It can be very distressing for women when they look in the mirror and realise that their hair is thinning and the hair style they favour might have to change.

Here at Lifestyle Aesthetics we know that we have approximately 100,000 hair follicles on the scalp and the average person sheds between 50 and 100 hairs every day, which is part of the natural growth cycle. At any one time 90% of hair is in the growth phase, and 10% is in the resting phase. When hair becomes finer and sparser, the growing phase becomes shorter, and the resting phase is progressively longer.

Recent research suggest that up to 60% of women, post menopause can suffer some degree of hair loss and 13% pre menopause. This is usually attributed to hormonal changes but the most common cause of thinning hair, in men and women, is hereditary hair loss.

Women's pattern hair loss is different to the male pattern. Women usually find that there is general thinning of the hair, with the loss predominately over the top of the head.

Many women can suffer from episodes of hair loss (telogen effluvium) at different times in their life and for many different reasons. Hair loss may be due to illness, hormonal changes, nutritional deficiencies, or a reaction to some medicines. Sudden stress on the body can trigger large numbers of hairs to go into the resting phase and shed during the growing phase, fortunately this condition usually improves within 6 months.

It is important that women do not ‘self diagnose’ and seek professional help.

LA Science solutions include hair loss shampoo and serum.