hairlossANSWERS

Name: Bill

Question: I am losing my hair at the front and have done some research into the hair loss products minoxidil and Propecia. I haven’t found another site or clinic with more convincing hair loss treatment programmes than Belgravia’s, but are they covered by the NHS?

Answer: As genetic hair loss is considered a cosmetic issue, not an illness, unfortunately hair loss treatments are not covered by the NHS. Belgravia does however offer the most cost-effective treatment courses for hair loss, as well as a number of payment options to suit the pocket. For more information please read our hair loss treatment information or watch our hair loss videos.

for further advice you can contact the centre for a free consultation or alternatively complete our online diagnostic form for a home-use treatment course anywhere in the world.

Hair is a culturally significant natural accessory, but some specialists are calling for a ban on certain styling practices such as hair extensions and cornrows because they can severely damage peoples’ hair and scalp.

The Belgravia Centre, the UK’s leading hair loss centre, says these damaging styling habits can directly lead to hair loss and sporadic baldness.

Leonora Doclis, a senior hair and scalp specialist at the Belgravia Centre, says women who have hair extensions are often disappointed by the results.

“People who have hair extensions usually have high hopes they’ll look and feel good but very often it ends miserably,” Ms Doclis said.

“Wearing hair extensions for a long period of time can destroy hair permanently and lead to irreparable hair loss.”

Ms Doclis says the hair of young children is also at risk if it’s styled in braids, plaits, or cornrows.

“Their hair shouldn’t be controlled at a young age. Braiding and plaiting can pull the hair and it can be too tight on the scalp, causing problems like a receding hairline, baldness and hair loss.”

Jennifer Aniston is one of the many celebrities that were quick to warn others against hair extension after having her hair ruined by them three years ago.

“Nothing destroys your hair faster than extensions. [It took] a year and a half to get my hair grown out,” Aniston told Harper’s Bazaar at the time.

“I decided to have a couple of extensions, never knowing you end up with 400 things in your head that cause your hair to break off.”

Ms Doclis has seen first hand the damage caused by hair extensions, and believes it’s time that extensions which are glued-in, sewn-in or attached with a metal ring should be banned in the UK.

“Hair extensions pull out one’s natural hair,” she warned. “They’re heavy, don’t absorb water easily and can tangle very quickly.”

Ms Doclis acknowledged that the quality of hair extensions can make a difference, but with no regulation governing the hairdressing industry in the UK, many unqualified people are doing a poor job of adding hair extensions.

“Poor quality hair will snag with brushing and combing and eventually rip your hair out,” she said.

“But regardless, hair extensions are bad for hair and scalp health and if not addressed early enough the hair loss that results could be permanent.”

For more information about hair loss and the available treatments, contact the Belgravia Centre on 020 7730 6666 or message the centre.

More Information:
Hair Loss in Men
Hair Loss in Women
Hair Loss Treatments

Interesting Articles:
Solicitor Calls for Regulation of Hairdressers to Prevent Hair Loss Damage
The Extent of Hairstyling’s Effect on Hair Growth
Hair Loss in Children

Name: Puneet

Question: I have been trying a lot of ways to prevent hair loss but the hair fall is not reducing. I am only 18 years old. Most of the parting looks bald and my scalp gets oily the day after I shampoo. Please suggest a remedy!

Answer: It’s normal for sebum (oil) production to be higher than usual during the teen years but the only solution to an oily scalp is regular shampooing. This will help to reduce the build up of oil, or sebum, in the scalp. Belgravia’s range of shampoos are perfect for treating different hair types, including oily hair.

However, an oily scalp does not cause hair loss. Likewise, daily shampooing does not cause or aggravate hair loss.

If you’re concerned about hair fall, the best thing to do is have your scalp and hair examined by a specialist to determine what’s causing the problem and what hair loss treatment would be most helpful to not only prevent further shedding, but also regrow any that’s already been lost.

You can call the Belgravia Centre on 020 7730 6666 to book an appointment for a free consultation. Alternatively, if you cannot attend in person you can submit an online diagnostic form. The information that you provide will allow our specialists to diagnose and recommend a suitable treatment course specifically tailored for you.

Name: Mr Spalding

Question: Please take a look at these two photos. In your opinion, has Martin Kemp had a hair transplant? In a photo that was taken in 1999, he looks to have a receding hairline but in another which was taken ten years later in 2009, it looks straighter.

Answer: Hairline maturisation occurs in just about all men but it’s not always a sign of male pattern baldness. If you’re worried about hair loss, the Norwood Scale is a good benchmark to compare ones degree of recession and gauge whether more thinning or loss could be imminent.

The two photos you sent through of Martin Kemp are taken at different angles. The angle at which the 2009 picture was taken does make his hairline look straight compared to the older photo, but if you look at the group photo taken in Cannes in 2009 his hairline is still obviously receded.

Photos can be deceiving, and whether he did or did not undergo a procedure on his hairline is not evident by the photos. However, they are all we have to go on in this instance so to answer your question: in my opinion, after looking through some more pictures, it does not appear as though Martin Kemp had a hair transplant.

Name: Anisa

Question: I noticed I was losing my hair from the front 17 years ago. I am 50-years-old now. I have tried everything to bring it back by refraining to use chemicals; instead I was using herbal stuff. Could it be that the follicles are now closed? The interesting thing is I have a lot hair from the middle to the back of my head but not in the front of my head (my hairline). I have lost all confidence in myself and I need to gain it back but I cannot afford the fees as I am unemployed.
I await your kind advice as to what I should do to gain my confidence back.

Answer: It’s difficult to assess without seeing the area of hair loss, but I would presume that your hair follicles are not dead; rather, the herbal products you have been using are not enought to treat the condition.

Assuming you have genetic thinning, which is similar in men and women in that it is restricted to the crown (top of the scalp), medically licensed hair loss treatments should theoretically work to at least some degree. The rule of thumb is that only once the area has gone completely smooth and is in fact “bald”, are the hair follicles closed and unreceptive to such treatment. It does not sound like this is the case for you.

Hair loss in women is often accompanied by feelings of lowered confidence and self-esteem, but there truly is something you can still do. Have a look at our patients’ before and during treatment photos and one young woman’s hair loss video diary – many women who were once in your position too, have seen amazing improvements in their hair and confidence.

Like these women you can book an appointment to see a specialist, or fill in an online diagnostic form if you can’t travel to London, to find out more about your condition, what treatment or combination of treatments would work best for you, and the kind of results you can realistically expect from them.

Please call the centre on 020 7730 6666 if you’d like to arrange a consultation, or for more information. In the meantime, I would suggest talking to your hairdresser and asking for tips and advice about hairstyles or accessories that could disguise the thinning.

Name: Ambreen

Question: My hair is falling after oiling, shampoo and conditioning. I use Pantene shampoo. My hair is coloured blonde. I try home remedies to stop it falling but it could not help. What should I do to prevent hair loss? Please help.

Answer: There are a number of things that can instigate or aggravate women’s hair loss. It is unlikely that your shampoo and conditioner is causing the hair fall, but dyeing it blonde could have caused some damage.

If you are susceptible to female pattern hair loss, it is possible that the peroxide could have initiated genetic thinning. In which case, there are hair loss treatments that have been scientifically proven and licensed by medical regulatory bodies for the express purpose of stabilising and preventing this type of hair loss.

However, what’s even more likely is that the dye has dried your hair out so much that it has become brittle and is breaking along the shaft, rather than falling from the root. This would be my immediate assumption, but I would encourage you to at least fill in an online diagnostic form, or come in to the centre for a diagnosis, so we can find out if there’s more to it than that.

A number of medications, illnesses and medical problems can cause excessive hair fall and sometimes it’s the hair loss that alerts you to that problem. The diagnosis may reveal that you don’t even require any special treatment. There may be simple measures you can take to stop the hair fall. For instance, swapping to an alternate medication if a current one is the culprit, or if it’s the hair dye that’s simply causing breakage (as opposed to real hair loss), stop using the chemical and let your hair grow out. 

In any case, there should be something that can be done about your hair loss. Please call the centre on 020 7730 6666, or send a message, to arrange an appointment or if you require further information.

Name: D.C Turner

Question: Does the LaserComb really work for hair loss?

Answer: The Hairmax LaserComb was declared both safe and effective for the purpose of promoting hair growth in 2007 by the FDA. Specialists at The Belgravia Centre do not recommend the Hairmax LaserComb as a stand-alone treatment for most cases of hair loss, but rather as a booster treatment to the clinically proven medicines to help augment their results.

Now, it may sound confusing but there is basic principle to how the LaserComb works (be imaginative with the image on the right). It uses low-level laser light to increase blood circulation to the hair follicles and allow nutrients to be delivered to the cells. It also helps to divide the hair cells so as to enable the storage of adenosine three phosphate (ATP), a coenzyme responsible for intracellular energy transfer and known to stimulate living cells including the hair follicles.  A similar concept to the sun’s role in photosynthesis. More information – LaserComb Proved an Effective Hair Loss Treatment

Although success of the LaserComb differs from person to person, from voluminous to minimal results, the results will depend on the type of hair loss, how far advanced the loss is, and if a combination of effective hair loss treatments are being used.

If you require more information, or would like to know what combination of hair loss treatments would provide you with the most superior results based on your particular condition, you can visit the centre by appointment or receive an online consultation and diagnosis.

Name: Carole

Question: I was diagnosed with frontal fibrosing alopecia seven years ago but the hair loss seems to have stabilised. Would a hair transplant work with this condition?

Answer: Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia is quite a rare and progressive type of scarring hair loss. Transplants are not deemed suitable for most cases of scarring alopecia unless the hair loss is inflicted through a burn or a scar resulting from a surgical procedure. This is because there is usually an autoimmune problem involved or, as in your case, there is scarring and inflammation underneath the skins surface that is causing the hair loss.

A clever hairstyle might help disguise the frontal hair loss so it’s worth discussing with your hairdresser. Although it is in fact possible to perform a hair transplant procedure on someone who has frontal fibrosing alopecia, most specialists would advise against it because there is always the chance that transplanted hair could be attacked also. Even if your hair loss has stabilised or is in remission, there is always the possibility that it could recur if other hair was transplanted to the affected area.

Name: Pat

Question: Will mindoxil for women work on someone over 60 years old?

Answer: Minoxidil is a product licensed for the treatment of hair loss in women and men over the age of 18. How old you are does not dictate whether or not the treatment will work, nor the extent of hair regrowth you will experience, but there are a few other things that will. The type of hair loss you have and how advanced the thinning is will essentially establish whether or not you are a good candidate for minoxidil, or any other hair loss treatment, rather than your age.

Read more here – Am I Too Old To Do Something About Hair Loss?

On the flipside, your specific condition and situation can dictate the concentration of minoxidil, or any other supporting products, that are required to obtain the best possible results. Minoxidil is licensed in a 2% concentration for women. This means that any woman over the age of 18 can obtain it over the counter from most pharmacies and the manufacturer’s backside is covered. Women are not limited to this one and only hair loss product, however, and sometimes a little extra is need to achieve the most effective result. But women will require a doctor’s prescription for a concentration any higher than 2%.

The Belgravia Centre’s registered pharmacy produces three unique versions of minoxidil which have the added benefits of concentration variation and medroxyprogesterone or azelaic acid. Each course of treatment is tailored specifically to suit the individual circumstances of each person, following a diagnosis conducted by one of our medically-trained specialists, and are also easily accessible to our clients as we have a resident doctor responsible for prescriptions.

You’ll find more information here – Minoxidil and Medroxyprogesterone | Minoxidil and Azelaic Acid

If you’d like to know more, or would like to arrange a free consultation to determine the most appropriate product for your condition is, call The Belgravia Centre on 020 7730 6666 or message the centre. Alternatively, you could complete an online diagnostic form and a specialist will be in contact with you shortly to discuss your results.

Name: Rashmi

Question: I am a strict vegetarian. What vegetarian foods contain all the required chemicals for good hair? I have hair loss just above the crown. I stay in Saudi Arabia and have been blaming the slight salinity in the water supply which is used for bathing and to wash my hair. I apply olive hair and use good quality shampoo and conditioners. Please suggest. Thank you.

Answer: Hair loss at the crown instantly suggests that the condition could be hereditary, although you would need to fill in an online diagnostic form so one of our specialists can make an informed diagnosis. Diffuse hair loss is a condition that often results from inadequate diet or other medical problems, but with this thinning occurs all over the scalp. Thinning or hair loss on the crown, on the other hand, is typical of male pattern baldness.

Can Desalinated Water Cause Hair Loss? It could have an effect on hair quality, aggravate or even instigate genetic patterns of hair loss. Essentially however, unless there is an inherent genetic susceptibility to hair loss, desalinated water won’t directly cause hair loss.

Using quality shampoo and conditioners can help maintain hair health, as can consuming a diet that consists of foods containing essential vitamins and nutrients. These include, but are not limited to:

• Soybeans and lentils – for their high levels of iron
• Tofu and spinach – for their high protein content
• Papaya and raw red pepper – good source of vitamin C to help absorb iron
• Dairy products (including vegetarian cheese) and free range eggs – contain B vitamins for healthy hair. Vegans should eat foods fortified with B vitamins. 

However, these foods and what you are currently using on your hair will not be enough to prevent hair loss if the gene exists within, and they most certainly will not reverse the loss that has already occurred.

There are only two products that have been extensively proven for the treatment and prevention of hair loss. Unlike nutritional supplements and home remedies, they have undergone large, wide scale clinical studies to demonstrate their safety and efficacy and have contributed to a growing number of hair loss success stories.

You can find more information about these products here – Proven Hair Loss Treatments