For as long as I can remember I have had bad hair. When I was about 4 years old my mom took me to a hair dresser who made such a big deal about how fine and thin my hair was that I have had a complex ever since. I started getting perms for volume when I was 8 years old. I have since tried Nioxin, teasing, volume products, hair extensions, Bump-its, hair pieces, etc. It’s probably one of the reasons I became a hairstylist.
For women, hair loss goes deeper than the hair follicle. It affects their self-esteem. They dread going to the hairstylist because we will inevitably ask the client about it. Even though we just want to help it forces the sufferer to rehash something they are sensitive about. But there are solutions. Hair loss is a symptom that something else is going on. The first thing you should do is go see your doctor. Your doctor may perform blood tests to determine if you have a medical condition that causes hair loss, such as thyroid disease, diabetes or lupus. This may result in switching to an anti-inflamitory diet and/or drugs to reduce inflammation and suppress your immune system, such as prednisone.
According to The American Hair Loss Association you should ask to be tested for the following:
*Hormone levels (DHEAs, testosterone, androstenedione, prolactin, follicular stimulating hormone, and *leutinizing hormone)
*Serum iron
*Serum ferritin
*Total iron binding capacity (TIBC)
*Thyroid stimulating hormone (T3, T4, TSH)
*VDRL (a screening test for syphilis)
*Complete blood count (CBC)
Some other things to take a look at are:
Family history. Your risk of hair loss increases if relatives on either side of your family have experienced hair loss.
Hair treatments. Overuse or improper use of hair-coloring products, hair straighteners and permanent waves can leave your hair brittle and prone to breaking off at the scalp. Excessive hairstyling or hairstyles that pull your hair too tightly cause traction alopecia.
Poor nutrition. Your hair may thin out if you skimp on good dietary sources of iron and protein, such as red meat, nonfat dairy products and iron-fortified cereal. Hair loss related to poor nutrition often accompanies eating disorders and crash dieting.
Oral contraceptives. Some birth control pills can raise or lower hormones that affect hair loss.
Hair loss can also be caused by drugs used to treat:
*Cancer
*Arthritis
*Depression
*Heart problems
*High blood pressure
So now that we have all the medical stuff out of the way, let’s talk about cosmetic treatments. Of course there is minoxidil, a topical product, and hairpieces, but an even simpler solution is a topical powder dusted onto your scalp that matches your hair color. This gives the illusion of a full head of hair. It’s really no different than filling in your eyebrows and it doesn’t cause further damage to your existing hair! Another more permanent method would be to contact a cosmetic tattooist. They tattoo small dots on you scalp to resemble the look of hair growing out of your hair follicle. I can recommend my personal favorite cosmetic tattooist; Linda Clarke in Hillsboro And if you would like to come in to Ritual Hair Design, I have some Eclipse Instant Hair Filler I can try on you or we can talk about hair extensions!
L~
