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Hair Loss News Archives
May 2010
Malaysian society committed to fighting hair loss gains popularity
A society committed to fighting hair loss has caught huge attention in Malaysia.
May 2010
The Malaysian Society for Hair Sciences, which was
registered in 2002, educates people on hair loss disorders and the
various medical treatment options available to them.
The 400-member club, including dermatologists, general practitioners
and scientists, with an interest in the science of hair, organizes
hair forums, once every two years, apart from regular public and
professional educational events.
Society president Dr Steven K.W. Chow insists hair loss is one of
the top 10 complaints presented to dermatologists.
"Our Asian Hair Forum has become an international dermatology
meeting," New Straits Times Online quoted him, as saying.
He added: "Hair loss needs a medical approach as there are many
possible medical causes. The commonest is pattern baldness in both
men and women.
"There are many reasons why men and women face hair loss and these
include genetic conditions, hormonal problems, stressful events,
surgery, post-traumatic stress brought on by viral fevers, dengue
and typhoid.
"Other reasons are fungal conditions of the scalp, auto-immune
diseases where the body stops hair from being produced, serious
psychological disorders, especially in children who pick and pull
out their hair, and also chemotherapy.
"People with hair loss disorders suffer from low self-esteem and
depression. We see people barely out of their teens coming in for
treatment. Some have major psychological problems.
"Hair loss is a very common problem in Malaysia and not a day goes
by without dermatologists and doctors seeing patients over hair
loss."
What many people are not aware of, however, is that there are
medical remedies to arrest the problem.
Chow claims going to a dermatologist is a better option than to
beauty salon.
He said: "This is why it is important to seek out dermatologists
when one has hair problems. The scalp is, after all, part and parcel
of our skin.
"Instead of going to see doctors or dermatologists, they go to
salons and beauty centres, spending thousands of ringgit for
treatments that are not at all effective.
"With doctors and dermatologists, patients only need to spend a
fraction of what they spend at salons and centres.
"Some patients have forked out RM30,000 to RM40,000 for a series of
alternative treatments when they only have to pay 10 per cent of
that at clinics."
Chow says mostly men approach the society with the problem of hair
loss.
He said: "Some are in their 20s but already have male pattern
baldness. Women seem to prefer salons and hair centres."
However, he added that men generally stop worrying about their
tresses once they reach their 40s.
He said: "This is when family and children become their top
priority. Women, however, continue fussing and seeking treatments
well into their 50s and 60s."
Male/female pattern baldness occurs in 30% of men by the age of 30,
50% of men by the age of 50, and 50% of women by the age of 60.
Chow concluded: "Female hair loss is very traumatic for women.
Hormonal imbalance is one of the key factors that leads to the
thinning of hair among women. Hair loss in women is common between
the ages of 25 and 35.
"Let the doctors or dermatologists identify the cause of hair loss,
and prescribe suitable treatments. This can be through oral
medication, topical treatment or even a hair transplant.
"For hair transplants, we transfer hair follicles from an area where
hair is abundant to an area where there is hair loss. It costs
between RM10,000 and RM20,000. With a hair transplant, hair will
start growing on the bald patch.
"Hair loss disorders have been around for a long time. The only
difference now is that there is effective medical treatment for the
problem."