Hope, not hype, helps women cope with thinning hair

Oct 2007

Discovering that your hair is thinning and possibly balding can be a frightening experience. The American Hair Loss Association offers the following tips to help you cope:

• Don’t panic. Hair loss often is temporary and reversible. There is hope.

• Don’t suffer in silence. The most common complaint is that women feel they are being ignored by their physician. If you feel that you’re losing your hair, you probably are and should seek treatment.

It also can be very empowering to be in contact with other women who have experience dealing with hair loss. The American Hair Loss Association recommends online support at www.womenshairlossproject.com.

• Get professional help. To determine the cause of the condition, women experiencing hair loss should see a gynecologist, dermatologist and endocrinologist.

• Don’t believe the hype. Most of what you’re going to be presented with is a scam. Don’t buy any hair-loss product or service advertised through late-night infomercials, radio, Internet or in the back of magazines.

Unless the product is FDA-approved or carries the American Hair Loss Association certification seal, stay clear. Currently, the only product being advertised for women that has this distinction is Rogaine for women.

• Be wary of false prophets. Stay away from nonmedical practitioners such as trichologists who claim to have the ability to diagnose hair loss and treat it successfully.

These trade school-trained individuals also charge the consumer large fees for their full range of “trichologically formulated” products, none of which have been approved by the FDA as effective to treat hair loss.