Margaret Greenwood-Robinson - Hair Savers for Women: A Complete Guide to Preventing and Treating Hair Loss

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The suggestions for usage of prescription medicines, nonprescription products, hair-care products, surgical and nonsurgical procedures, nutritional and herbal supplements, and other hair-loss treatments are not intended to replace medical advice or treatment by your physician. All questions and concerns regarding your hair loss and other medical conditions should be directed toward your physician or dermatologist.

Long-term use of nutritional supplements is not recommended unless it is done under the guidance and supervision of a physician. Please consult your physician prior to supplementing with herbs and other supplements or using nonprescription hair care products.

All attempts have been made to include the most recent and factual research and medical reports about hair-loss treatments. However, there is no guarantee that future studies will not change the recommendations and information presented here.

The mention of specific products or brands in this book does not constitute an endorsement by either the author or the publisher.

Copyright 2000 by Maggie Greenwood-Robinson

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any informaton storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published by Three Rivers Press, New York, New York.
Member of the Crown Publishing Group.

Random House, Inc. New York, Toronto, London, Sydney, Auckland
www.randomhouse.com

THREE RIVERS PRESS is a registered trademark and the Three Rivers Press colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Greenwood-Robinson, Maggie.
Hair savers for women: a complete guide to preventing and treating hair loss / by Maggie Greenwood-Robinson.
p. cm.
1. Baldness. 2. WomenHealth and hygiene. I. Title.
RL155.G74 2000
616.546dc21 99-39185

eISBN: 978-0-307-77949-6

v3.1

To my husband Jeff, with love.

I gratefully thank the following people for their work and contributions to this book: Madeleine Morel, 2M Communications, Ltd.; Sarah Silbert, PJ Dempsey and Elizabeth Bird, The Crown Publishing Group; Wilma Bergfeld, M.D., F.A.C.P., head of Dermatology, Clinical Research and Dermatopathology at the Cleveland Clinic; Jean-Claude Bystryn, M.D., Professor of Dermatology, New York University School of Medicine; Dr. Emily A. Kane, N.D., L.Ac., Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine; and Philip Kingsley, Consultant Trichologist, Philip Kingsley Trichological Centre.

U NLIKE OSTEOPOROSIS , PMS, menopause, or other female disorders, womens hair loss is rarely talked about. Yet more than 20 million women in the United States suffer from a heredity type of baldness, and millions more are losing their hair as a result of medical and psychological causes.

Despite the prevalence of the problem, women have very little information on how to prevent, treat, and reverse baldness, most likely because hair loss has long been considered a male problem.

If you are suffering from hair loss, you have no doubt felt the frustration of not knowing what to doa frustration compounded by the psychological impact of losing your hair. But no longer can the problem be ignored, or talked about in hushed tones. Womens hair loss must be addressed in a solution-oriented fashion so that the millions who suffer from it can gain sorely needed hope.

Thus, in Hair Savers, I have attempted to bring you the very latest solutions and advances in treating hair loss, from conventional medicine to natural remedies, and introduce you to a whole new world of safe, clinically proven baldness remedies. Also featured in Hair Savers are recommendations from leading authorities, including medical doctors, on how to treat your hair loss.

Some of treatments covered in Hair Savers fall into the category of alternative medicine. They may appear interesting but seem unusual. Yet they may be worth a try, particularly those backed by scientific research. Medical science is slowly learning that the most effective treatments are those that combine conventional medicine with alternative medicine.

Much of the information in this book is cutting edge, thanks to an ever-expanding base of research on treating hair loss. Armed with this knowledge, youll be empowered to make informed choices about which course of treatment to pursueand in so doing, save your hair and get growing again.

T HE SHOCK sets in when you find your shower drain clogged with hair or your pillow covered with scads of loose hairs.

Could it be that youre losing your hair? Its hard to believethat only happens to men, or does it? Although hair loss is not generally associated with women, its a significant, serious, and widespread female health problemone that causes embarrassment, frustration, depression, anxiety, poor self-esteem, even marriage problems. It can make you feel older and more self-conscious, too, plus you tend to worry excessively about how to conceal your hair loss.

Whats more, hair loss in women is a closet problem. No one likes to talk about it, and until only recently, there was very little information available on how to treat it.

Lets face it: Hair loss is traumatic. Bald is definitely not beautiful for women!

If your once-thick hair is falling out in clumps, or if youve got bald patches peeking out from your scalp, youre not alone. More than 20 million women in the United States alone40 percent of them under age fortyare suffering from hair loss.

If your hair has started to thin out, take heart. You can do something about it. There are more options available than ever before to prevent and treat hair loss. A vast number of prescription medications have been scientifically shown to slow down, even reverse, hair loss. Newer, over-the-counter potions offer hope, too, when before there was none. Whats more, huge advances have been made in surgical procedures, such as hair transplantation and scalp reduction, to help restore your hair to its former crowning glory. This is an exciting time in the treatment of hair loss!

If youre suffering from hair loss, one of the most important moves you can make now is to investigate your condition. Its vital that you understand as much as you can about all the possible treatments availableand take responsibility for your own care. That way, you can be proactive in seeking solutions and participating in the management of your treatment. Reading this book is a good first step, especially since its the first comprehensive look at hair loss in womenand how to treat it.