Hair loss is depressing enough for men, but for women it can be a total disaster. Janet Wright investigates the causes and treatments available

In a survey of women who had suffered from noticeable hair loss, 43 per cent said they had seriously considered suicide and 40 per cent said it had badly affected their marriages. It’s obviously a condition that deserves to be taken seriously by the medical profession, yet until recently there has been a marked disinterest.

‘A lot of people get the feeling that doctors aren’t interested if you go to see them about hair loss,’ says former television presenter Elizabeth Steel, whose own experience promoted her to found the support group Hairline International. ‘It’s not life-threatening, it’s not even painful. But it can ruin people’s lives.’

Life changes
Hair naturally changes in thickness and quality at different times of life. After childbirth, for example, many women find they’re temporarily ‘moulting’ as their hormones change. After the menopause, too, reduced hormone levels usually leave hair a little thinner. But if your hair starts falling out, don’t just accept it.

‘It’s a medical problem, not a cosmetic problem,’ says consultant dermatologist David Fenton, who runs an NHS hair clinic. ‘It should always be investigated to determine whether there’s a background condition that needs treating.’

Hair loss can take one of several different forms. With alopecia areata, hair starts falling out in patches. This may continue till there’s none left on the body – though a third of sufferers just develop a one-off bald patch, after which the hair grows back and never causes any further problems. Alopecia areata (thought to be an auto-immune condition, in which the body attacks itself) can be triggered by thyroid conditions, anaemia, vaccinations or stress. A tendency to this kind of hair loss sometimes runs in families, along with asthma and eczema.

Male-pattern baldness, or alopecia androgenetica, can affect women too. The hair becomes thin or leaves a bald patch on top of the head. This can be a sign of hormone problems, either caused by a medical condition such as polycystic ovary syndrome or as a reaction to the progestogens in some contraceptive or HRT pills.

Some people lose their hair in the aftermath of a severe shock such as a serious accident or bereavement – a condition called telogen effluvium, in which trauma disrupts the hair’s natural growth cycle so that it all falls out at once. This can also be triggered by unhealthy eating.

Dietary solutions
‘The commonest cause in women is a nutritional deficiency,’ says Dr Fenton. Avoid yo-yo dieting and crank diets, he warns. If you’re not eating animal products, make sure you have enough protein, zinc and iron from other sources, and take vitamin B supplements.

Things have moved on since one caller to Hairline was told by her GP not to worry since there were some very nice hats in the shops. A study at the University Hospital of Wales, published summer 2001 in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, found that hair loss causes as significant an impact on quality of life as severe illness such as psoriasis. Medical researchers recently set up an organisation, the Hair Foundation, to bring all the latest information together.

Drug treatments
A lotion called minoxidil (Regaine) has been shown to help alopecia areata when used with the steroid drug prednisolone. Though steroids can have serious side effects, including raised blood pressure and bone-thinning when taken for long periods, the course for hair loss only lasts about 40 days – just long enough, Dr Fenton finds, for patients to report feeling energetic or even euphoric!

Another course of action is to try to irritate the scalp into producing hair again – amazingly enough, this often works. Doctors use a chemical called diphenylcyclopropenone (Diphencyprone) or leaves from the plant primula obconica.

Minoxidil has been shown to help alopecia androgenetica, with a success rate of 60 per cent reported for the Extra Strength prescription formula and about 40 per cent for the milder over the counter version. Drugs such as the contraceptive pill Dianette can be used to bring the hormones back into balance.

A new drug called finasteride (Propecia) will soon be available on prescription for men, though it has not yet been tested enough to rule out possible harmful effects on women, and it is suspected of causing damage to babies in the womb.

Getting help
Whatever your hair-loss problem, warns Dr Fenton, the first step is to make an appointment with your GP who can refer you to a specialist if necessary. Hairline can provide any information you or your doctor need.

‘Don’t answer adverts in papers or go to commercial clinics,’ warns Dr Fenton. ‘A lot of these places prey on vulnerable people and even delay diagnosis of a medical condition while taking a great deal of money.’

For more information visit Hairline International.