A diffuse alopecia is an excessive hair shedding occurring all over the scalp and not just in patches or localised areas, sufferers will often notice a significant reduction in hair volume. 

There are various types of diffuse hair losses but the most commonly occurring is telogen effluvium also known as a 'reflective loss'. The hair is often seen as a barometer of our general health. It is not unusual for an underlying illness to come to light only after help has been sought for the hair loss being experienced as a symptom of the main disorder.

A reflective hair loss can originate from a number of causes and can be short term (acute) or long term (chronic) depending on the underlying ailment, but once the causative factor has been discovered and eliminated there is a good chance that the hair loss will fully recover. A trained and qualified Trichologist will be able to successfully diagnose, advise and where applicable offer treatment to assist the recovery.

 'Dear Jacqueline,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the care you have taken to diagnose this condition. Your considerate approach has been of great psychological uplift to me, and I shall always be grateful to you for insisting on the tests which proved so revealing.'

W A - Milton Keynes

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The first signs of male pattern baldness will usually (but not exclusively) manifest as a slow recession to the temporal areas, followed by recession of the crown/vertex areas. The sides and back margins of the scalp are not part of the pattern area and therefore will normally remain intact. Hair transplantations utilise the hairs from these areas to implant them into the part/s of the scalp affected by pattern baldness. 

Female pattern hair loss can sometimes include some recession to the temporal areas but the main area of loss is to the crown. Diffuse thinning generally begins at the central parting area of the scalp and then progressively widens accross the crown. There are  varying degrees of loss of density to the hair in the affected area. The frontal hairline normally remains intact and even in the most advanced cases it is very rare for a woman to go completely bald.  As with male pattern hair loss, female pattern loss is androgen related. This means that women with a genetic disposition to this condition are more succeptible during times of significant hormonal changes e.g. peri-menopausal, menopausal & post menopausal periods.

Some alopecias present as a patchy hair loss the most common of which is alopecia areata, whose unpredictability can be of particular distress to the sufferer. Loss of eyebrows and / or nail abnormalities may also occur; variants of the condition can also result in complete loss of scalp and body hair.

Traumatic alopecia refers to trauma caused to the hairshaft (and sometimes scalp) that subsequently results in breakage and hair loss. The trauma is usually the result of a cosmetic or styling process and will fall into one or more of three main categories: chemical trauma (permanent hair dyes, chemical relaxers, perms etc), thermal trauma (over use/incorrect use of heated styling appliances (e.g. hair straighteners, hot brushes &/or poor blow drying technique) and physical trauma (tightly braided hair, tightly pulled back ponytails, over use of hair extensions etc). The resulting hair loss can be short term, long term or permanent depending on the extent of the trauma suffered. Loss of hair volume due to traumatic alopecia (especially to the longer lengths furthest from the scalp) is often wrongly mistaken for hair shedding.

We offer a professional and supportive service 'providing therapeutic care for your scalp and hair' and look forwarding to helping you.