Sufferers of hair loss can find themselves on a merry-go-round of solutions. As the evidence collects down the plughole and on the pillow, they try brushing their hair less, changing shampoo, cutting out hair dyes and styling their hair differently to hide the inevitable.
And ultimately as this medical-cum-cosmetic condition becomes more apparent, they often don’t know where to go for help — the hairdresser or the doctor?
Many look for advice on the internet only to be bombarded with misinformation and a marketing avalanche of expensive hair loss products and services promising amazing results.
Hair loss has become an internet minefield and if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. There is a need to straighten out the dodgy industry because there are an awful lot of car-yard salesmen out there.
For many of the affected, hair loss is psychologically devastating and the earlier help is sought, the greater the treatment options.
The most common form of hair loss is androgenetic alopecia — also known as male and female pattern hair loss. Alopecia is a medical condition with cosmetic implications that only need to be treated if it is causing distress to the patient. How you choose to treat alopecia typically depends on its severity and the person’s expectations.
Of greatest importance is making a definite diagnosis because the different causes require a different treatment approach.
80 per cent of men had evidence of male pattern hair loss by the time they were 80 and the majority of women over 50 had some element of female pattern hair loss.
Male and female pattern hair loss is genetic and it is believed that genetics have an influence.
In men, it is characterised by hair being lost progressively on either side of the forehead and the top of the scalp or vertex.
A woman’s hairline usually doesn’t recede but starts to thin over the crown area.
