HEALTH JOURNEY
Trichologist Denise Shields from the Advanced Hair Clinic and Dr Elfrieda Fourie, an experienced doctor in advanced medical aesthetic procedures at Anti-aging Art, on what causes hairloss and how to prevent and treat it.
No matter how old you are, losing your hair can be stressful and traumatic. “Hair is important to women because it’s part of their identity. You may feel too embarrassed to talk about it or seek treatment,” says Denise Shields.
Causes range from nutritional deficiencies to health issues. Having a healthy scalp prevents some causes of hair loss, encouraging your hair follicles to grow.
“A healthy scalp is clean and free from scaling or flaking. It should smell pleasant, and it should be an even colour with no inflammation; however, an unhealthy scalp has an unpleasant odour, scaling or flaking, pustules or pimples, solidified oil at the mouth of the follicles, and it’s grey,” she says. “And a healthy scalp doesn’t necessarily mean your hair is healthy. For example, you may have psoriasis, whereby your scalp is scaley, but your hair is in beautiful condition, shiny and full of body. Or you may have a healthy scalp, but your hair is chemically over-processed; dry, broken, frizzy and dull-looking.”
Dandru is a common issue, and while, in most cases, it doesn’t directly cause hair loss, the itchiness it causes can lead to scratching, which can injure your hair follicles, leading to hair loss.
“What type of dandru do you have?
Dry, white flakes, oily, where dead cells remain on your scalp or attach to your hair, or are you experiencing hard craggy scaling? Anti-dandru , ph-balanced shampoos or those that contain coal tar can help,” advises Denise.
Dandru and the inflammatory skin condition seborrheic dermatitis are the most common causes of an itchy scalp. Seborrheic dermatitis can be the result of stress, seasonal changes, fluctuating hormones, or an overgrowth of yeast on the skin.
“An itch is a symptom, and unless you also experience scaling, inflammation, sores, cuts or abrasions, it’s dicult to ascertain what it signifies. Ph-balanced products are best for keeping your scalp and hair in good condition. It’s important to know what products to use. Ca eine shampoos can harm your scalp, as an example. The best way to achieve healthy hair and help minimise hair loss is to keep your hair and scalp clean as good scalp hygiene is imperative, maintain a healthy diet, don’t chemically overprocess your hair, and seek professional help if problems continue.”
As for what triggers hair loss in women, Denise explains, “hormone changes are the most common, followed by stress. Any metabolic change in your body can cause it”.
Hair loss in women can be caused by internal or external factors, according to Dr Elfrieda Fourie. “The most common internal factors are infections such as Covid-19, nutritional and vitamin deficiencies, hormonal imbalance, pregnancy and acute or chronic illness. External factors include trauma (physical or emotional) and artificial hair integrations such as wigs, weaves and extensions.”
“Telogen euvium is the name of a common cause of temporary hair loss.
The condition happens due to a shock to the system caused by internal or external factors. It’s a very distressing condition and, in most cases, you need treatment to return your hair to health,” she says.
There are several di erent treatments for hair loss and a full medical assessment, basic blood tests and genetic testing will determine which one is right for you. “In my opinion, either plateletrich plasma (PRP) or mesotherapy, or a combination of both, are most e ective,” adds Dr Fourie. “PRP is the use of a person’s blood platelets via a threestep process to enhance hair growth. Blood is taken, typically from the patient’s arm, then separated into three layers. One of the layers, the plateletrich plasma, is placed into a syringe and injected into their scalp. Experts often use PRP in conjunction with mesotherapy, which involves injecting a formula of potent vitamins, peptides and amino acids into the scalp to stimulate healthy hair growth. After having the treatment, the patient takes oral supplements to support hair growth. Remember that hair products treat the surface of your scalp, so if there’s no surface to treat or if that surface is diminishing, you have to treat it from within. That’s where treatments like PRP or mesotherapy come in.”
PRP is a regenerative procedure, meaning it stimulates your hair follicles to produce new hair while stimulating strength and growth in existing hair. The treatment is 100% safe and scientifically proven to be e ective.
“According to scientific studies, best results are seen after having three treatments, spaced one month apart, followed by maintenance treatments every six months or as required. There’s no down time, but you mustn’t wash your hair on the day of the treatment,” concludes Dr Fourie.
“A HEALTHY Scalp is clean and free from scaling or flaking”