THE BELGRAVIA CENTRE HAIR LOSS BLOG

A recent survey by Korea’s Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs reveals that 1 in 5 women are malnourished and at risk of developing various conditions including hair loss.

Statistics show that 19.2% of women were found to be undernourished. The ministry said that this is a high figure for a developed country. The report showed 11.6% of men also inadequately nourished. The main reason people are not eating properly is due to a desire to be “beautiful”.

In the 2007 report, 48.7% of teenagers were on a diet with 65.3% of females restricting what they ate. Of the females, 88.3% did so in an attempt to improve their appearance. The trend is similar in this year’s report which also shows that the number of women suffering from osteoporosis was five times higher than the men. “There are various reasons causing the bone-weakening disease such as women giving birth or experiencing menstruation. The large gap between the sexes is one of many signs that an unhealthy diet is even more prevalent among women,” ministry official Oh Sang-yoon said.

Seo Jung-wan of the Korean Pediatric Society said that women who diet are often suffer from conditions such as hair loss, depression, bulimia, constipation and anorexia. Prof. Noh Dong-young of Seoul National University hospital says that underweight women have a higher chance of getting breast cancer than those of normal weight.

Hair Loss and Diet
The hair requires a range of vitamins, minerals, proteins and amino acids to stay healthy. When a person diets and cuts out certain foods they are at risk of malnourishment. This can lead to a type of hair loss called Diffuse Thinning. Fortunately, once you have taken the necessary blood tests and been diagnosed by your GP, it is possible to successfully treat the shedding using a course of hair loss treatments.

Telogen Effluvium is another type of hair loss that can be caused by rapid weight loss, which is often the result of yo-yo dieting. Other triggers for this condition include stress, an illness and childbirth. When this condition occurs, certain hair follicles enter the resting phase earlier than normal. They remain here for around 3 months after which time they are shed. In some cases the person may have returned to a healthy weight before the hair loss occurs. The hair growth usually returns to normal 6 to 12 months after the event. However, if any of these triggers occur again, the hair growth cycle may struggle to return to normal. If the body is stressed enough, Telogen Effluvium can even trigger the early onset of permanent genetic hair loss. Again, a course of hair loss treatments may be able to restore the hair growth.

If you are concerned about thinning hair or hair loss, the first thing to do is get a diagnosis. The Belgravia Centre offers free consultations either in its London-based clinic or via the website. To book an appointment, call 020 7730 6666 or message the centre. For a long-distance consultation, submit the online diagnostic form and a treatment advisor will contact you by telephone or email.

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