A hairy situation!
Almost 100% of Australians are affected by hair loss, according to a trichologist expert. According to Dr David Salinger, hair loss can arise after high fevers, weight loss, operations and medications. More men suffer hair loss than women because generic hair thinning is more prevalent in males.
Almost 100% of Australians are affected by hair loss, according to a trichologist expert. According to Dr David Salinger, hair loss can arise after high fevers, weight loss, operations and medications.
“More men suffer hair loss than women because generic hair thinning is more prevalent in males. However, 90% of patients seen by trichologists are women,” Dr Salinger claims.
“Hair loss can be a very stressful experience. Often the main fear for the sufferer is they’re going to go bald, which, fortunately, very rarely happens,” he adds.
Trichology is the branch of medicine that deals with the scientific study of the health of hair and scalp.
Dr Salinger, as reported by Health & Wellbeing website, offers some information about typical hair loss problems, as featured below:
Genetic thinning
In females, this type of thinning of the hair can lead to thinning of the hair in the front and top areas of the scalp, with about 30% of women suffering this genetic thinning by the age of 60 years.
According to Dr Salinger, this type of thinning occurs around the time of menopause or after a hysterectomy.
Temporary ‘diffuse’ hair loss
There are many reasons women ‘temporarily’ lose their hair, which can include post surgery, fevers, weight loss, poor diet or nutritional imbalances.
This is described as the most common reason why some women may lose hair, however Dr Salinger claims this type of hair loss will “self-correct” in its own time.
Ringworm of the scalp
Fungal scalp conditions mainly occur in children, but can creep its way onto older people’s scalps.
Dr Salinger describes it as a “contagious fungal infection of the skin, characterised by a circular patch of broken hairs”.
“The scalp is often red and swollen, and itchy. It is caused by various fungi caught from kittens, puppies, bird and people,” he says.
Treatment options include antifungal antibiotics taken orally, with treatment given from four to eight weeks and sometimes longer.
Did you know… Wikipedia reports an interest in hair loss and hair care originated about 1860 in a London barbershop under a certain Professor Wheeler. Later in 1902, this interest in hair disorders became known as Trichology and the Institute of Trichologists was founded.
