A survey of 2000 British women over the age of 25 discovered that a fifth of respondents said they suffered from hair loss. We look closer.
A Grim Picture
2000 is a respectable study size, certainly large enough to respect the results. The news that a fifth of respondents in a study of 2000 British women had said they suffered with hair loss was given some perspective by the fact that 51% of those affected said they no longer like to have their photograph taken. It gives some insight into the emotional trauma that comes with losing hair, particularly for women for whom so much of their self-image is tied to their hair. Anyone who has spent time with a wife girlfriend or sister trying to overcome a “bad hair day” will have some idea, at least they are holding on to the notion that there is a way to sort it out. For hair loss sufferers the reality can be grim, and the prospects not much better.
Help At Hand
Fortunately our friends over at NetDoctor have come to our aid with some handy hints on what to look out for and strategies that can be adopted to help. They spoke to trichologist Zoe Passam at Philip Kingsley for the low down.
Top tip no. 1 from Zoe was not to get bogged down counting the strands of hair you are losing. Everyone loses hair, naturally, at a different rate. Checking the plughole after washing your hair can be a good indicator to the rate of loss… but Zoe points out the importance of bearing in mind how long it is since you last washed, dead hair typically gets loosened when washed so if you have left it an extra day or two you should expect a larger amount of hair to end up in your sink.
Tip 2 is that not all hair loss is genetic, hair health is a reflection of your general health. Thyroid imbalance is a great example of a condition that has a pronounced effect on the hair… treating the imbalance will see a return to healthy hair.
Hair loss can also be linked to changes in your hormone levels. This is important to bear in mind at a couple of crucial times on your life, the first is likely to be during pregnancy, and just after pregnancy as the hormone levels come crashing down again. The other typical time to lose hair this way is during the menopause.
Hair is made of Keratin, a protein. So it follows that eating a healthy diet with plenty of protein is important for the growth of fast replicating cells like those found in hair.
What not to worry about. Zoe tells us that hair loss of any type is an internal process, it means that you can brush, wash, treat, colour and blow dry without any concern that you might be aggravating a hair loss condition. None of these things will have an impact.
HIS Hair Clinic
So there you have it. A shocking proportion of women have to go through the trauma of hair loss and though they are statistically more likely than men to seek help the vast majority do not.
If you would like to discuss your hair loss situation with one of our friendly team of experts simply complete the contact form at the side of this page. Or click here to find your nearest clinic.
