What are you willing to sacrifice in order to look your best for your summer holiday? Would you be willing to lose your hair?
That's what the majority of Britons are doing, possibly unwittingly, as a result of crash-dieting - a known cause of hair loss.
A new poll carried out by Ticketgum.com has discovered that just under three-quarters of Brits either have or plan to follow a crash diet ahead of their holiday this summer.
Ticketgum.com surveyed 1,245 men and women aged 18-30. Of those, 73 per cent said they had followed a crash diet before their recent vacation, or plan to start one within the next four weeks.
What these people may not be aware of is that there are potential side effects associated with extreme dieting, especially when it is done over a short period of time.
Undertaking a punishing, restrictive new way of eating can cause a shock to the system. This places the body under strain and it is this stress which can lead to hair loss.
Though more common in women, Telogen Effluvium is a temporary hair loss condition which can happen to both men and women. It affects the whole scalp and presents as rapidly thinning hair. This usually becomes noticeable around three months after being triggered and can clear up naturally in around six months, though specialist telogen effluvium treatment can often help to speed this up.
Whilst it is temporary, it can spark off permanent hairloss in individuals with a genetic predisposition to female pattern hair loss or male pattern baldness. Furthermore, for those who are already showing signs of hereditary hairloss, telogen effluvium can speed up their rate of shedding. It is also possible for both conditions to be present simultaneously. In these cases there is hair fall from the entire scalp, but the areas around the hairline, temples, crown and along the top of the head are likely to appear worse affected than the back and sides. That is because these are the areas associated with genetic hair loss.
In addition to their aims, each of the types of diets the participants followed was recorded.
Perhaps unsurprisingly it was the more restrictive regimes which were found to be the least successful. These were the Cambridge Diet, the 5:2 Diet, Slim Fast and Juice Fast diets.
Those considered more successful, in that they helped the study's participants to achieve their weight loss goals, were routines which were designed to provide long-term changes to eating habits, rather than only being followed for a short period of time. Top was the Paleo Diet with Slimming World and Weight Watchers coming in second and third places, respectively.
The body needs a range of vitamins and minerals in order to function properly. This applies not just for overall wellness but for healthy hair growth, too. When undertaking restrictive diets, it is possible for this balance to become off-kilter leading to potential dietary deficiencies. Again, these can cause or worsen hair thinning from the conditions mentioned above - androgenetic alopecia and telogen effluvium.
When choosing a new diet it is important to ensure it is going to cover all nutritional bases, rather than depriving the body of essential nutrients, even in the short term. For anyone concerned that they may not be receiving the necessary levels via their food alone, a hair growth supplement, such as Belgravia's exclusive Hair Vitalics one-a-day tablets, can help. This will not treat genetic hair loss, however, though it can be used alongside effective hair loss treatments as part of a comprehensive approach to preventing baldness and promoting healthy regrowth.
Anyone concerned about thinning hair - whether following a crash diet or not - may want to consider taking advice from a hair loss specialist. They can not only give a professional diagnosis and explain what is likely to be causing any shedding, but they can also recommend personalised hair loss treatment plans tailored to the specific needs of each individual. More than that, clients often tell us that the way Belgravia's specialists listen to them and provide a sense of relief and support, answering all their queries and ensuring they understand everything fully, is one of the most valued aspects of our service.
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.