Dermatologists at the University of Texas's Southwestern Medical Centre have claimed that modern hairstyles are wreaking havoc on our hair and leading to premature hair loss - whether it's the damage caused by heat styling or Croydon facelift-style ponytails. If you've been putting your hair through hell, here's how to restore follicular fabulousness.
It's important to bear in mind that there are a huge number of factors which can contribute to premature hair loss. "Female premature hair loss can occur for various reasons," says Florida-based hair loss expert Dr Marty Sawaya, a world renowned dermatologist known for her work on acne and hair. "These range from nutrition to traction (caused by tight braids, chemical treatments and extensions) in addition to a wide range of triggers including anaemia, crash dieting, or stressful events. Most of these conditions are temporary and women can recover with time if the condition or reason is alleviated."
Indeed, it's not just heat styling and too-tight up-dos which can damage our hair - our diet plays a key role: “It's well known that thyroid imbalances can contribute to hair loss, for example," says Holland & Barrett’s nutritionist, Kate Butler, "Iodine is a trace element which has been shown to contribute to the production of thyroid hormones and support normal thyroid function. Dietary sources include sea fish and shellfish, as well as plant foods such as cereals and grains. Sea Kelp is also a rich natural source and can also be taken in the form of a food supplement, if dietary sources are difficult to obtain."
While slathering on intensive conditioning treatments can help strengthen our hair, there are other things we can do, too. “Silica is required for the re-building of all connective tissues including hair, skin and nails," says Kate at Holland & Barrett. "This trace mineral is primarily found in whole grains, including brown rice. Some forms of algae also contain silica, while the herb Horsetail also provides a natural source. Depending on where you live, your drinking water may also contribute to your daily intake. Alternatively, Silica is widely available in nutritional supplements.”
If you need proof of the damage which can be done by hair extensions, look no further than Naomi Campbell, who was recently pictured with an unsightly bald patch which experts believe has been caused by her penchant for extensions. "Naomi's recent hair loss seems to be largely due to the use of extensions over a very long period of time," points out hair loss expert Dr Raghu Reddy, who's based at Harley Street's Private Clinic. "This has put a lot of traction on Naomi's existing hair."
Additionally, chemical treatments or overly-tight hairstyles can starve our scalp of the blood supply while preventing remedial treatments from having any effect. "The extensions also starved Naomi's own hair of vital nutrients, due to the glue which is likely to have been applied to the roots," points out Dr Reddy. "The overall result of all of this is the gradual thinning of the hair, causing permanent hair loss over time."
Naomi's bald patch proves how important it is to allow our scalp and hair time to recuperate in between salon appointments. "Naomi's situation is unique in that is was likely exacerbated by her work," points out Tatiana Hair Extensions founder Tatiana Karelina, who has most recently tended to the tresses of the Dancing On Ice stars. "As a high profile and in-demand model she's required to be able to achieve different looks instantaneously, which in turn require her to change her hair with a much higher frequency, thus subjecting her scalp to more stress and accelerating the damage."
It's easy to overestimate the strength of our hair, or more importantly, underestimate how easy it is to damage it by opting for extensions which are too tight. "Hair fibre in healthy individuals is incredibly strong and very elastic - it can stretch up to 20% of its original length before breaking when dry, and when it's wet it may stretch up to 50% before breaking," explains Tatiana Karelina. "However, if you apply sudden force and yank on the hair, it will break. The tensile strength of the hair is reduced and the hair has no time to respond and stretch, which distributes the force over the length of the hair fibre, and the hair just snaps."
Although modern hair dyes are kinder to our hair, if you've had previous chemical treatments it can be a recipe for disaster. ""The main no-no in hair colouring is double processing," says Jonathan Long, Nice’n Easy Colour Advisor. "I would never recommend colouring hair yourself if you've had previous chemical treatments on your hair like perms or permanent straightening."
Our final tip? Turn down the heat! “I would certainly recommend limiting the usage of heated appliances," says Sam McKnight, world renowned hairdresser and Pantene Pro-V Ambassador. "However, if you must use heated appliances always use a heat protection prior to use as this will protect hair from the stresses of styling heat."
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