Monthly Archives: September 2010

According to trichologists (hair and scalp experts), more than one third of young modern women aged just 25 to 35 are beginning to suffer from hair loss conditions caused by the stresses of modern life.

A high-profile example of this is Elin Nordegren, who admitted recently that the stress of finding out about golfing husband Tiger Woods’ numerous affairs caused her hair to fall out in clumps.

Speaking to the Daily Mail this week, hair transplant surgeon Dr Bessam Farjo said:

“Women are leading increasingly stressful lives, with pressures that didn’t exist for their forebears,”

“They are now having to maintain successful careers as well as fulfilling the role of wife, mother and homemaker. The body reacts to stress by producing more free radicals, which cause damage and, in some cases, hair falls out.”

Other reasons for hair loss in young women have been named as:

• Hormonal changes following pregnancy
• Genetics – Some people are pre-disposed to thinning hair, or even androgenic alopecia (female pattern baldness)
• Poor diet – Experts say that protein and iron deficiencies could cause hair loss

Psychologist Linda Papadopoulos explains the effect female hair loss has on the self-esteem of stressed-out modern women, saying:

“In our culture, hair is bound up in notions of womanhood and sexual attractiveness,”

With many women suffering from hair loss it is receiving more and more coverage in the media. This might be because women are far less worried about talking about their hair loss than they were ever before and it is something that women should be more educated about so that if it ever happen to them they know what to do.

There are many female celebrities who have lost their hair for a variety of reasons over the years and none more so than in the last few months. Some female celebrities have lost their hair as a result of stress and worry from going through a divorce, whereas others have lost their hair as a result of cancer treatment.

Whatever reason you have lost your hair for, you don’t need to be embarrassed or ashamed about what is happening to you. Many women are going through exactly what you are and your doctor and family can provide support whilst you are coming to terms with what has happened. You will also receive medication for your hair loss and this should hopefully bring your hair back. You don’t need to stop doing what you normally do if you don’t want to.

It is extremely common for us to see men who have suffered from hair loss and it can happen to men at a very early age, however seeing a woman who has lost their hair is not a common sight and it can quite often lead to people staring and asking questions. But you should not be embarrassed about your hair loss because in actual fact, many women lose their hair and it doesn’t necessarily just happen to older ladies, it can happen to almost anybody.

In order to find out why you have been losing your hair, it would be worthwhile going to speak to your doctor to find out what might be causing your hair loss. Your doctor will have probably seen it all before so you don’t need to worry that your doctor won’t be able to help you.

If they believe that you would benefit from seeing a specialist about your hair loss, they will refer you to your local hospital where you will receive treatment for your hair loss. There are many treatments for hair loss and there is much that you can do yourself such as reducing the amount of stress that you put yourself through.

It can be depressing for a woman to lose her hair, particularly if she is to used to styling and managing her hair. However, regardless of whether you look after your hair or not, it can still be devastating and it is important to get to the bottom of why you have lost some or all of your hair.

In order to get a formal diagnosis, you will need to speak to your doctor. Your doctor may refer you to a specialist who can assist you in diagnosing your hair loss and giving you the right treatments in order to ensure that your hair comes back. However, there are some hair loss conditions that cannot be cured by medicine and unfortunately some women do naturally lose their hair.

In instances such as this, women need to look into other avenues of replacement hair such as wigs or hair implants. Many women even if they haven’t lost their hair use hair implants or pieces to make their hair look fuller and thicker so there is no reason why you cannot do the same to cover up any bald patches you might have or you can wear a full wig so that your hair loss is not noticeable at all.

There can be nothing worse than not feeling yourself particularly when there are noticeable signs that you are feeling unwell. If you are under an immense amount of stress then you need to make sure that you are taking it easy where possible to avoid there being any undue stress being put on your body as this can have serious health consequences.

Hair loss can be something that many women suffer during their lifetime as a result of going through a large amount of stress or worry. It all depends on how each of us copes with stress and sometimes some of us are not designed to resist the stress that we are sometimes put through.

If you are not coping well and as a result you are losing some of your hair, you need to speak with your doctor to ensure that there isn’t anything more serious underlying with your health. Your health is vitally important so you need to reduce the amount of stress in your life and this should ensure that your hair returns. However, if you are suffering with a form of hair loss that cannot be treated without medication then your doctor will be able to prescribe you the best drugs available.

Writing for the Guardian this week is the artist and former Daily Mail journalist Jane Kelly, who was diagnosed with Stage Four ovarian cancer in April 2010. In her articles, Kelly speaks in detail of the wholly unexpected impact of losing her hair after chemotherapy and how she found ways to manage her hair loss.

Kelly firstly described what losing her hair after chemo felt like:

“Chemo makes most people go bald and in June my hair began its journey into the shower tray. I was warned this would be distressing, and it was: stepping out of the shower after the second chemo session, seeing clods of hair lying like drowned mice around the plughole, I felt breathless with shock at what I’d lost.”

The 54-year-old then tried to find ways of managing her hair loss condition. She tried standard and human hair wigs from a number of sources, but never felt truly comfortable in her own skin until she took the bold step of shaving off all of her remaining hair.

Kelly then says that she then discovered the elegance of fashionable ladies’ turbans, taking inspiration from glamorous Dynasty star Joan Collins, who famously said:

“I must give good hair and if I don’t, I will give good hat. For trips abroad, or for accessorising with a gold sling-back, nothing beats a turban, darling.”