is also straightforward enough for the user to replace the adhesive and medical tape themselves, so this can be done whenever necessary.

The Intralace Freewear system will typically last two or three years before it needs replacing and up until then, it offers an incredibly natural look that allows greater freedom and self-confidence.

Whenever a hair loss problem develops, the first thing to do is to go and see your GP. They will help you get to the root cause of your hair loss and only then will you be able to treat the condition correctly.

As part of the process, you are likely to have to see an NHS dermatologist. While dermatologists are commonly thought of as dealing with the skin, they also deal with hair, as hair follicles reside in the skin. However, there may well be a wait to see an NHS dermatologist. If you cannot wait, you do have another option. You can an appointment with a trichologist privately.

Trichologists deal with the hair and scalp and a typical consultation is an hour long. As with any medical position, there are qualifications for trichologists, so make sure you are being seen by a professional.

During you hour-long session, the trichologist attempt to diagnose your problem and should be able to recommend a subsequent course of treatment. If your condition is likely to result in substantial loss of hair, there are various hair replacement options that you can take a look at to help you manage the problem.

Telogen effluvium is a common cause of hair loss in both men and women. It leads to hairs being shed from across the scalp, rather than in patches and can also affect the body.

Causes of telogen effluvium

Frequently, the cause is physical or hormonal stress or a reaction to medicine that is being taken. It can come about quite suddenly and afflicts people of all ages. In most cases it will tend to resolve in around six months.

How does telogen effluvium affect the hair?

The condition occurs when there is a disruption to the hair’s natural growth cycle. The normal cycle for each hair is a long period of growth that lasts around three years and then a rest period, which is typically around three months.

Ordinarily around 15 per cent of hairs are in the rest phase at any one time. However, stress can cause a far greater percentage to enter that state. Around three months after this, these hairs will be shed as new hairs grow in those follicles. At this point, the hair will once again begin to thicken.

There are many conditions that can lead to hair loss. As well as requiring different forms of treatment, different conditions will also have different causes. Your GP or dermatologist should be able to determine the cause of any hair loss you may be experiencing and will be able to advise you accordingly.

In androgenetic alopecia, the cause of hair loss is dihydrotestosterone, also known as DHT. People who have a lot of the enzyme 5-alpha reductase make more DHT and this in turn causes hair follicles to produce thinner hairs. Ultimately, follicles can cease to produce hairs altogether.

Alopecia areata works rather differently. It is an autoimmune disorder where they body itself attacks the hair follicles with white blood cells. Hair production will slow considerably and there can be no hair grown for months or even years. As the hair follicle is still alive, it is possible that the hair will eventually grow back.

As was mentioned at the start of the article, the important thing to do is to first consult your GP in order that any hair loss condition can be properly diagnosed.

Ordinarily, we lose somewhere between 50 and 100 hairs a day, but if the rate of hair loss goes beyond this, it can be quite distressing and there may be a problem.

Female hair loss is caused for a number of reasons, including as a result of diet, hormones, medication and illness. Furthermore, hair tends to thin as women age as older women have less oestrogen.

Marilyn Sherlock from the Institute of Trichologists says:

“There is always a cause for hair loss, but occasionally it can be something as innocuous as having had a fever. The high temperature kills the hair, but it won’t fall out for about three months.”

“Healthy hair requires all vitamins and minerals and being low in certain ones, especially iron, can lead to thinning because iron is vital for new hair cells. A crash diet can lead to quite dramatic hair loss too.”

Hair can also be lost following pregnancy. While hair loss slows considerably during pregnancy itself, afterwards, the hair which would have been lost during that time is shed all at once. Typically, the hair will recover within a couple of months, although it could take longer.