Trinny Woodall speaks about her struggles with hair loss
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Losing your hair is a natural part of life as you get older, but that doesn’t make it any less upsetting for some people. There are hundreds of shampoos, serums, scrubs, supplements and other products on the market that claim to give you your thick locks back, but do they really work? Express.co.uk chatted to trichologist and hairdresser Guy Parsons from My Hair Doctor to find out whether products can actually reverse hair loss or not.
Hair is not only an important part of our identities, it is essential for two main reasons: to protect our scalp from the sun and to protect our scalp from blows (back to the origin of the species).
Even though we need our hair, there are sadly many many reasons why we lose it.
It is normal to lose between 50 and 100 hairs a day without realising, but if the hair loss is more significant it can be notable and upsetting.
Some hair loss is permanent and caused by things like male and female pattern baldness or alopecia, but hair loss can be caused by a range of things.
Trichologist and hairdresser Guy Parsons said the following can cause temporary hair loss:
- Weight loss
- Weight gain
- Medication
- Surgery
- Stress
- Bereavement
- Shock
- Chemotherapy or radiotherapy
- Thyroid issues
- Alopecia/s
- Hormonal imbalances
- Birth control
- HRT
- Menopause
- Menstruation post baby
- Self-inflicted (trichotillomania)
- Ageing
He said: “Invariably it is difficult to pinpoint exactly but with careful consultation, we can ascertain and narrow down the cause of loss and therefore begin to treat the causes or at least address the causes.”
Anyone can lose hair but it appears men are likely to lose hair as they hit their 20s.
Guy said: “Some men have a particular enzyme in their bodies which interacts with testosterone to create dihydrotestosterone which in turn inhibits or kills the hair follicle – Prince William would be a stand out case of this.”
However, women will always suffer from one type of hair loss or another because of potential events caused by hormonal imbalance.
The trichologist added: “Certainly during the years of menstruation, women will notice changes. But I see people from all ages and either sex with hair loss so again it’s difficult to pinpoint.”
According to Guy, you can prevent and slow down hair loss sometimes.
He said: “In some cases, it could be self-inflicted or caused by dietary issues or stress.
“If it is caused by ageing or hormonal issues, the hair loss can still be addressed with various treatments or drugs and these drugs are getting more sophisticated.
“As well as this, there are many products that can contain well-known ‘kick starters’ to follicle activity and some drugs administered for different reasons have effects on hair growth such as Finasteride.”
The most important thing to do when it comes to reversing temporary hair loss or slowing and improving the look of permanent hair loss is to take care of your general health.
Guy suggested exercising regularly, eating a well-balanced diet, and having a modest alcohol consumption.
He said: “Hair is incredibly resilient and will suffer all forms of abuse both internally from issues with the body and externally through treatments.”
Can products REALLY reverse hair loss?
As we’ve already established, you can only reverse some kinds of hair loss that are temporary and caused by things like illness, stress, deficiencies and so on.
Products won’t give you your hair back if the hair loss is permanent and caused by something like male and female pattern baldness.
Products can help to reverse temporary hair loss though, according to Guy.
He said: “Products can make a difference but they do also take time and in a culture where instant is in demand, waiting for your hair to grow will be a test of anyone’s patience.
“Products should be chosen through careful consultation with a hairdresser or trichologist.
“There are also many supplements and boosters – at my Hair Doctor we have the Nutritional Supplement and Hair Food which is a follicle stimulator.
“Our hair is in continual growing cycles so have faith and try to stick with recognised and trusted products.”
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