Why women struggle to keep their hair on

AP

It's Naomi's weave on the warpath, Fergie's (pictured) widening middle parting and Madonnas thinning locks that delight bloggers and paparazzi.

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Johannesburg - You think you’re having a bad hair day? Spare a thought for Naomi Campbell, Fergie and Madonna, whose hair (or lack thereof) repeatedly grab headlines in the blogosphere.

It’s Naomi’s weave on the warpath, Fergie’s widening middle parting and Madonna’s thinning locks that delight bloggers and paparazzi.

But excessive hair loss is no laughing matter and celebrities are not alone in their suffering. Abnormal hair loss, or alopecia, afflicts millions of women.

It’s more than a matter of vanity – hair loss strikes closely at what women regard as their identity. Waking each morning to find more of your crowning glory on your pillow or hairbrush than on your head is the stuff of heartbreak. Disguising limp strands, bald patches and receding hairlines with up-dos and extensions is work of the most demoralising kind.

No one is immune to alopecia, which has various forms and can strike anyone at any age. It can be bought on by bad luck in the genetic draw; illness and injury; medication; poor diet; pregnancy; hormone imbalances; stress; anaemia (lack of iron is the most common cause of thinning hair); the trappings of vanity; and compulsive hair pulling.

There’s also the matter of simply getting older, when the scalp becomes drier and tighter, affecting blood circulation and hair growth.

Hair loss started for Melanie F, 41, soon after the birth of her second child when she was 39.

“My mom’s hair was quite thin, so I knew I inherited those genes. But after my second baby, my hair just started falling out. I also came off the pill and my oestrogen levels were no longer constant. I started noticing hair loss when I had night sweats and I found hair on my pillow in the mornings. The thinning was most obvious when my hair was dirty or when I let it loose,” says the Goodwood, Cape Town, mom.

Melanie tried a range of over-the-counter remedies and jokes that she even took medicine meant for horses. She saw her GP too, but nothing helped. By the time she ended up at a trichology clinic she was at her wit’s end.

“My GP was very sceptical about my going to a trichologist, but for me it was money well spent, even though the consultations and the treatments were quite pricey and medical aid obviously didn’t cover any of it,” says Melanie.

Melanie’s treatments were about R500 a session and the products cost another R500. She needed several follow-up treatments.

Her consultation involved blood tests to rule out underlying conditions, a discussion around improving her nutrition and products for home use meant to stimulate new hair growth.

“Over the months my scalp became less scaly. When I saw new hairs growing I was so happy,” says Melanie.

Bad news is that there isn’t a magic cure or a quick fix for hair loss, and often hair regrowth is not as strong or vital as sufferers would like. Still, professionals say all is not lost.

London trichologist Glenn Lyons told the Daily Mail that the good news is that if your hair is thin because of shedding, the problem is temporary.

“Even though the hair has shed, the hair follicle will not have changed, so once things are better, the follicle will produce new hair, which it does in 98 percent of cases. You may need to address underlying causes, but the hair will regrow.”

Elma Titus is a trained trichologist with the Philip Kingsley hair clinic that operates in Joburg and Cape Town. Elma, who did her trichology training in Australia, is one of only a few trichologists in South Africa. She sees herself as the link between the hairstylist and the doctor or dermatologist. Her clients have included businesswoman Wendy Luhabe.

Elma herself suffered from thinning hair after the birth of her children and has a genetic predisposition to hair loss. She understands the helplessness and even sense of grief women experience with alopecia. While she says medical science has still to come up with a hair loss cure, there are steps to take to minimise and slow down hair loss.

“The same way you brush your teeth and go see an oral hygienist and dentist is what you should be doing with your scalp and your hair,” says Elma.

Elma’s emphasis is on good nutrition as a starting point. It means the balance of exercise and a healthy diet.

“A diet that’s got vitamin D, vitamin B12, zinc, folic acid and the omega oils is essential. Because the hair is made up of the protein keratin, it’s important to have protein in your diet too. I may ask for blood tests too, to look at things like possible iron deficiencies and to check thyroid function,” says Elma.

A typical consultation and treatment consists of a scalp examination, a stimulation massage and infra-red light treatment to help dilate blood vessels and improve absorption of treatment products.

“I don’t think there’s such a thing as bad hair, there’s just damaged hair from damaged follicles or papillae (hair roots),” she says.

“Managing alopecia is about long-term maintenance, knowing the character of your hair and changing behaviour and habits.”

For instance, she says everyone benefits from oil treatments, but the oil must suit your hair type. It’s not helpful to apply a heavy oil to fine hair.

She also stresses the importance of not relaxing and colouring hair at the same time. As for weaves, extensions, dreads, braids and cornrows, these must be kept super-clean and should not be attached and twisted too tightly. She advises against children having styles that pull too tightly on their scalps.

Try not to use tongs and straighteners, even take care with hair dryers, but if you can’t, at least use a heat-protective spray first, Lyons said.

“Of course we all want to look good and our hair is so much part of what we present to the world, especially as a woman, but don’t lose yourself or your identity just for fashion,” says Elma.

One self-confessed fashion follower, who is also a hairdresser, took the bold step of shaving off her hair to let her damaged scalp recover.

Rebone Masoeu says: “I knew the kind of abuse I put my hair through. Sometimes I coloured my hair four times a day because I wanted to get the colour exactly as I wanted.”

Rebone is an eczema sufferer and a huge weave fan. Usually after shaving off her weaves her hair growth would begin normally. About a year ago her hair wasn’t growing back. She was worried, but put it down to eczema.

“I think I just didn’t want to know, so I kept telling myself it was just my skin condition. Now I tell my clients with hair loss problems to get to a trichologist sooner rather than later,” she says.

She didn’t go the route of over-the-counter treatments and ended up on Elma’s clinic chair with traction alopecia. The treatments are working slowly and she’s been applying the home treatments and doing follow-up consultations about every six months.

She’s not completely off going back to weaves or colour, but says she’ll be extra-cautious from now on. And it’s what she advises clients too.

“When you understand individual clients’ hair needs you can give them advice about the right kinds of styles to wear and how to look after their hair.

“For instance, shorter cuts don’t weigh hair down as much and manageable extensions for thinning hair can help someone feel good about how they look. Like it or not, hair is the pride of a woman and how you feel about yourself matters,” says Rebone.

But so committed is the owner of the TMT Hair Salon in Bellville, Cape Town, to get her head and hair healthy, she’s shaved her head. “With my head shaved I’m not tempted to try all kinds of colour or weaves and I know I’m not putting on anything that clashes with my treatments. It’s also about making a statement to my clients that healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp,” she says.

Top tips from the pros

* Get the basics right. Eat a balanced, healthy diet, take supplements for deficiencies and get enough exercise and sleep. Also keep your hair and your weaves, braids or dreads clean.

* Communicate with your hairdresser. Ask your stylist for an assessment of your hair type and scalp condition and buy products accordingly. Get advice on the right styles and cuts to suit you. A great cut hides a multitude of sins.

* Have a massage. Consider a weekly head massage and regular oil treatments suited to your hair type, but abandon the “brush your hair 100 times” routine.

* Follow instructions. If the manufacturers’ instructions recommend a waiting period between chemical treatments, they mean it.

* Science has moved on. Even though there’s no fix-all pill for hair loss, trichologists play a specialised role in getting to the root of the problem and retarding the rate and amount of hair loss. Get help if you need it.

Common types of alopecia

Androgenic alopecia. This is genetic hair thinning in women that affects mostly the top part of the head. It can be affected by changes in hormone levels.

Alopecia areata. Hair loss appears in small, round patches that can develop quite suddenly as the immune system attacks the roots of the hair follicles.

Alopecia universalis. The immune system attacks hair everywhere on the body.

Traction alopecia. Localised hair loss from constant pulling of the hair from the likes of braiding, cornrows, dreads, tight ponytails and extensions. - The Star

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