HEALTHY LIVING HAIR AND THERE Hair and there€¦ · women and children. Its characterised by...
Transcript of HEALTHY LIVING HAIR AND THERE Hair and there€¦ · women and children. Its characterised by...
HEALTH INTELLIGENCE| 8584 | 2013 EDITION 20
HAIR AND THERE
responsible for this type of alopecia is called dihydrotestosterone (DHT, a potent form of
testosterone that the body makes from testosterone).
Other than androgenic alopecia, there are four classifications:
• Alopecia areata, which is thought to be an autoimmune condition and occurs in men,
women and children. Its characterised by patches of hair loss and also includes complete
loss of scalp hair (alopecia totalis) or total loss of all body hair (alopecia universalis)
• Telogen effluvium is the second most common hair loss condition and occurs when
there is a decrease in the number of viable hair follicles, leading to hair loss. It’s believed
that stress, a poor diet, shock or trauma, and some psychiatric medication can cause this
form of hair loss
• Cicatricial alopecia (scarring alopecia) is a permanent loss of hair due to various different
reasons that include lupus, Lichen planopilaris (LPP) which is a chronic inflammatory
skin disease and bacterial infection
• Traumatic alopecia is caused by trauma to the hair – such as regular harsh brushing or
tight braiding. Harsh chemical hair treatments can exacerbate the condition.
The different categories of hair loss are all treated differently and it’s important to
understand the cause of your hair loss before undergoing treatment. With chemotherapy,
the hair loss is due to the treatment targeting all rapidly growing cells in the body (such
as cancer cells and hair follicles during the growth phase). Too much of the androgen
hormone, DHT, can cause an overall thinning of hair and this excess can be caused by
pregnancy, ovarian cysts, taking high androgen-containing birth control pills, and
menopause. Additionally, many psychiatric medications can cause hair loss. Two mood
stabilisers, lithium and valproic acid, are known to have the possible side effect of hair loss,
as do most antidepressants. Once medication is stopped, hair loss no longer occurs. But,
as with any medication, don’t stop taking it without first consulting your doctor.
IS IT HAPPENING TO YOU?Everyone experiences hair loss daily; however, to quickly test to see if your hair fall is
higher than normal, take 50-60 strands of hair, held between your thumb and finger,
and slide your hand gently down the shafts of hair – if more than 10% of hairs fall
away, that’s an indication you may be experiencing abnormal hair loss.
Take heart that new technology is regularly emerging to address the devastation of hair loss and there are actions you can take to reduce hair loss
Y
our hair is part and parcel of your innate
femininity and forms an integral component of your daily
beauty routine. Losing hair can be devastating. While
more common in men, alopecia (hair
loss) does occur in women, although
usually at a later age than in men. At
any age, however, hair thinning or loss
is a psychologically difficult experience
for women – in fact, women who
experience hair loss also experience
a poorer health-related quality of life
than women without hair loss.
WHY?Hair goes through four phases in its life
cycle: anagen, growing; catagen, transitional; and telogen,
resting. There’s also a phase called exogen, when the hair
falls out.
Alopecia can be divided into two classifications: one
where the hair follicle is normal, but the phases of hair
growth are abnormal, and then where the hair follicle is
damaged. To determine what the cause of your hair loss is,
it’s vital to see a health care professional. Female pattern hair
loss (FPHL) or androgenetic alopecia is the most common
cause of hair loss in women. The term androgen refers to the
steroid hormones typically associated with men, the most
well known being testosterone and DHEA. The androgen
Hair and thereYou may take your head of hair for granted, but if you experience hair loss or thinning, what can you do about it?
By Kirsten Alexander
84 | 2013 EDITION 20
HEALTHY LIVING
86 | 2013 EDITION 20
HAIR AND THERE
PREVENTION AND TREATMENTOver 40 years ago, it was established that low iron is
associated with hair loss. As with just about every health-
related problem, eating a well-balanced diet is key to
ensuring your body functions optimally. Good lifestyle
practices that don’t deplete important nutrients are also
important – so, not smoking, reducing stress levels and being
aware that medications can affect you negatively should all
be taken into consideration. There are supplements that
can have a positive effect on hair loss and these include:
L-lysine and cysteine, both amino acids, have been shown
to encourage hair growth; biotin and zinc have also been
found to effectively treat hair loss, even in children.
First introduced during the 1970s for treating hyper-
tension, multi-nutrient hair supplements are an effective
treatment, for stimulating hair growth.
Other common treatment options for androgenic
alopecia include androgen receptor antagonists (which work
by blocking the ability of testosterone and DHT to bind to
the receptor), and a 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor, generically
known as finsteride or the natural alternative, beta-sitosterol.
However, this shouldn’t be used by women of child bearing
age as it may cause abnormalities of the foetus. It also hasn’t
been proven very useful in postmenopausal women.
MORE OPTIONSHair transplants are a viable option. Most commonly, hair
loss only takes place on the top of the head, a large part of
the success of a hair transplant depends on the health of
your remaining hair follicles.
A hair transplant involves removing healthy hair (small
plugs of skin containing the hair follicle) from growth sites
on your head and implanting these onto the balding area.
This is not a once-off treatment and you may need to have
more than one treatment over a period of time. Another
method is to create a skin flap, basically reducing the area
of baldness by removing the hairless scalp and stretching
growth areas over the removed space.
Take heart that new technology is regularly emerging to
address the devastation of hair loss and there are actions
you can take to reduce hair loss – speak to your doctor or
dermatologist about your options. HI
References include1 Sinclair R, Patel M, et al. Hair loss in women: medical and cosmetic approaches to
increase scalp hair fullness. British Journal of Dermatology. Dec 2011;165(s3):12-8 2 The Merck Manual. Alopecia. Nov 20123 Medline Plus. Alopecia Areata. Nov 20124 American Hair Loss Association. Effluvium. Nov 20125 North American Hair research society. Cicatricial alopecia. Nov 20126 Medicine Net. Traumatic alopecia. Nov 20127 Botchkarev V. Molecular Mechanisms of Chemotherapy-Induced Hair Loss.
Journal of investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings. 2003;8:72-58 Cousen P, Messenger A. Female pattern hair loss in complete androgen
insensitivity syndrome. British Journal of Dermatology 2010162(5):1135-79 Mercke Y, Sheng H, et al. Hair Loss in Psychopharmacology. Annals of Clinical
Psychiatry. Mar 2000;12(1):35-42 10 Rushton D. Nutritional factors and hair loss. Clin Exp Dermatol. 2002
Jul;27(5):396-404.11 Rogers G, Powell B. Organization and Expression of Hair Follicle Genes. Journal
of Investigative Dermatology. 1993:101:50S–55S 12 Camacho F, Garcia-Hernandez M. Zinc Aspartate, Biotin, And Clobetasol
Propionate In The Treatment Of Alopecia Areata In Childhood. Pediatric Dermatology. Jul 1999;16(4):335-8
13 Thiedke C. Alopecia in Women. Am Fam Pysician. Mar 2003;67(5):1007-14
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