Fantasia Salon / Spa and Wig Specialists

And, guess who is the hardest hit? If you said women, you are correct. There are so many contributing factors but, stress and hormonal imbalance are among the biggest culprits.

Everyday women worldwide look in the mirror and where they used to see beautiful, healthy hair, they now see an increasing proportion of scalp. Agonizing over their hair loss, they try to hide it with makeup, creative hairstyles or sometimes even hair extensions. Hair extensions are not a good solution for thinning hair as they can actually damage already stressed-out hair. There are solutions, this is just not one of them.

Here’s the irony. Stress itself is the main reason why many women are facing hair loss and what appears to be early balding and, stressing over the situation makes it even worse! A professional from the California based Miyohara International Trichology clinic says they are no longer surprised to see the physical indicators of stress when viewing hair samples through a microscope.

“The number of women suffering from hair loss is definitely on the rise. Even more disturbing is that nearly 80 percent of the time, women’s hair samples show symptoms of thyroid diseases or hormone imbalances, which are serious manifestations of stress-related disorders.

Unlike a blood test, which only provides results based on what the body is experiencing at the moment of the blood draw, trichology’s cutting - edge microscopic diagnosis reveals up to six months’ worth of a person’s physical history. The testing also shows that stress doesn’t discriminate - it’s present in the hair of women young and old, but particularly those leading demanding careers or lifestyles.”

This same professional goes on to say, ” Here in California, I’m diagnosing teenage girls, working mothers and menopausal women. There are even celebrities and models battling hair loss. Women everywhere are stressed. Their bodies are under attack, so their hair is falling out or bald spots are appearing. Sadly they are struggling with hair loss, trying to solve the problem on their own.”

At Fantasia, one of the things we do is provide solutions for the problems of thinning hair and hair loss in women. We have been providing these services for years and continue to stay on the cutting - edge of the technology available. I mentioned earlier that hair extensions are not a good solution for these issues. However, there are great solutions such as MicroPoint Links, Integrations and Hair Replacement. One of the hair replacement specialist at Fantasia would happy to talk with you to determine what would be a good solution for you.

This is an area of hair loss which is not discussed much. It is emotionally painful for those who struggle to overcome the condition and most of us cannot begin to understand it. It is equally painful for their loved ones.

Trichotillomania is a type of mental illness in which people have an irresistible urge to pull out their hair. Sometimes it’s from their scalp, their eyebrows, or other areas of their body. Hair pulling from the scalp often leaves them with patchy bald spots on their head. They will often go to great lengths to disguise these spots.

Although trichotillomania may seem like an obsession or compulsion, it’s classified as a type of impulse control disorder, where one cannot resist the temptation to perform an act that is harmful to them or others. There are behavior therapies which can help with an awareness of the disorder and teach the individual techniques to avoid pulling out the hair.

Some signs to look for would be: patchy bald spots on the scalp or other areas of the body; sparse or missing eyelashes or eyebrows; chewing pulled out hair; playing with pulled out hair; and rubbing pulled out hair against the face or lips. Most people with this disorder will pull the hair from their scalp. But, there are reports where the hair has been pulled from all areas such as the legs, arms, eyebrows and lashes as well as other areas of the body. Typically the pulling is done with the fingers, but sometimes tools are used such as brushes, combs and tweezers.

For some people, they are aware they are pulling their hair out while they are doing it, it is very focused and deliberate. For others, it is so automatic they may not even realize they are doing it.

Causes for this disorder are still being researched. Researchers think their may be a specific gene mutation thought to play a role in trichotillomania. Studies suggest that abnormalities in the natural brain chemicals serotonin and dopamine may play a role in the disorder. That being the case, nutrition and diet could certainly be a factor in this compulsive behavior.

If you or anyone you know is dealing with this disorder and it is affecting the quality of life, socially or otherwise, please call Fantasia. Most of the time there comes a point, if a person is pulling from the scalp, they can no longer continue to hide and disguise the bald spots. Our professional staff have experience dealing with this disorder just as with any other hair loss disorder. They will work with these clients in a discrete fashion and help them select an appropriate hair replacement system. Since hair is often associated with beauty and vitality, this can be one step in helping them regain control of their life. Remember, Fantasia offers no charge,no obligation consultations.