Alopecia and Hair Loss. The five main reasons for hair thinning, hair loss.
Healthy hair starts from within.
Living a healthy lifestyle, exercise, getting enough sleep and having the proper nutrient and mineral intake.
Iron, for example, is crucial in avoiding hair loss.
Red blood cells carry oxygen through your body which stimulates hair growth.
Vitamin D, Folic Acid/B9, and B12 are also beneficial nutrients.
They support cell division and hair growth, and Vitamin D is also effective in reducing inflammation.
Below are some of the most common causes of hair loss.
- Alopecia And hair loss.
- Hair follicles are prematurely triggered into a shedding phase.
This form of temporary hair loss usually happens after stress, a shock, or a traumatic event. Large amounts of hair might fall out, but it is often temporary, and the hair usually grows back.
An average rate is 10%, but this can increase up to 35% with premature shedding. Common triggers are iron deficiency, stress and anxiety, change in medication or diet, and post-pregnancy. (Post-partum hair loss).
- Stress-related Hair Loss
You’ll usually notice this form of Alopecia and hair loss two to three months after the stressful event or lifestyle change that triggered it.
Like other forms of hair loss in women caused by non-hormonal factors, stress-induced hair loss usually isn’t permanent. Through lifestyle changes and the use of medication, it’s possible to regrow most or all the hair you’ve lost because of stress.
- Hormonal
- Where hormones interact with a hair follicle and cause it to shrink and eventually disappear
Because menopause affects the production of several hormones, it can often trigger hormonal hair loss in women. During menopause, your body’s production of estrogens and progestin declines.
Alongside this decline in female hormone production, sensitivity to the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a by-product of testosterone, can increase.
10% of testosterone produced by adults each day is converted to dihydrotestosterone. By the testes and prostate (in men) and the ovaries (in women).
When hair follicles become sensitive to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), it causes shrinking of hair follicles, which become smaller and eventually fall out—resulting in hair loss for men and women. This hair loss is slower and happens over many years.
In women, hormonal hair loss produces different results from men. Instead of the horseshoe-like hair pattern or receding hairline common in men, women with hormonal hair loss usually notice a diffuse thinning pattern across the entire scalp.
While this can be permanent, early intervention with a qualified trichologist, who can in most cases, reduce the impact of severe hair loss.
- Thyroid Issues
Both under-active thyroid and overactive thyroid can trigger hair loss. Your thyroid plays a role in developing new hair strands at the root, helping your body maintain a consistent supply of new hair.
If your thyroid isn’t working as it should, the hairs you typically lose each day may not be replaced by new hair growth.
Thyroid issues not only cause you to lose hair, but they can also cause your hair to become weak, dry, and brittle. Most of the time, thyroid issues cause diffuse hair loss across your entire scalp, rather than localized hair loss around your hairline, temples, or crown.
Unlike hormonal hair loss, hair loss caused by thyroid issues is usually temporary. After you’ve identified and treated the underlying problem, your hair will slowly regrow to its previous thickness and length.
Your doctor requires a blood test to determine if you have a thyroid problem to prescribe the correct treatment for your needs.
- SCARRING ALOPECIA – AUTOIMMUNE
When the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its cell tissue, causing temporary or permanent hair loss. The client must see a Trichologist about this type of hair loss to identify temporary or permanent.
A Trichologist will analyze the skin tissue and whether follicles can re-grow in this area or not and provide the best advice and treatment available.
A visit to a doctor first, for a blood test, is recommended to diagnose the blood count and determine if there are underlining medical problems.
- Chemotherapy-induced alopecia advice and support for hair loss.
- A distressing side effect common to specific treatment regimens in Oncology.
The medications utilized in chemotherapy treatments are designed to target and attack rapidly dividing cells.
Unfortunately, there is no way of distinguishing between cancerous cells and healthy cells, including hair follicles.
Plus, 90% of your hair is in the rapid growth stage at any given time, making it an unfortunate bystander in the treatment process.
With chemotherapy-induced hair loss, it is essential to be gentle.
Avoid perms, colors or dyes, bleach, and any form of heated hair appliances.
These can wreak havoc on your hair and contribute to scalp sensitivity.
It is essential to protect your scalp; hats, scarves, wraps, and wigs are all excellent choices.
Plan for what’s to happen, be prepared, and have patience.
Currently, there are no treatments available that guarantee zero chemotherapy-induced hair loss,
- When will hair start to grow back?
Regrowth can occur before treatment has ended, or it could take several weeks after the final dose for your hair to recover and begin to grow again. When your hair starts to grow back, it could be different in color, shade, thickness, and texture from the hair you lost. The following regrowth timeline is a general indication of what most people can expect after chemotherapy:
2-3 weeks: Exceptionally fine, soft hair forms
1-2 months: Thicker hair begins growing
2-3 months: An inch of hair may have grown
3-6 months: Some 2–3 inches of hair may have increased, covering vacant patches
12 months: Hair may have grown 4–6 inches
This technique takes advantage of the regenerative and antioxidant properties of oxygen.
Cools and hydrates the scalp, while nourishing the hair to regain strength, elasticity, shine, and texture.
An Oxygen machine applies almost pure oxygen to the scalp, opening hair fibers to allow the regenerative treatments applied together with the oxygen to penetrate better.
Each treatment takes 20 minutes.
In this way, and in combination with pure oxygen, it is possible to stimulate cellular regeneration in the scalp and revitalize hair.
Each disorder has a different treatment cycle. Treatments run for 6-12 weeks.
Contact us for more information, and our dedicated team is here to help and answer any questions you may have about your hair.
An appointment is necessary and takes 1 hour where we will have uninterrupted time to discuss your worries, to complete a detailed scalp survey, together with photographic imaging, where we will determine which treatment is best for you.