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Pharmacy Care provides information about self-care, that is how to treat minor medical conditions with products available at the pharmacy. Find out how your pharmacist can help you to manage minor conditions yourself.
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Hair loss can be normal (hereditary hair loss), or abnormal, which is usually temporary. Hair loss can affect men, women and children and there are multiple reasons that can contribute to it.
Hereditary hair loss
The most common type of hair loss in men is ‘male pattern baldness’, or androgenetic alopecia, which is the cause of 95% of hair loss in men. It usually starts from around the age of 30, but can occur any time after puberty. How quickly baldness develops, and the pattern of hair loss, is probably genetically determined. It usually begins with thinning at your hairline, usually seen as an M shape, followed by a thinned or bald spot on the crown of your head.
Women can also experience androgenetic alopecia but their baldness pattern is different from men’s. The hairline is usually unchanged but you may have a generalised thinning of hair around your crown. It usually begins around the age of 30, becomes noticeable at about 40, and may be even more noticeable after menopause.
Temporary hair loss
There are many possible causes of temporary hair loss, which include:
childbirth; when a woman is pregnant she loses less hair than usual, but two to three months after giving birth, some women notice losing large amounts of hair
high fever, severe infection or the ’flu
thyroid disease
insufficient protein in your diet or extreme dieting
some medications, including the oral contraceptive pill
cancer treatment
iron deficiency
psychological causes; such as obsessive compulsive disorder and severe stress
major surgery or chronic illness
fungal infection of the scalp
damage from rollers or tight braiding and plaiting
damage from hair straighteners or irons
chemical damage from commercial hair relaxing products
alopecia areata: a patch of hair falls out, resulting in totally smooth, round patches on your scalp, about the size of a coin or larger
See Your Pharmacist or Medical Professional
if your hair loss is sudden or patchy
if your scalp looks flaky, scaly or if it itches
if you recently gave birth and have hair loss
if you recently started a new medication or have had chemotherapy
if you have thyroid disease, a nutritional deficiency or an autoimmune disorder, such as lupus
if your hair loss is different to the usual male or female pattern baldness
Treatment Tips
continue to wash your hair with a mild or medicated shampoo
if you use a hair dryer, use on a low setting to avoid damaging your hair
it is normally safe to perm or colour your hair unless it is breaking off, or in poor condition
a different hairstyle may make your hair loss less noticeable
treat any scalp conditions, such as dandruff or psoriasis
eat a well balanced diet
practise relaxation techniques or consider lifestyle changes if stress may be a factor in your hair loss
do not tie up hair too tightly
there is no cure for normal hereditary hair loss, but some treatments can slow or halt the process and lead to some regrowth
early treatment works best to prevent further loss; if treatment is stopped hair loss will start again
hair transplantation may be an option; it is usually more successful for men than women
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