Bosley Hair Loss Blog

HairDX adds women to the list

In their announcement today, biotech company HairDX, LLC claims that they now have an accurate test to predetermine whether or not a woman will experience hair loss. This announcement comes just months after their similar product for testing men was released.

Specifically, the HairDX test for woment tests for the likelihood of Female Androgenetic Alopecia, or female pattern baldness. The test kit costs $149 and can be done at home with a simple swab of the cheek. After the swab is sent to the lab, results are sent anonymously back to the patient.

Pink salon helps UK women cope with alopecia

A beauty salon in Kingstanding, Birmingham, England — Pink — provides temporary solutions for women battling alopecia. Here's a video about a recent gift the salon gave to five UK women — a $2,000 makeover. It included a personally-styled wig, semi-permanent makeup to cover up eyebrow hair loss, and a "full pampering session."

DRAFT: New Bald Girls Do Lunch site!

Well, Bald Girls Do Lunch launched their new website and unveiled their new logo. Most importantly, they've been making a difference in the lives of many women who suffer from alopecia around the country. If you want to get involved, visit them at BaldGirlsDoLunch.org, or make an appearance at one of their upcoming events near you!

• April 2008 — Image and Beauty Event
• February 9, 2008 — Reading, PA
• February 10, 2008 — Gaithersburg, MD
• February 23, 2008 — Oak Brook, IL
• February 25, 2008 — Chicago, IL
• March 1, 2008 — Washington, DC
• March 2, 2008 — Bridgewater, NJ
• March 29, 2008 — San Francisco, CA
• March 30, 2008 — Berkeley, CA
• April 1, 2008 — San Jose, CA
• April 26, 2008 — CT Day of Beauty

Keep your hair looking years younger than it really is

Here's a great article from KomoTV.com that discusses women's hair loss, and different steps that can be taken to prevent it from happening prematurely (if possible, of course). To watch the news report, click here and find the "Watch the story" link at the top of the page.

Like age spots and crow's feet, thinning, dull hair is another indicator that "you're getting older." But the right products and styling tips can make a woman's hair look years younger than it really is, experts say.

"A 40-year-old just doesn't have the hair she had at 20 - unfortunately," says Alyssa Hertzig, beauty editor for Good Housekeeping. "Just as our skin changes as we age, our hair changes as well."

Hertzig said people also do things to the hair that make the damage worse - like heat styling and dying hair. But the damage is not irreversible, say experts.

"Fine hair is always sort of a problem for women," says David Evangelista of the Cornelia Hair Salon in New York. "You know, they are always looking to get that thickness, that plumpness, that thicker type hairs usually have. And how they can achieve that is through a shampoo, a conditioner, and the proper products to go through and put through your hair."

"when you're trying to get fullness in your hair, as always, use your fingers and lift the hair up and blow dry the hair," Evangelista explains. "So after you use the hot air, put some cold air on it and that will set the roots."

Two products that come recommended are L'oreal Professional Series Expert Age Densiforce shampoo ($20) and masque ($30), which did an excellent job in a Good Housekeeping Research Institute test of women in their 40s and 50s.

"It left my hair really bouncy," says Angela Diegel, shampoo tester. "It just feels really light."

Hertzig said: "Women also really loved Dove Pro-age shampoo and conditioner ($6 each). Our volunteers really liked the way it made their hair look and feel."

"Another thing to think about is that you want to steer clear of this stiff, maximum hold hair sprays because they can actually fracture the hair shaft when you try to brush them out," she said.

"So a good option is these new, flexible hair sprays," she said. "They actually move with your hair and are less likely to cause breakage. One that we really love is the Pantene Pro-V Classic hair spray with the flexible hold ($4). It's great."

Good Housekeeping also points out that women shouldn't worry too much about losing hair. Shedding around 100 strands a day is normal and 40 percent of women experience some hair loss by menopause.

But women who think they're losing more hair than normal should see their doctors. The problem could be related to declining estrogen levels, an iron deficiency or stress.

-Herb Weisbaum, KomoTV.com

Oprah says a high glycemic diet can make you bald. Better listen up.

On her talk show yesterday, Oprah Winfrey enlightened her audience with some important information that she learned during a trip to the gynecologist: a high glycemic diet could cause a hormonal imbalance in women that could cause hair loss.

Dr. Christiane Northrup said that a high glycemic diet is the reason for the rollercoaster ride of energy peaks and pitfalls during the day. Having a low glycemic diet not only avoids these ups and downs, it's a good way to avoid or manage diabetes and reduce the risk of heart disease and hair loss.

So how do you make this work for you? Pay attention to your sugar intake. Here's an article from AssociatedContent.com that does a great job of explaining which foods have high or low glycemic indexes:

Foods in the glycemic index are rated based on their glycemic content. A food that has a low number is good for you to eat and will not cause a quick and dramatic rise in your blood sugar while a food with a high number will.

It is somewhat easy to figure out for yourself which foods have a low or high glycemic index by keeping in mind a few tips and keep in mind what has been known for years about living a healthy lifestyle and eating a healthy diet.

Foods that are fried or sautéed in butter will have a high glycemic index. Chicken and mushrooms are both very good for you and have a low glycemic index but if you fry them then they become a high glycemic food.

Processed foods are also very high on the glycemic index. Instead of hot dogs or products made with white flour, such as white bread or pasta choose instead to have wild rice or oatmeal. These foods will not only help you stay full longer but they also have more nutrients in them.

Another easy way to keep high glycemic foods out of your diet is to read the ingredient's list of any products you buy. Ingredient's that include high fructose corn syrup, which is found in soda, are going to have a high glycemic index. By choosing foods without this ingredient alone you can help yourself lose weight and become healthier.

There are many items on the glycemic index that are considered high but can still be eaten in moderation. Potatoes, alcohol, and cheeses that are not low fat for example are all high on the glycemic index but this does not mean that they should never be eaten or drank but instead should only be had in moderation and within a diet that consists of mostly low glycemic foods such as most fruits and vegetables, whole wheat bread, and beans.

Why 20 and 30-year-old women are losing their hair

According to an article from the New Zealand Herald, stress and oral contraceptives are partly to blame for women's hair loss beginning earlier in life.

The number of female patients at hair loss clinics around the world is rising, and doctors believe that increasingly stressful lifestyles, some contraceptive pills and diet are to blame. Also, there seems to be a correlation between the increase in auto-immune and ovarian diseases and women's hair loss. However, just as with men, women can also be genetically predisposed to hair loss—female pattern baldness— when they are older, but it typically has no effect until after age 50 or so.

According to the article, 10 younger women to every one post-menopausal woman are seeking hair loss advice. Researchers thought that this may be caused due to contraceptive pills triggering genetic hair loss early, especially those containing progestins (a derivative of testosterone).

Hair extensions now an option for women recovering from chemo or alopecia

According to First Coast News in Jacksonville, Florida, there's a new hair extension product on the market that is making it possible for women who are just beginning to recover from alopecia or cancer treatments.

The new hair extension technology uses cold fusion instead of heat or glue. Ultrasound waves create vibrations that fuse natural hair to the extension hair using keratin to bind rather than glue; the result is the same as older methods but more gentle. Women who suffered hair loss from chemo and alopecia and have just begun to regrow can use this method because it's so gentle on the new, brittle hair. Methods that use heat and glue cause damage to brittle—and even healthy—hair, so many women avoided extensions all together.

Northern Ireland has second highest rate of hair loss in women

As you can see, women's hair loss is stealing the spotlight in hair loss news these last few weeks. Here's an unbelievable story from Northern Ireland:

With almost 23 percent of women in Northern Ireland suffering or having suffered from hair loss, the region has the second highest rate of women's hair loss in the world. Scotland is number one. These figures were revealed in a study that was conducted in the UK.

Of the 23 percent, 75percent said that they also suffered emotional distress from their hair loss. This same percentage or respondents feel that there isn't enough information about women's hair loss—the emphasis of the information is on men's hair loss.

Another interesting figure from the survey was that 25 percent of respondents said that they are experiencing or have experienced adult acne. Both acne and hair loss are sure signs of high-levels of stress.

                                    

Female hair loss

Here's a great video that outlines the causes of female hair loss and tries to explain why there seems to be an increase in cases in recent years. The video offers one 24-year-old's perspective as she battles alopecia.

Postpartum hair loss

Several months after child birth, some women suffer a period of intense hair loss. This is called postpartum telogen effluvium.

Telogen effluvium results from physical or emotional trauma, including childbirth. Normally, women lose about 100 hairs a day, but women suffering from postpartum telogen effluvium, the method in which hairs grow and develop changes. This leads to a larger number of hairs to shed at once between one and five months after childbirth, and can continue for as long as 15 months.

Ten percent of women suffer from this condition. Studies suggest it may be more common in women who have longer hair, but this may only be because it is more noticeable when the person has more hair to begin with.

Postpartum telogen effluvium has to do with a fluctuation in hormones during pregnancy. Increased estrogen levels means a decrease in hair growth, and when estrogen levels drop after childbirth the older hairs begin to fall out—sometimes rapidly.

What women need to know about the condition is that it is not permanent. It will eventually stop and your hair will grow back again.