THE BELGRAVIA CENTRE BLOG

Name: Mina Peshawaria

Question: My daughter is 13 years old and I noticed a small bald patch on her scalp at the front in February this year. Her patches (she has about 10) have grown since then and she has suffered great hair loss.

She is having treatment privately and her Dermatologist started her on a steroid cream (Dermovat) which she is still using once a day. Because her patches had not stopped growing and I had noticed new ones last at the beginning of this month, the Doctor has now prescribed Steroids to be taken orally for one month. I am really concerned and desperate and want her problem treated. For about 3 weeks she was also using Minoxin, Topical Solution in spray form which contains Minoxidil 2%. The dermatologist has told me that this is no good and asked me to stop using this. Please can you suggest any treatment, especially on how to get her hair growing back. It is very difficult for her to cope at school with this problem as she cannot hide the bald patches and other children do tend to isolate her.

Please help.

Answer:  Continue with your recommended treatment and if you do not get any results then it is time to try another form of treatment. Your Doctor may have said that Minoxin is not good because it has a very low dose of Minoxidil to be effective. Generally, some Doctors do not think highly of Minoxidil in treating Alopecia Areata while some use it extensively.

For treatment of mild Alopecia Areata Belgravia uses Minoxidil 12.5% + Azelaic acid very successfully, but the more severe the case the more unlikely it is that treatment will be effective. Minoxidil and steroids in any form are both used to treat Alopecia Areata. Your daughter can also use a hair replacement unit to hide the bald patches while waiting for her hair to grow back.

Always bear in mind that Alopecia Areata is a condition where there is a chance the hair can grow back on its own at any time due to the fact that the hair follicles are not dead, just dormant.

More information on ALOPECIA AREATA

Alopecia Areata is a condition that can affect anyone at any age.
There are effective treatments available to stop mild Alopecia but
success from treatment for more severe Alopecia is less likely.

Name: Nii 

Question: If i start your treatment and my hair grows do i still have continue the treatment?

Answer: The most common hair loss condition is Male of Female Pattern Hair Loss.  In order to maintain results of treatment it is required that you carry on using the treatment course.  Once the treatment course is stopped hair loss will revert back to the rate it was being lost before using treatment.  For other conditions such as Alopecia Areata or Diffuse Thinning treatment can be stopped if and when the hair regrows.

Name: Adam

Question: If hair is made out of protein, will eating a high-protein diet have any beneficial effects on hair growth?

Answer: A high protein diet (around 40% of your daily calorie intake comes from protein) can benefit hair growth but will not significantly affect hair loss prevention. Protein helps to keep our hair and nails strong. A well balanced diet is always recommended for both hair growth and overall health.

Question: I’ve just noticed a bald patch on the top of my head. It’s round and about the size of a 2 pence piece. It’s strange because I’ve never noticed it before and it’s quite big - it must’ve literally come up over night! I’ve read up about bald patches on the internet and it seems it might be alopecia but I’m really worried because I don’t want to lose all my hair. Please help!

Answer: I wouldn’t say there’s too much reason to worry. It is understandable that a sudden patch of hair loss of this size (Alopecia Areata) can be a shock but from experience I can tell you that most of the time it will not progress into Alopecia Totalis or Universalis (loss of all scalp hair or all body hair respectively). With Totalis or Universalis the initial loss is generally more extreme than just one patch - people will experience a vast amount of hair being lost at once.

For patchy Alopecia minoxidil is very effective and we find that minoxidil 12.5% + azelaic acid cream will grow the patches of hair back most of the time.

More information on ALOPECIA AREATA
See some Alopecia Areata photo-scans
Read a previous post on Alopecia Areata

Question: I have lost a lot of hair post pregnancy and I’m still breast feeding. Is there any treatment that is safe to use whilst breast feeding?

Answer: Yes, the LaserComb can be used whilst breast feeding (this is the only treatment of the FDA approved or cleared treatments).  More information on the LaserComb.

Question: I am a 19 year old female who has a naturally high and wide forehead (about 8cm high). I find it frustrating sometimes, not being able to do certain hairstyles (like a middle part) that will emphasise my high forehead.

I know hairdressers say that bangs will help, but unfortunately they do not work on me, as my hair is thin especially on the top of my head. I’ve also had thin baby hair near my hairline for as long as I can remember. If these baby hairs grew out, they could perhaps add some hair to my hairline. I was wondering whether Minoxidil will help in growing hair at my hairline? I do not want to undergo surgery.

Answer: Minoxidil is an effective solution for hair loss prevention and thickening of hair that has thinned.  Unfortunately there is no evidence to show that it can improve the thickness of naturally thin hair.  I do not however see any harm in trying as it is a possibility that the thin hair may have been thicker in the past - it is difficult to remember how your hair used to look as the process of thinning hair is so slow (even over the space of a few months!).

Name: Frank

Question: There are a few studies being published regarding caffeine’s effect on blocking DHT topically. As I know the centre keeps up to date with all major breakthroughs, what is your opinion on topical caffeine as a method to prevent hair loss/regrowth potential?

Answer: In January last year a study was carried out and published in the International Journal of Dermatology (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17214716?dopt=AbstractPlus). The study involved hair follicles being removed from balding men and cultured (artificially grown) in a lab. All the follicles were exposed to testosterone and some were also exposed to caffeine. The hair growth from follicles exposed to testosterone was significantly reduced (as is the case with follicles affected by Male Pattern Hair Loss) whereas not only did caffeine seem to prevent testosterone from negatively affecting hair growth, but it also stimulated growth of the hair.

Unfortunately this does not tell us as much as I’m sure you and I would like to think! The fact that this was carried out in a lab on individual cultured hair follicles could be very different to the effects caffeine would have if administered to the scalp of a human. There would need to be many years of research carried out into whether the same effects would be seen on the scalp of a human, and if so, how much would need to be absorbed and whether or not this amount of caffeine would be safe in the body.

I am unaware of any hair products on the market containing caffeine but if there are I would be wary of any claims made regarding hair loss prevention. I think it will be many years before we know the true answer to whether or not caffeine can effectively prevent hair loss.

Name: Marina

Question: I used to tie my hair back too tight and plait my hair on to my scalp and my hair fell out round the sides - this was about 6 years ago.  Is there any thing i can use for my hair to grow back?

Answer: The hair loss you are experiencing is known as a condition called TRACTION ALOPECIA (click on the link for more information).  It is caused by excessive force being applied to the hair which damages the hair follicles. The condition can result in permanent hair loss but there are treatments available that can sometimes help to regrow the hair that has been lost depending on the extent of damage to the follicles.

Here are some photographic examples of people who have been treated for traction alopecia - http://www.belgraviacentre.com/thumbs_index1.php?gender=all&condition=Traction+Alopecia&Submit=Show.

Name: Spencer

Question: I would like to start applying the 12.5% Minoxidil + Azelaic Acid in the morning rather than evening. How long does it take for my scalp to absorb the minoxidil and before I can take a shower (after playing sport for example)?

Answer: My advice would be to allow a couple of hours for full absorption of the cream.

Name: Sabrina 

Question: I used to relax my hair with relaxer and now my hair is weak and falling out.  Is there any home treatment I can use?

Answer: Relaxer can deteriorate the quality of your hair and eventually cause breakage.  This should stop once you stop using the relaxer when new, healthy hair has grown through.  If there has been enough time for new hair to grow through since you stopped using relaxer on your hair, there may be another reason for the hair loss.

In either case we would need to have more information in order to recommend a suitable course of treatment if applicable.  So you would need to either visit the centre for a consultation or alternatively complete our on-line diagnostic form (click here to access it).  If you would like to arrange a consultation you can contact us by email (click here) or call 020 7730 6666.