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Getting to grips with hair-raising problems
Scientists claim they have found a cure for baldness by being able to grow hair follicles. Catherine Scott met Iain Sallis, who knows a thing or two about hair.
A woman's hair may be her crowning glory, but when things start to go wrong, it can affect more than the way she looks.
Iain Sallis, the only hospital-based trichologist in the country, says that many doctors underestimate the affect the loss of a woman's hair can have on her self-esteem.
"I have had patients who have even contemplated suicide or won't leave the house because of their hair," says Iain, who runs two clinics at Nuffield Hospitals in York and Hull. He is about to start a new clinic at the Leeds Nuffield.
Trichology is a specialised part of dermatology and Iain believes that it should be offered on the NHS to fulfil a wider spectrum of care
for patients.
"There are a lack of specialists in this field and doctors and other medical practitioners do not have the time to spend with patients on such matters as hair loss.
"It is extremely difficult to get to see a dermatologist and then they may not have the expertise to diagnose the cause of the problem.
"They will offer a treatment, but it is not getting to the cause of the problem.
"Doctors are far too stretched to have their time taken up with something as non-life threatening as hair loss or a flaky scalp. This, unfortunately, is not the view of the patient; hair loss is very traumatic and has a severe affect on the person's well-being, which, in
turn, affects the patient's health in general."
Iain started in hairdressing when he was 20, after studying philosophy at Hull University.
Through years of training and working with many stylists, he realised that even the hairdressers at the very top of their game had a gap in their knowledge; they knew how to work and manipulate hair but had hardly any idea of how it was made and what affects it.
"This started me on a personal quest for knowledge which led me into trichology," says Iain.
After studying for three years, he qualified from the Institute of Trichologists in 2002.
"Being a hairdresser and having this type of information at my finger-tips, I can promote hair health direct to every customer within the salon environment. It has also given me a platform to promote trichology and the reasons why hair does what it does, dispelling many of the hair myths which surround and perpetuate our profession."
Iain decided to open his own salon, 10hairdressing, in Hull, specialising in helping people with hair and scalp problem alongside regular customers.
"It is somewhere my patients can come and feel totally at ease, knowing that we are specialists in these cases. I also want to invite new clients, to give them a service which not only concentrates upon the colour and the cut but also on the health and lifestyle aspect
of hair care.
"This may include talking to the client about their diet, medication, and illnesses such as diabetes, how it affects the hair and how we can improve on the health of the hair to achieve the look."
Iain is excited about the new breakthrough to tackle male pattern baldness, although he says that people should not get carried away.
"They have not yet perfected the way the hair follicles behave, such as what type and colour hair will grow, what direction it will grow in. But it is an exciting development and, maybe five or 10 years down the line, they will have a treatment for male pattern baldness.
"There are a lot of myths about hair loss and ways to cure it. People spend a lot of money on shampoos and other topical treatments which don't work. It is so sad to see an old lady with very thin hair when I know that if she had sought help in her 40s, she would not have a problem."
For more information on Iain Sallis and trichology, visit www.10hairdressing. com or www.nuffield hospitals.org.uk Tel 0113 388 2000.
Trichology: the facts
Trichology is the study and treatment of diseases of the hair and scalp, which includes specific hair and scalp disorders, psoriasis, dermatitis and diffuse hair loss and specific alopecia, to counselling and ancillary treatment of hair loss, where the hair loss is a symptom of a more serious disease/disorder or treatment of it (eg hypothyroidism, diabetes and anaemia).
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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