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LIVING REVIEW LIFE ETC: Body Tressed out
Independent on Sunday, The, Dec 5, 2004 by Eva Gizowska
Nicola Curtis had always been proud of her long, thick, shiny, chocolate-brown hair. So, when she was just 29, she was horrified to find it coming out in handfuls. Distraught, she consulted a doctor who arranged various medical tests, but nothing showed up. Her GP put it down to stress and told her to relax. Over the next few months, Curtis's hair continued to thin badly. It affected her confidence and eventually she could no longer leave the house without a hat. Now, a year on, her hair is growing back thick and strong again. And the cure? Biosthetic aromatherapy - a new, natural way to treat hair loss.
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Tales of hair loss like Nicola's are not particularly uncommon. It's estimated that around 30 million women in Europe currently suffer from similar conditions. And the number of men losing their hair prematurely is also on the rise. "It's hard to give exact figures but hair-loss problems are definitely on the increase," says hair and scalp expert, and former hairdresser, Peter Bannister. "There are all sorts of possible reasons for this, including stress, hormone imbalance, illness, poor diet, environmental factors and so on."
Central to Bannister's theory is the idea of a "toxic scalp" which can cause hair to drop out. "If you live in a polluted city, smoke, drink alcohol or have a bad diet, the scalp may become overloaded with impurities, and this affects hair follicles. Bioesthetics can help to detoxify the scalp which enhances hair growth." Bannister starts by referring clients back to their GP to rule out any underlying medical conditions, such as anaemia or a thyroid disorder. Once he is satisfied that all alternative medical options have been explored, he formulates a suitable treatment.
"Biosthetic aromatherapy combines aromatherapy with acupressure to encourage hair growth. Essential oils are combined with other natural ingredients, including herbs and vitamins, and blended into tailor- made lotions. These are then applied to specific acupuncture points on the scalp." This stimulates circulation and the lymphatic system, boosts elimination of toxins and has a healing, balancing effect on the scalp. Bannister also treats underlying causes of scalp problems such as psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis and even dandruff - all of which can cause hair loss.
His treatment begins with a massage at the top of the head which gradually works downwards, along the neck and towards the collarbones, applying pressure to the appropriate points as he goes. He says it can take up to four months for any improvement to begin to show.
Working on acupuncture points on the head forms the basis of another new hair-loss treatment, launched at the Acumedic Chinese Medical Centres. "In Chinese medicine, we believe weak kidney energy can cause hair problems," says the centre's founder, Professor Mei. "Stress, poor diet and illness can weaken kidney energy, so to strengthen the hair and stop it falling out, you need to boost kidney energy with herbs and acupuncture." The centre offers a plum blossom therapy, where acupuncture points on the head are tapped lightly to improve blood flow to the scalp and balance energy (chi). "We recommend that patients use a special herbal shampoo too," says Professor Mei. "It's made from heshou wu, which helps hair growth."
While there's no doubt that natural hair-loss treatments can be beneficial in some cases, not everyone is as lucky as Nicola. Trichotillomania is an anxiety-related disorder where sufferers pull at their own hair until, in extreme cases, they have bald patches. It affects an astonishing one million women in the UK and is just one of the disorders Lucinda Ellery sees every day at her five-storey, women- only clinic in west London. "Once it was menopausal women that used to come to me," he says. "Now the women I see are getting younger and younger."
Ellery puts these changes down to a number of factors, making a link primarily to stress and poor diet. And she's speaking from experience. As a child she lost all her hair following the stress resulting from the death of one of her parents. She was teased mercilessly at school and it took years to grow back. "For women especially it can be extremely traumatic," she says. "It affects your social life, your relationships, your confidence - everything." n
A six-session course with Peter Bannister starts at pounds 450, tel: 01277 210 664; for information on Acumedic Centres, tel: 020 7388 5783; for Lucinda Ellery Hair Solutions tel: 020 8741 8224 or visit www.lucindaellery.com
Copyright 2004 Independent Newspapers UK Limited
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