While working in Istanbul I was amazed by the number of men walking around with headbands, the hotel lobby was full of them as were the restaurants and shops. It finally dawned on me that Istanbul is a widely recognised centre for reasonably priced hair transplants and that those headbands were not a fashion statement but rather a medical accessory, ironically, I was there delivering education on hairloss.
Hairloss is a wide problem affecting both men and women across all ages. There is still a lot that is not understood and research into hairloss is complex as there are many types of hair loss, also called alopecia. I have been digging through old and new research for this series of blogs and I will cover herein this blog, genetic hair loss Androgenic Alopecia and aging hair loss Involutional Alopecia, with plenty more to come in the following weeks.
Early in my career I would have been very reluctant to discuss hair loss with clients often deflecting their not so silent cries for help. But after working for two years on a hair loss project and now being experienced enough to guide clients to act on their hair changes with positive results and big smiles I now am of the opinion that although I am not an expert, as a hairdresser, I can still be a confidant and offer some support.
I have collected from different sources the main causes of hair loss, I have kept the explanations more general as there are always exceptions.
Androgenic Alopecia
This is a genetic condition that can affect both men and women. Genes, from both male and female parents, may influence a person’s predisposition to male or female pattern baldness. Individuals can begin suffering hair loss as early as their teens or early 20s. I witnessed this with my three brothers who are well spaced apart in age, their hairloss is characterized by a receding hairline and gradual disappearance of hair from the crown and frontal scalp the eldest being on the latter part of the scale. Yes there is a scale, experts namely Dr James Hamilton in the 1950s developed the baldness classification system, which was later revised by Dr O’Tar Norwood in the 1970’s.
Women with this condition, don’t experience noticeable thinning until their 40s or later. Women experience a general thinning over the entire scalp, with the most extensive hair loss at the crown. Dr. Enrich Ludwig in 1977 was driven to create this particular model due to the continual increase in the number of women being diagnosed with hair loss, which had been quite rare until then. In this model, graphic patterns are used to represent the progressive hair loss according to its severity, and it is very useful for:
- Determining the amount of hair that has been lost up to that moment.
- Estimating how much hair may be lost in the future, if the condition progresses.
- Working out how to treat the condition appropriately according to its current stage of development.
The Ludwig scale, can be used to classify any level of hair loss in women. Unfortunately, the further you are along the Ludwig scale, the fewer the options available for you to recover your hair. That is why it is important to detect the hair loss stage in order to act as soon as possible.
There is no cure for Androgenic Alopecia (genetic hair loss).
Minoxidil originally developed to treat high blood pressure.
Treatments: Speak to a doctor, there are some treatments such as Minoxidil that can slow down the progress in both men and women. Additionally, for men there is Finasteride (marketed under Propecia and Proscar) an oral prescription pill. No matter what you decide research the treatments as there are some side affects as with all medication and once you stop using it, your hair will revert back to its original hair loss pattern.
Publicity, coupled with the advances in hair transplant methods in recent years, is breaking down the stigma that might once have been associated with hair loss treatment – for men and women. Hair transplants can be broadly divided into two methods: follicular unit transplantation (FUT), which involves transferring a strip of tissue from a donor area (an area of stable growth at the back or sides of the head) to a bald or balding part of the head, and follicular unit extraction (FUE), which is removing individual hair follicles from the donor area and implanting them one by one into the affected areas (the recipient site).
Both FUE and FUT are available for women, with FUE the most popular option. According to the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, over half of women undergoing hair restoration surgery are aged 30 to 49 – similar to men. Hair transplanted from the back and sides of the head has no genetic predisposition to fall out, so it will last a lifetime. However, grafts will not stop the progression of hereditary hair loss and gaps may form on the head. These may need to be repaired through additional surgery, meaning some patients may require more than one procedure in their lifetime.
Having a hair transplant is a big decision for a number of reasons. The cost of a high-quality hair transplant can be a significant outlay for many people and understandably so. A bad hair transplant can have major long-term detrimental effects, both psychological and physical. Despite the claims of some clinics, there is no such thing as a non-surgical method of carrying out a hair transplant. A hair transplant is an elective surgery so do your research and talk to your doctor, although for many the procedure is not cover by private or public health but your doctor can assist you in the research.
Professional tips: Don’t under estimate the power of a good haircut and styling. Cuts that redistribute the hair; bringing more weight into the thinner areas while reducing the weight in the thicker areas will give a more balanced appearance. Layers should be avoided or minimised, while texturizing can be kept towards the ends and not brought too deep into the middle lengths.
Colouring can be a great way to create the illusion of thicker hair. Avoid techniques that add multidimensions into the hair such as highlighting or techniques that have many differently coloured sections as these break up the density of hair and can make it appear thinner. This is a great time to play with colour theory; that is, cool tones create density, warm tones expand and neutral add balance. I use this a lot when balancing out hair that is thinning.
If you would like to dig deeper into recent research on Androgenetic Alopecia: New insights into the pathogenesis and mechanism of hair loss; posted on F1000Research, open for science, online publication site I
Involutional Alopecia
Is a natural condition in which the hair gradually thins with age. The life cycle of the hair shortens sometimes called miniaturisation resulting in fewer hairs and thinner hair strands. This decrease in the hair’s diameter is often underestimated and it can have a big influence. Think about it, if each hair strand shrinks by 5% in diameter, it’s like losing 5,000 hair strands! For more information on the hair’s life cycle, click here for my blog on hair growth.
There is no cure for aging; sorry I am looking for that one myself!
Treatments: There are plenty of products available that will protect, strengthen and add body to the thinning hair in addition to a healthy lifestyle and a good hair routine. Just be realistic on what they can achieve. The will not regrow hair. Some are designed to support a health scalp and hair through regiments or systems that reduce breakage, reduce friction and increase resilience.
Professional tips: Similar to genetic hair loss there are a lot of clever cutting, styling and colouring techniques available that will make the hair appear thicker and fuller. I would add, be gentle; don’t scrub the hair when washing or roughly dry with a towel both of these will snap thinner more delicate hair. One more…cool down the hair dryer, thin hair will dry more quickly and over drying will leave the hair susceptible to breakage.
Next week I will cover Alopecia Areata, Alopecia Universalis and Telogen Effluvium.
Caroline
