Jemima Khan Admits “Stress Caused Me Hair Loss”
As a well-known celebrity and socialite, Jemima Khan is used to the stresses associated with constantly being in the spotlight. However, she recently admitted that a specific incident triggered severe emotional trauma that caused her hair to fall out.
A family holiday gone wrong
The incident happened during a family visit to Kenya with her sons Sulaiman and Qasim. During the flight between London and Nairobi, a man attacked the pilot believing he was in danger.
The attack led to a two minute struggle between passengers and crew during which time the autopilot was disengaged and the jumbo jet lost 10,000 feet in altitude. Eventually the man (who was later diagnosed with an extreme paranoid mental condition) was restrained and the plane was able to resume its course.
Hair loss caused by emotional trauma
No-one from Khan’s family was involved or injured in the tussle, but the incident had a lasting effect. Several weeks later Jemima noticed that she was losing hair from patches on either side of her head. Eventually the hair loss got so bad that she had two distinct bald patches.
Fortunately Jemima’s hair began to grow back soon afterwards, although all the new hair was pure white. "The hair grew back white in those patches. And I've had to dye it ever since," she said. Speaking to Vogue, she described her hair as "a security blanket", adding: "It has become something I can hide behind when I'm feeling vulnerable."
Severe emotional trauma, like that experienced by Jemima and her family, is known to cause unexplained hair loss. Conditions like Telogen Effluvium can be triggered by extreme shock brought about by similar conditions. What surprises many people is that the effects may take several months to manifest long after the actual incident.
Jemima's hair loss sounds very much like alopecia areata as people who experience this condition can find their hair is white when it first grows back. After a period of time, that can take a few years in some cases, it is possible that the hair will return to its normal colour. Regrowth may also have a very fine texture, but it also is possible that the hair will return to its normal texture.
Hair regrowth
The good news is that these stress-related hair loss conditions are often reversible. A healthy, well-balanced diet provides the nutrients needed for hair growth, and a concerted effort to de-stress will also help to provide the basic conditions required to restart the growing process.
Anyone affected by unexpected hair loss should always seek professional advice at the earliest opportunity. Even if the condition later resolves itself, as was the case with Jemima Khan, a hair loss expert can monitor the condition and provide advice about how best to promote new growth. They can also advise whether there are other factors at play that need to be addressed to prevent further hair loss.
Alopecia Areata can respond well to proactive hair loss treatment and we offer various professional solutions for sufferers wanting to regain their hair, including bespoke minoxidil formulations and range of boosters to aid healthy regrowth. You can see for yourself the kind of results our clients experience after following our treatment plans in the example shown here, with hundreds more in our extensive, photographic Hair Loss Success Stories gallery which documents the results of over 1,000 patients.
The Belgravia Centre
Visit our full photographic Hair Loss Success Stories gallery to browse our constantly updated collection of over 1,000 male and female patients’ progress images, alongside their feedback. If you are worried about hair loss and would like to speak to one of our experts, call us now on 020 7730 6666 or send us a message to book your free, discreet one-on-one consultation at either of our Central London clinics. Alternatively, if you are unable to visit us, you can complete our Online Consultation Form instead.
Related stories:
| Hair Loss in Women Caused by Stress, Says Survey | Alopecia Areata: A Guide | Crime Victims Report Hair Loss |
The Belgravia Centre
The Belgravia Centre is a world-renowned group of a hair loss clinic in Central London, UK. If you are worried about hair loss you can arrange a free consultation with a hair loss expert or complete our Online Consultation from anywhere in the world for home-use treatment.
View our Hair Loss Success Stories, which includes the world's largest gallery of hair growth photos and demonstrates the level of success that so many of Belgravia's patients achieve.