In most cultures strong sleek and shiny hair is very much a part of health and overall beauty. While centuries-old traditions like Champissage (or Indian Head Massage) and the Indonesian Creme Bath have long been used to banish headarches and tension as well as keep the hair lustrously gorgeous, the West of these simple and highly effective techniques with hair spa therapies becoming a routine addition to spa menus worldwide.

GROWING IT
Hair grows approximately 1cm a month and has an average growth cycle of about seven years. During the active growing (or anagen) phase, the hair follicle produces large amounts of the protein keratin that forms the hair fibre. While hair type and volume is genetic, overall hair condition is personal. Natural hair colour is determined by melanin, the same pigment that colours the skin.
????????? While no one likes going grey, and we go to astounding lengths to cover it up, grey hair is actually a combination of white and normal-coloured hair resulting from a reduction in melanin production at the root of the follicle. Going grey affects different people at different times, and while this may be partly genetic, lifestyle factors like inadequate diet and stress also contribute.
LOSING IT
According to the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS www.ishrs.org), the world’s leading medical authority on hair loss and restoration, an estimated 80 million men and women in the US suffer from the inherited conditions of male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia) and female pattern hair loss (female androgenetic alopecia). This loss is exhibited differently however, with the hormone dihydrotestesterone (DHT) causing a gradual miniaturisation and eventual loss of genetically susceptible hair follicles in men, whereas in women, although hormone related, the exact mechanism of hair loss is not yet established.
????????? What is known however, is that the age of onset, extent and rate of hair loss varies tremendously between individuals and that severe illness, medication, poor diet and certain permanent hair colour and chemical relaxers (when applied incorrectly) can seriously damage the follicle.
????????? Many women experience hormone-related hair loss in the aftermath of childbirth. This is primarily the result of the high levels of pregnancy hormones that retard the normal hair shedding process (average of 75 to 125 hairs per day). Once these hormones have returned to their pre-pregnancy levels after childbirth, the extra hair is shed along with the normal cycle of hair growth and loss. Menopause is another period of increased hair thinning and loss. Of the 20 million or so women in the US suffering hair loss, it has been estimated that about 13 percent of these report hair loss before menopause, escalating to about 37 percent afterwards.
????????? Hair fall in women, while often less noticeable than in men, can be far more emotionally damaging with thinning in the crown, temples and hairline as well as a diffuse all-over thinning limiting hair restoration options.
????????? In his 45 years of experience Philip Kingsley, trichologist to a host of stars including Audrey Hepburn, Kate Winslet and Mick Jagger, says that he continues to see a higher percentage of vegetarians with hair thinning problems than any other group. While most of these are extremely conscious of their diet, ensuring they get adequate minerals and vitamins, a basic nutrient that is so often neglected is protein.
Hair is protein. The essential amino acids that are the building blocks of keratin are most plentiful in animal products and without adequate protein intake, less energy is available for hair follicle production. “Although specific hair products and treatments will improve texture and condition, the key to a healthy head of hair, is ensuring the root and follicles are well nourished from within,” says Kingsley. So convinced is he as to the benefits of protein, the latest addition to his product portfolio is PK4HAIR-an amino acid food supplement designed to support healthy hair growth. Kingsley also finds deficiencies of calcium, iron, vitamins D, B12 and B6are common amongst his clients.
????????? Leonica Kei who runs the Philip Kingsley Trichological Centre at Singapore’s Takashimaya Shopping Centre sees clients as young as1 4-years-old suffering from hair-thinning conditions, adding thatthe expectation from family is generally very high amongst these teenagers. “One particular girl was under tremendous stress that caused hormone imbalances, excessive hair fall and visible hair thinning.”
TREATING IT
The only real medical success to date for the treatment of more serious hair loss is the drug Propecia (finasteride), the first and sole FDA-approved pill proven to treat male pattern hair loss that acts by blocking the formation of the hormone DHTthereby interrupting the onset of hair loss. However, propecia is not intended for women and longterm use is mandatory.
????????? With recent advances in molecular biology and tissue engineering, hair restoration therapy could soon become a viable option for most, with permanent, natural-looking results when performed professionally. Paul Kemp, Chief Scientific Officer with the UK-based Intercytex, a leading regenerative medicine company, are currently in a multi-patient phase II clinical trial for ICX-TRC, a novel hair regeneration product comprising a suspension of dermal papilla hair cells able to stimulate a new generation of hair when injected into the scalp. “While final results are pending it does look encouraging with substantial and visible increase in hair counts noted during the first phase of the study,” he says. As trials are ongoing it will be some time however before the product, pending approval, would reach the market.