It is important to understand, with the exception of people suffering from thyroid hair loss or alopecia, that hair loss is a perfectly normal and natural event. Most often, the condition is hereditary, in fact if you examine the family history of many individuals, baldness is almost an inevitable occurance.

For those who are able to accept the loss of their hair, this may not be that big a deal. For many however, it can have a significant impact on the way they feel about themselves, and the way they believe they are perceived by others. Unfortunately, even with significant advances in technology, there is no such thing as a hair loss cure, however there are measures that can be taken to slow the onset of hair loss to a certain extent, and treatments available to deal with the problem, if hair loss has started to occur.

Many people who are balding, use vitamins for hair loss to slow its progress. In addition, there are a range of hair loss products available, in tablet, lotion or concealer form, that may or may not provide their promised benefits. If you have a receding hairline, and wish to find a way to boost your hair growth, your search for a hair loss cure will probably end in the same fashion as countless other hair loss sufferers – in the purchase of a vast array of lotions, potions and cover-ups that just never seem to deal with the actual problem.

Do hair loss products actually work?

We find quite often at HIS Hair Clinic, that in their quest for a hair loss cure, clients often try virtually every solution available, yet still remain dissatisfied. Why? Because the hair loss sector is a multi-billion dollar industry worldwide, and as a result, many manufacturers of hair loss solutions seem more intent on selling pills and lotions than actually helping the clients they serve. This is by no means one rule for all, in fact, there are many reputable companies offering solutions which, for many people, really do help. It is apparent however, that clients should be vigilant in their search, and ask for hard evidence of positive results, before committing to any treatment.

What are my options?

We are highly passionate about the effectiveness of our own Micro Hair Technique, or MHT for short. With a 100% client satisfaction record, our results speak for themselves. We understand however, that one particular solution may not be suitable for everyone. For others, options such as hair transplant surgery, Propecia or hair systems may provide some relief.

For impartial advice, we are always available so please feel free to contact us. It may also be worthwhile speaking with other sufferers in our hair loss forum. If you would like to meet one of our existing clients, you can post a request here.

Whenever your body requires extra energy, or when energy levels are deficient, the hair cells are shut down automatically to redirect the energy elsewhere. Such a deficiency could be related to poor diet or lifestyle, however there may be an underlying health problem that is responsible.

There are three main types of hair loss. The most common in men is male pattern baldness, although female pattern baldness can cause hair loss in women. Various forms of alopecia may also be responsible, and of course, there is thyroid hair loss. It is worth mentioning that as a man losing his hair, you are most likely suffering from male pattern baldness, a perfectly normal and natural condition. Only a doctor will be able to determine for sure however, therefore it is worth checking to establish whether alopecia or thyroid hair loss may be responsible.

A doctor has at their disposal, a range of drugs to treat loss of hair caused by a thyroid problem. Furthermore, alternative therapies such as evening primrose oil are found to be quite useful in correcting thyroid hair loss, in at least a proportion of cases. Aromatherapy is also found to be effective. Essential oils of thyme, cedar wood oil, lavender, and rosemary mixed altogether and applied on the hair can help. Ayurveda medicines such as bhingaraj oil or brahmi oil have also been used, although we cannot confirm their effectiveness. Both oils should be applied to the scalp without disruption for at least 3 months. In addition, the ayurvedic herbs amla and ashwagandha will also help stimulating hair growth.

Finally, more direct action may be appropriate. As well as our MHT scalp pigmentation techniques, alternatives such as hair transplant surgery may be suitable for some people. For more specific advice, please feel free to contact us.

It is normal to shed some hair each day as part of this cycle. However, some people may experience excessive (more than normal) hair loss, therefore it is understandable that many people wish to understand the various hair loss causes, and why specifically, it is affecting them in particular.

What causes excessive hair loss?

There are a number of excessive hair loss causes, however the most common cause unfortunately, is genetics. Hair loss often skips generations, so it is not necessarily the fault of your immediate parents. For most men with a family history of hair loss, there is little that can be done to absolutely ‘cure’ the loss of your hair.

There are however, other hair loss causes that may be applicable, depending on your circumstances:

About 3 or 4 months after an illness or a major surgery, you may suddenly lose a large amount of hair. This hair loss is related to the stress of the illness and is temporary.

Hormonal problems may cause hair loss. If your thyroid gland is overactive or underactive, your hair may fall out. This hair loss usually can be helped by treatment thyroid disease. Hair loss may occur if male or female hormones, known as androgens and estrogens, are out of balance. Correcting the hormone imbalance may stop your hair loss.

Many women notice hair loss about 3 months after they’ve had a baby. This loss is also related to hormones. During pregnancy, high levels of certain hormones cause the body to keep hair that would normally fall out. When the hormones return to pre-pregnancy levels, that hair falls out and the normal cycle of growth and loss starts again.

Some medicines can cause hair loss. This type of hair loss improves when you stop taking the medicine. Medicines that can cause hair loss include blood thinners (also called anticoagulants), medicines used for gout, high blood pressure or heart problems, vitamin A (if too much is taken), birth control pills and antidepressants.

Certain infections can cause hair loss. Fungal infections of the scalp can cause hair loss in children. The infection is easily treated with antifungal medicines.

Finally, hair loss may occur as part of an underlying disease, such as lupus or diabetes. Since hair loss may be an early sign of a disease, it is important to find the cause so that it can be treated.

Can certain hairstyles or treatments cause hair loss?

Yes. Men or women sporting tight hairstyles that pull on your hair, can cause a type of hair loss called traction alopecia. If the pulling is stopped before scarring of the scalp develops, your hair will grow back normally. However, scarring can cause permanent hair loss. Hot oil hair treatments or chemicals used in permanents (also called “perms”) may cause inflammation (swelling) of the hair follicle, which can result in scarring and hair loss.

What is common baldness?

“Common baldness” is usually a reference to male pattern baldness, also called androgenetic alopecia. Male-pattern baldness is the most common cause of hair loss in men. Men who have this type of hair loss usually have inherited the trait. Men who start losing their hair at an early age tend to develop more extensive baldness. In male pattern baldness, hair loss typically results in a receding hair line and baldness on the top of the head.

Women may develop female pattern baldness. In this form of hair loss, the hair can become thin over the entire scalp.

Can my doctor do something to stop hair loss?

Perhaps. Your doctor will probably ask you some questions about your diet, any medicines you’re taking, whether you’ve had a recent illness and how you take care of your hair. If you’re a woman, your doctor may ask questions about your menstrual cycle, pregnancies and menopause. Your doctor may want to do a physical exam to look for other causes of hair loss. Finally, blood tests or a biopsy (taking a small sample of cells to examine under a microscope) of your scalp may be needed.

Is there any treatment for hair loss?

Depending on which of the above hair loss causes is affecting you, treatments may be available. If a medicine is causing your hair loss, your doctor may be able to prescribe a different medicine. Recognising and treating an infection may help stop the hair loss. Correcting a hormone imbalance may prevent further hair loss.

Medicines may also help slow or prevent the development of male pattern baldness. One medicine called Minoxidil (branded as Rogaine), is available without a prescription. It is applied to the scalp, and both men and women can use it. Another medicine, Finasteride (branded as Propecia), is available with a prescription. It comes in pills and is only for men. It may take up to 6 months before you can tell if one of these medicines is working. Procerin is another medication available.

Drugs such as Rogaine, Propecia or Procerin may help to reduce hair loss, however their effectiveness is an issue of much debate. What is certain however, is that such drugs do not work for everyone.

What about MHT?

MHT, or Micro Hair Technique, offered by HIS Hair Clinic is not a cure for hair loss, and will not therefore, enable your hair to grow back. It does, however, provide a very effective camouflage for hair loss, that unlike wigs or temporary concealers, offers a permanent solution for hair loss sufferers.

For more information, see our before and after photos, contact our existing clients in our hair loss forum, or contact us directly to ask any questions you may have.

The condition, which can occur at any age, generally begins fairly suddenly and gets better on its own within about six months, although for a few people it can become a chronic problem. Because telogen effluvium develops a while after its trigger, and causes generalised thinning of hair density rather than a bald patch, women with the condition can easily be diagnosed as overanxious or neurotic. Fortunately, it often gets better with time.

Telogen effluvium is a phenomenon related to the growth cycles of hair. Hair growth cycles alternate between a growth phase (called anagen, it lasts about three years) and a resting phase (telogen, which lasts about three months). During telogen, the hair remains in the follicle until it is pushed out by the growth of a new hair in the anagen phase.

At any one time, up to about 15 per cent of hairs are in telogen. But a sudden stress on the body can trigger large numbers of hairs to enter the telogen phase at the same time. Then, about three months later, this large number of hairs will be shed. As the new hairs start to grow out, so the density of hair may thicken again.

Many adults have had an episode of telogen effluvium at some point in their lives, reflecting episodes of illness or stress.

Another common type of hair loss in women is androgenetic alopecia, which is related to hormone levels in the body. There’s a large genetic predisposition, which may be inherited from the father or mother. Androgenetic alopecia affects roughly 50 per cent of men (this is the main cause of the usual pattern of balding seen as men age) and perhaps as many women over the age of 40.

Research shows that up to 13 per cent of women have some degree of this sort of hair loss before the menopause, and afterwards it becomes far more common – one piece of research suggests that over the age of 65 as many as 75 per cent of women are affected.

Can MHT combat hair loss in women?

It depends on individual circumstances, however yes, MHT can provide solutions for hair loss in women. Primarily, this takes the form of pigmenting the scalp with micro hairs, to make the head of hair appear thicker and fuller, in much the same way we apply the technique to scalps that have been subject to a hair transplant.

If you are female and suffering from a form of hair loss, we may be able to help. Please contact us for an informal discussion.

There are actually several different types of alopecia, and each one is unique in the areas it affects, how quickly it causes hair to shed and how long the individual is likely to suffer from it. Some forms of alopecia are mild, affecting small patches of body or facial hair. Others are more aggressive, affecting the whole body very quickly indeed.

To clarify how to identify the different forms of alopecia, we have created a new alopecia treatment page on our site explaining the most common types. If you have any further questions or would like some advice please feel free to contact us. Whilst MHT scalp pigmentation can be used to treat all forms of alopecia, our advice remains open, honest and impartial.

For further information on our site relating to this article please see:
Alopecia
Celebrity Hairstyles
Hair Transplant Surgery

Hair plays a big part in defining your image, but around 50 per cent of men start to lose theirs before they reach the age of 50 and women can be affected too – we have all seen images of Gail Porter’s hair-less scalp in the press since the onset of her alopecia.

Although there is presently no cure for alopecia, there are a lot of cosmetic solutions available to deal with hair loss, with many plastic surgery clinics offering hair transplant surgery alongside other cosmetic surgery procedures. Unfortunately, however, the effectiveness of such treatments tends to vary depending on the individual and something that works well for one person may not work well for another.

MHT Micro Hair Tattooing hair simulation treatment is a relatively new, innovative solution to combat the signs of alopecia. MHT is based on a specialised tattooing procedure expertly performed to ensure hair replication looks absolutely natural and normal. MHT is not a cure, but a permanent solution for Alopecia and can restore your confidence and self-esteem.

HIS Hair Clinic are the original pioneers of the MHT technique and have treated clients from all over the world.

For further information on our site relating to this article please see:
Micro Hair Tattooing
Male Pattern Baldness
Alopecia

“Hair loss, whether premature or not, is an issue for more than 10 million men in the UK, and can be caused by a variety of different conditions.

Male pattern baldness is the most common reason why men lose hair. Usually by the time most men have reached their early 60s, they are showing some signs of baldness. However baldness can begin at virtually any age from late teens onwards.

Male pattern baldness is actually a form of alopecia. Alopecia is really a name that covers a lot of different factors that contribute to baldness. Three of the most significant of those factors are disease, age and genetics. Some men go bald because they are genetically disposed to do so. Their genetic make-up means that they produce more of a chemical called dihydrotestosterone, which weakens the hair follicles to the extent that they fall out and cannot grow back.

The dilemma for many men is that, if they are self-conscious about their condition, the alternatives can sometimes seem just as excruciatingly embarrassing. If you’ve begun to lose your hair, will you feel any less self-conscious if you suddenly emerge one day wearing a toupe or hairpiece? Probably not, and these sorts of measures cannot effectively conceal the fact that your hair is not growing back.

A local clinic in Harborne, Birmingham is stirring up the hair loss industry with a revolutionary new treatment that is entirely different from anything we’ve seen before.

MHT, or Micro Hair Tattooing is a technique offered by HIS Hair Clinic, delivering pigmentation of the scalp to simulate the appearance of real hair. Whilst the thought of tattooing hair onto your head may seem a little strange, the results are extremely impressive. We met several of their customers and we were quite frankly, astonished by the illusion created.

We spoke with Ian Watson, Founder and Director of HIS Hair Clinic. “As the word has spread about our MHT technique, we’ve served customers from all over the world. As MHT does not exist where they come from, most have tried alternative solutions and been unhappy with the results. Often our customers are at their wits end, having tried every lotion and potion available.” When asked why customers were prepared to go to such lengths to hide their baldness Ian replied, “Hair plays a major role in defining self image and confidence. Many believe that losing their hair somehow makes them less attractive, or appear less successful. The media plays a major role in creating this stigma. We simply offer a non-surgical solution to help men regain their self-esteem.”

Demand for their service is clearly high, demonstrated by the opening of 6 new branches in 2009 in Glasgow, Manchester, Cardiff, London, Marbella and Malaga. More locations are planned throughout 2010 to service clients across the UK and in the US and Europe. HIS Hair Clinic has also been approached by several hair transplant clinics with a view to offering MHT as an alternative to surgery.”

About 1.7% of the population suffer from alopecia, and whilst it is not damaging to your health, the condition can cause distress amongst those affected by it. Alopecia often takes the sufferer by surprise, as symptoms can develop very quickly for no apparent reason, although you’re more likely to develop alopecia if you have a family history of the condition.

For more information about the different types of alopecia and how they can manifest on the individual, see About Alopecia

For further information on our site relating to this article please see:
About Alopecia
Before And After Photos

“Alopecia is a hair loss disease that can affect individuals from all walks of life including men, women and children. The onset of hair loss is often sudden, random and frequently recurrent. While the disease itself is not damaging to health, coping with rapid hair loss can prove difficult.

Alopecia affects just under 2% of the population, with both men and women being equally affected. About 25% of alopecia sufferers have a family history of the disorder.

The exact cause of alopecia areata is presently not known, although it is generally accepted as a disease of the auto-immune system. There is also believed to be a genetic component in some cases, whilst other studies have shown a link with stress.

In alopecia, the affected hair follicles are mistakenly attacked by a person’s own immune system, possibly due to chemicals called cytokines, resulting in the arrest of the anagen (hair growth) stage, meaning that hairs are then abruptly shed.

There is presently no cure for alopecia and no universally proven therapy to induce hair re-growth and sustain remission, however there are several treatments available. The effectiveness of such treatments tends to vary depending on the individual and something that works well for one person may not work well for another. For some people none of the treatments are effective, and all of the therapies have documented side effects, some of which can be unpleasant.

MHT Micro Hair Tattooing hair simulation treatment is a relatively new, innovative solution to combat the signs of alopecia. MHT is based on a specialised tattooing procedure expertly performed to ensure hair replication looks absolutely natural and normal.”

For further information on our site relating to this article please see:
Micro Hair Tattooing
Alopecia
Our Clinics

“A Birmingham entrepreneur is setting up a hair salon to offer a way to help men cope with the stress of hair loss.

The Hairloss Improvement Studio (HIS) in the Jewellery Quarter, says it can use “micro-pigmentation” techniques to create the kind of “buzz” cut sported by fashion icons like David Beckham.

And although the solution might sound bizarre, the owners of the studio said tattooing can give natural and convincing results, recreating the perfect hairline to disguise bald patches.

The studio, on Hall Street, is run by Ian Watson and his sister-in-law Ranbir.

Founder and managing director Mr Watson first started looking into ways to deal with hair loss when he developed alopecia following the death of his brother.

“My confidence was severely affected as a result of my hair loss,” he said.

“I developed our unique cosmetic camouflage techniques following an inspirational idea and intensive training in Australia.

“Together with my sister-in-law, Ranbir, we have spent many years refining our treatment and have successfully worked at a clinic in London’s Harley Street and in partnership with a number of leading specialists in hair restoration and hair replacement treatments.

“We set up HIS in Birmingham because we passionately want to help anyone who is suffering from hair loss, including cancer patients and as the business grows will be offering franchise opportunities.

“Julius Caesar used wreaths to hide his thinning scalp and the French King Louis XIV wore elaborate wigs which weighed fifteen to twenty pounds apiece.

“Now we hope that those who are follically challenged will turn to HIS.”

Micro pigmentation is a specialist form of medical tattooing which uses “cosmetic camouflage” techniques to provide a remedy for hair loss.

It uses computer equipment to design and perform the treatment, which ensures accurate needle penetration into the dermal layer of the skin to insert a pigment.

The technique was developed by HIS, which claims to be the first company in the UK to offer the new treatment.

And the service is not just for men. While Mr Watson offers a dedicated service to men helping with all forms of hair loss, his sister-in-law helps women who want to restore eyebrows that may have been lost, or who want to thicken eyelashes or define lips.

Mr Watson said cosmetic treatment could raise confidence for men struggling with the trauma that can be caused by losing hair, particularly as a result of diseases or cancer tretaments.

He said it also suits naturally balding men or those who buzz their hair closely as it complements a trendy clean-shaven look.

At least 40 per cent of men have noticeable hair loss by age 35 and 65 per cent by age 60 which has both psychological and emotional effects, he added.

As well as the studio in the Jewellery Quarter, Hairloss Improvement Studio’s cosmetic hair loss and other treatments are also available at a number of UK Saks Hair and Beauty salons across the region including those in Birmingham, Sutton Coldfield and Bromsgrove.”