manchester

healthy options

general health

Hair

IT is supposed to be your crowning glory, but for many people their hair makes them despair.

Far from having lustrous locks they have lank, thin, fragile strands that snap and split.

It is estimated that around a quarter of women in the UK have unexplained, but worrying hair loss problems anything from shedding hair to bald spots. And three out of five men start to lose their hair before they 40.

Hair facts

Healthy hair grows about 1.25 cm a month.
Growth declines rapidly after the age of 50.
It is normal to lose between 50-100 hairs each day.
Blondes have denser hair than brunettes or red-heads - around 140,000 compared to 110,000 and 90,000.
Each head hair grows for about five years before falling out.
Eyebrows and eyelashes are replaced every four to five months.

Hair loss

The sight of a tangled, sudsy mass of your hair clogging up the sink is a scary sight. But should you be worried?

Men can do little about inherited baldness, it is a characteristic passed down by either or both of their parents.

But prematurely thinning hair, or patchy baldness (alopecia areata), can be treated.

Trichologist Harry Callaghan, who runs hair clinics in Bolton and Rochdale said: ''Very often people ignore the problem. They do not want to believe they are losing their hair and by the time they come to me they are often in despair.

''Hair is seen as cosmetic, but it is absolutely crucial to people's well-being and how they view themselves.

Even partial hair-loss can be devastating to a person's esteem. But the more they fret and worry, the more they pile on the stress and that can make the problem worse.''

Bald Spots

Alopecia areata is usually spotted by a hairdresser. It can start as a small dot, gradually getting bigger and bigger.

There can be several patches which can then join up causing almost total baldness.

The cause is usually some stress or shock to the nervous system which shuts down blood supply to the hair root.

Traumatic alopecia is where hair has become weakened and falls out due constant tension.

A severe ponytail, tight braids, and styles like dreadlocks, can contribute to hair loss.

Thinning hair

Hair changes with the seasons and in different conditions. It grows more in summer, heat causes hair to expand and absorb moisture, while the cold makes it contract.

Diet and hormonal balance are crucial to keep hair in tip-top condition.

It can also be down to stress, a side effect of drugs, an underactive thyroid gland, or simply getting older.

A diet deficient in iron and taking the contraceptive pill can contribute to thinning hair.

Treatments

Check your diet.

A lack of iron (found in red meat) causes a drop in serum ferritin, a common cause of hair loss. Ask your doctor to check if you are anaemic. You don't eat meat, take an iron supplement.
If you are stressed, levels of B vitamins in your body may be low, so make sure you eat enough wholegrain cereals, oily fish and natural yoghurts.
Try taking a 50mg zinc supplement to stimulate hair growth, together with copper to aid its absorption.
Flaxseed oil and vitamin E are also said to boost normal hair growth.
Even slight hormonal changes can make hair thin and fall out. Oestrogen helps make female hair thick and glossy, but under severe stress there is a surge of the male hormone testosterone, which can lead to hair thinning much like during the menopause.
Soya foods can help balance hormone levels, as can relaxation techniques.
Heavy metals in tap water may also be linked with hair loss so you could try fitting a water filter.
If you are on the Pill and start losing your hair talk to your GP who may prescribe another type.
Ultra violet light is often used to try and stimulate hair growth simulating the effects of the sun.
Drugs

The best known is minoxidil, originally a cardio-vascular pill treatment that caused excessive hair growth as a side-effect. It can now be bought over the counter in the form of the lotion Regaine. It stimulates blood to the scalp, particularly the crown, but its effects vary greatly, working for some people, but not others. It is most effective if used with dedicated regularity.

Finasteride, is the first clinically proven pill which can stimulate hair growth at the front and side of the head. The pill, traded as Propecia, blocks conversion of testosterone into the male hormone DHT which is known to shrink hair follicles. Propecia is available on private prescription from your GP.

Harry Callaghan said: ''Sadly there is no, one magical cure for baldness yet, but a lot can be done for thinning or sporadic hair loss and an awful lot of research is going on. The Institute of Trichologists has doctors affiliated to it who are working to find the solution and I have no doubt that in years to come we will be able to pop a pill that stops hair loss or even restores our hair colour!

''In the meantime all registered trichologists recommend people to see their GP first before taking any treatment as there can be side-effects.

The Institute of Trichologists wants the profession standardised and is hoping that official state registration will soon become compulsory. Many are already doing it voluntarily and carry the initials MIT (Lond) after their name.

Links
Hairline International support group
The Institute of Trichologists
NHS Direct Healthcare guide on Hair loss