Category: Hair Loss

During the summer your hair and scalp often become harmed from too much exposure to the sun and to chemicals in the swimming pool. Below are a few tips to help you reduce the potential damage:

Swimming:

With frequent swimming in the sea or pool during the summer the salt &/or chlorine really takes a toll on the hair. To reduce this problem, I suggest the following:

1) wet your hair with tap water before going to the pool/beach and apply a small amount of conditioner to the mid-length and ends of the hair. This will help reduce some of the harmful effects of the salt or chlorine.

2) rinse your hair thoroughly with regular tap water each time you come out of the sea/pool to rinse away the salt or chlorine and reapply a little conditioner as you would reapply sun tan oil.

3) wash your hair every evening using shampoo and conditioner.

4) if possible wear a swimming cap to protect

5) if you do not put your head under the water and you have long hair, pin it up so the ends do not get wet.

Sitting/Walking in the sun

The ultra violet and heat from the sun may also cause your hair to become extra dry, brittle and change color. I suggest you wear a hat or baseball cap to protect the hair from these potential problems. Also, people often forget that the scalp is exposed to the sun and becomes burned just as easily as unprotected skin elsewhere on your body. This burnt skin causes the scalp to flake, similar to having dandruff. For people with thinning hair this is a bigger problem as more scalp is exposed. If it is not possible to wear a hat while in the sun, apply a little sun tan oil carefully to the scalp with your fingertips. This will help prevent the scalp from burning. Also, remember to reapply the oil after swimming. If you do put oil on your scalp, thoroughly wash it out with shampoo each evening.

Diet

1) Make sure you drink plenty of water to help hydrate your skin (scalp).

2) Eat 6 small meals a day rather than three larger meals.

3) Take your regular supplements.

Dr. David Kingsley & Associates specialize in helping people with hair and scalp problems associated with the summer.

Most people’s lives are very stressful at one time or another, but not everybody loses hair during these stressful episodes. This is because people’s bodies react in different ways to stress. It seems that people who are more susceptible to stress-induced hair loss are the ones who are more susceptible to hair loss in the first place. This means that stress is often only one of many factors influencing the hair cycle, rather than the only influence.

Stress can affect your hair cycle, and losing your hair can cause a lot of stress! However, which one triggers the other? Did the stress of meeting that deadline last month cause you to lose some hair, or was it the hair you noticed on your pillow last week that triggered the stress?

The exact role of stress as it relates to different types of hair loss is difficult to assess accurately. Under most circumstances, as with many other hair-loss causes, increased hair shedding occurs between four and sixteen weeks after the trigger has occurred. Yet most people attribute an increase in hair shedding to what happened yesterday or last week, not a couple of months ago. If your stress levels are normal at the time you see your hair thinning, you are unlikely to associate your problem with a stressful situation that occurred, say, three months before. Although it is difficult to pinpoint a specific stress episode as the cause of hair loss, there is evidence that acute and chronic stress may precipitate hair-loss conditions, such as genetic hair loss, telogen effluvium (hair shedding), and alopecia areata (patchy hair loss)–see below.

When asked, most people say they are under a “normal” amount of stress, so it can be difficult to assess whether this is affecting the hair. To help assess people’s stress levels, I usually ask them to rate their stress levels one to three months before they started noticing their hair fall on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the most stress. If the hair loss occurred periodically over a long span of time, then I would ask if and when there had been greater stressful episodes, and then try to correlate these with the hair loss.

In addition to stress causing hair loss, hair loss undoubtably causes stress for the sufferer. It affects one’s self esteem and quality of life, which in turn can cause more hair loss.

Hair Loss conditions influenced by stress.

Genetic Hair Loss

Since male hormones trigger genetic hair loss, many researchers believe that stress can aggravate the condition because, during stressful episodes, the adrenal glands increase their output of certain hormones that can lead to the production of more testosterone, thus increasing dihydrotestosterone levels and potentially accelerating hair loss. Some researchers also believe that the skin becomes more sensitive to the effects of testosterone during stress, thus increasing the chances of hair loss.

Telogen Effluvium

Severe stress can also influence diffuse shedding of hair (telogen effluvium), though this condition tends to be reversible. One possible explanation for stress-induced telogen effluvium could be that the body’s uptake of glucose is increased during a stress episode, leaving less available for non-essential tissues, such as the hair, causing it to be shed prematurely. Also, stress can reduce the uptake of certain vitamins which can be important for hair growth.

Alopecia Areata

Alopecia areata, or “patchy” hair loss, has also been connected to stress episodes. One study showed that over 90% of patients with alopecia areata were under high levels of stress, though an additional study found that the stress was actually a result of the condition itself. As alopecia areata is believed to be partly a product of an auto-immune response, the stress influence on reducing the immune system is thought to be a factor in the condition.

Dr. David Kingsley & Associates specialize in helping people with stress induced hair loss. For information on setting up an appointment, please click here.
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Although the procedure for hair cloning is still being studied, it appears that the favored option is to first clone some hair follicle cells in a test tube or Petri dish and then carefully position these cells in the scalp. The placement of these cells should encourage them to grow into a functional hair follicle and so produce a terminal (viable) hair. Therefore, during a ‘hair cloning procedure’ it is just follicle cells that are ‘transplanted’, not fully functional hair follicles (as presently occurs with surgical hair replacement). This means that the scientists have to 1) wait to see if these cells will grow into a follicle, 2) see if the follicle is able to produce a terminal hair strand, 3) see if the follicle goes through a proper cycle (growing and resting–which takes an average of 3 years), and 4) see if the follicle produces a new terminal hair strand after the original hair has fallen out. Also, the hair follicle needs to grow as a unit with sebaceous (oil) glands present for the hair not to be too dry.

The reason why this procedure hasn’t yet been ‘approved’ by the medical authorities is that some of these objectives are proving more difficult to achieve than at first thought.

Copyright ©2014-2017 British Science Corporation

When I first qualified as a Certified Trichologist in 1980, about 80% of my patients were male and 20% female. Now, the reverse is true. Does this mean that more women are losing hair?

In my opinion, the answer is “yes”. I find that women today have a greater amount ‘on their plates’ than ever before. A larger percentage of women now have a full-time job, yet they still have to look after their kids, do most of the household chores, and maybe also care for elderly parents. This often leads to more stress and a poorer diet, both of which can cause hair loss (particularly a condition called telogen effluvium). Interestingly, there was a study published recently questioning the role of these epigenetic (‘lifestyle’ or ‘environmental’) influences on genetic hair loss in women. The paper concluded that ‘environmental’ factors could be involved in female pattern hair loss and that controlling these may help with treatment.

Hair loss in women can be complex as it may be triggered by many things; therefore it is important to unravel and treat all the causes.

Dr. David Kingsley & Associates specialize in helping people with genetic and epigenetic hair loss. Please call or submit an appointment request online to initiate an consultation.

Qu. It’s fall and I’m noticing more hair loss, is this normal?With the falling of leaves from the trees, many people think losing more scalp hair is normal at this time of the year. There’s only been a little research done on what is known as ‘seasonal hair fall’, and the results have been inconclusive. Therefore, I suggest you ask yourself the following: “Do I have extra hair loss at this time of the year every year?”. If the answer is yes, then you probably have seasonal hair loss and it could be normal for you; however, if the answer is no, or the hair loss is more excessive than usual, then it may be due to other reasons and I would suggest you visit a specialist for advice.Qu. Why do I get more scalp itching and dandruff in the fall?
This is a very common problem and is often due to weather changes. During the fall the temperature and humidity decrease causing the scalp to lose moisture. This can lead to an increase in scalp flaking and irritation. Sometimes there is also a little flaking and redness long the hair line and in the eyebrows. People with an oily scalp are actually more likely to have this problem. I suggest washing your hair every day to remove the dandruff build up and to keep the scalp clean so reducing the itchiness. Also, turn your humidifier on at home, especially at night, to help put more moisture in the air.

Qu. My hair, which is wavy all summer, goes limp in the fall, why?

Again, it’s because of the change in humidity. During the summer the hair absorbs moisture from the air and, if it is naturally curly to begin with, will become wavy and have more body (unfortunately, it can also go frizzy and become dull!). When the fall comes, the humidity drops and so less moisture is available causing the hair to go limper. This problem often occurs if your hair is damaged or too dry. I suggest using a conditioner every time you wash your hair and also use a deep conditioning treatment (such as British Science Formulations® Hair Strengthener) on a regular basis to help trap the correct level of moisture in your hair and so give it more shine and body throughout the year.

Dr. David Kingsley & Associates specialize in helping people with autumn hair and scalp problems.

 

Losing hair can not only be devastating for a person, but all the commercials you see on TV or hear on the radio can make the situation even more difficult. When people begin to notice their hair falling out, they tend to panic and not think straight. They buy anything and everything that they see advertised, with little thought to what these products do or whether they will work for their particular hair-loss condition. Then, if the product or treatment doesn’t work immediately, they will try something else until they have either exhausted all their options or spent all their money.

The bottom line to what you should do when you first notice your hair falling or thinning is to think about a strategy that makes the most sense to you and try to stick with it. Take control of your hair loss; don’t let it control you.

I have five suggestions for you to follow that may help you form a plan of action:

1. Don’t Panic!
I understand the worry that hair loss causes and the frustration that comes from trying to find the right treatment. This is why I advise you to take a step back and rationalize your condition, even though it may be hard. It is important that you don’t panic and do the wrong thing.

2. Find Out Why You Are Losing Your Hair.
Seek a specialist who seems to know what he or she is doing, and make sure you are tested for all the most common causes of hair loss, such as thyroid problems, anemia or iron deficiency (especially in women), and so forth. Even if genetic hair loss is the most obvious reason, other factors that could be contributing to your hair loss or making it worse should be explored.

Even if you find two or more causes for your hair loss, each may not be playing an equal role. For instance, it could be that 90 percent of your hair loss is genetic, while only 10 percent is say, diet. Although a specialist is unable to give exact percentages to each cause, it is still worth understanding and finding all the contributing factors, however minor they may be.

3. Treat Each of the Causes of Your Hair Loss.
Once the causes of your hair loss have been ascertained, try and correct what can be corrected, even if it only may be playing a very small role in your hair loss. For instance, taking the example I gave in the previous paragraph, if your poor diet is contributing only a small part to your hair loss, it should still be addressed. It may give you a better chance of seeing some improvement to your hair. I invariably suggest a multi-treatment approach to hair loss, as the more things you do, the faster and more likely you are to see results. Also, it makes you feel that something is being done and that you are being pro-active.

4. Be Patient Waiting for Your Treatment Regimen to Work.
This is often the most difficult thing to do, as you are losing hair and there appears no sign that the loss will stop. However, it often takes three months (sometimes up to six months) for a treatment to work. The more you change your treatment procedure before you have given it a fair chance, the more time and money you have wasted. If you are comfortable with the specialist and know that he or she has tried to find why your hair is falling out, then give that treatment program time before seeking other advice.

5. Don’t be Afraid to Wash, Color, or Style Your Hair.
The importance of cosmetically improving your hair is often understated. The bottom line for you seeking treatments for your hair loss is so that when you look in the mirror, you feel comfortable with the way your hair looks. Within reason, do whatever you need to attain this sense of well-being.

To make an appointment with Dr. David Kingsley, please call 718-698-4700 or email us using the form at the bottom of this page.

©British Science Corporation 2018

Genetic hair loss is caused by the action of male hormones (androgens) upon a genetically sensitive hair follicle. The development of genetic hair loss is associated with the shortening of the growing phase of the hair cycle and consequently with an increase in the proportion of resting hairs. Also, there is a reduction in the size of the affected follicles causing the hair on your head to become increasingly shorter and finer.

Are you likely to experience genetic hair loss? It depends on many factors. The more close family members that have genetic hair loss, the higher the percentage chance there is for you to have the condition. Also, if you have similar hair characteristics to someone in your family with hair loss (for example, color, hair type, etc.), then it may increase your chances of losing hair.

Men
For most men, the onset of genetic hair loss occurs before the age of 30, however, as they become older, the chances that they will lose hair due to genetic reasons increases proportionally. For instance, a thirty-year-old will have a 30% chance of losing hair, a forty-year-old will have a 40% chance, a fifty-year-old will have a 50% chance, and so on. According to the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery over 35 million American men suffer genetic hair loss. In men, the hair begins to recede at the temples and/or to thin in the vertex (crown) area. Eventually, the whole frontal-crown area of the scalp can be involved.

Women
Studies indicate that genetic hair loss occurs in about 30% to 50% of women. The hair loss is typically diffuse (evenly distributed), affecting the frontal and crown areas with similar severity. Often a small band of denser hair is retained along the frontal hair line. Often, genetic hair loss in women begins around menopause.

Not all hair loss is genetic hair loss so it’s best to have a specialist check your condition before starting a treatment regimen. Genetic hair loss has been treated with minoxidil (Rogaine)–2% for women, 5% for men, scalp stimulants, laser therapy, spironolactone (women), propecia (men). A multitude of other drugs and therapies have also claimed to regrow genetic hair loss. Although no treatment has yet shown to be a 100% reliable, there is presently considerable ongoing research into finding a cure.

Dr. David Kingsley & Associates specialize in helping people with genetic hair loss. For information on setting up an appointment, please click here.

To order Dr. Kingsley’s products, please click here.