Have you ever wondered why your client is experiencing hair loss? It’s easy, and all too common to attribute all hair loss to genetics, but how do we best serve our clients if we don’t examine all of the symptoms? August is National Hair Loss Awareness Month, and in that spirit I challenge you to take a deeper look and help your clients experience their hair loss in a new light!

Before we can discuss helping your clients through their experience with this delicate topic, you must first understand the type of hair loss that your clients are experiencing. In this article I’ll break down those typed in to three categories: long-term loss, temporary loss and Trichotillomania.

Long-Term Hair Loss – this type of hair loss is long lasting and usually cannot be fixed without a full hair replacement system.

Androgenetic Alopecia is one of the most common causes of long-term hair loss, meaning your client has a family history of hair loss. This has to do with the level of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) hormone a person has and can be inherited from both parents, not just from men. Over 70 percent of women experience hair loss due to family genetics.

The second most common reason for hair loss – Alopecia Areata - is brought on by an immune system disorder or a stressful event. This can cause hair follicles to abruptly stop growing. Women primarily notice this when their hair begins falling out in clumps.

Temporary Hair Loss – this type of hair loss can easily be fixed with the correct treatment, but can become long-term if not properly treated.

We’ve all heard the phrase, “you are what you eat,” well this is true with hair as well. Poor nutrition can lead to unhealthy hair. Eating a proper balance of vitamins, minerals and protein are needed for healthy hair. Clients who are experiencing this kind of loss can make use of supplements containing biotin, collagen, and amino acids that will help to strengthen and condition your client’s skin and hair. 

Even with the proper diet, hair is a delicate part the body. Because it is so delicate, many prescription drugs can trigger hair loss. The more common medications that cause these problems include ones used to treat cardiac problems, gout, arthritis, and AIDS. Even antibiotics, anti-depressants, and excessive vitamin A can cause some form of loss.

Another cause of short-term hair loss is chemotherapy and radiation. Because cancer patients take medications that are meant to kill cancerous cells, they also affect hair cells. Hair loss can begin as soon as 2 months after starting chemotherapy and gets worse within the next 1-2 months.

Trichotillomania –this is a very serious, and a taxing form of hair loss in which the client is pulling out their own hair.

Trichotillomania is more than just a bad habit; it is a neuro-biological disorder that prompts sufferers to compulsively tear out—and sometimes eat—their own hair, resulting in noticeable bald patches. This occurs most frequently in children 9-13 years old, and affects more girls than boys. Bullying makes this an often-unreported affliction, but it’s estimated that 2.5 million Americans of all ages struggle with trichotillomania.

So with this knowledge at your fingertips, let’s try to help ease the pain and embarrassment that many of our clients are experiencing with hair loss. After all, you are your client’s hair expert; help them to better understand their hair loss. In my next blog I will explore into the less common types of Alopecia, stay tuned and feel free to connect with me if you have questions or for more hair loss information!

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About Jeffrey Paul

Jeffrey Paul is an author, nonprofit founder, international Hair replacement and Restoration expert and educator that brings an expansive vault of experience, compassion and inspiration to areas the hair thinning and loss industry.  His mission is to restore beauty inside and out, so that a person can live their life looking themselves with total confidence.