Wow is this exciting or what!

Dr. Angela Christiano from the Columbian University Medical Center has found eight genes that contribute to alopecia areata.  This is ground breaking news and you need to read this article if you suffer from thinning hair.

View this article at this link
http://naaf.convio.net/site/MessageViewer?em_id=3241.0&dlv_id=7021

I love when things like this come across my desk and I’m able to share them with all of you.  Please take the time to go over this information and I hope that there is something here that either helps brings light to your situation or gives you a reason to speak with your doctor.  This really excites me and has made my day.

Take care everyone and have a great Canada Day or for my US friends have a great Independence Day.

Look Good, Feel Great!

Dale
www.vollumaforwomen.com

It is one of many fond memories I have of Volluma making a difference in the world and it’s what makes my job so rewarding and so much fun!

Sharon was diagnosed with breast cancer about 10 years horribly enough, right after her husband unexpectedly died. As a grief stricken young mother she underwent chemotherapy and as you might expect, she lost her hair.

Now, anyone who’s familiar with chemotherapy knows that, oddly enough, the hair that re-grows after recovery may sometimes be different than what was there to start with. Thankfully, Sharon fully recovered but the problem was, her hair grew back thin and sparse, a terrible reminder every time she looked into the mirror of the cancer she had survived!

When I met Sharon as a fellow exhibitor at a the show where I was demonstrating Volluma; she had resolved, for the rest of her life, to wear the one hairstyle that hid her thinning areas. Luckily, when passing by our booth, she noticed several of the dramatic transformations taking place and decided to step up to the plate and submit herself to a demonstration.

After a brief assessment, proper colour selection and short application, I handed Sharon a mirror to inspect the results. You can imagine my horror when I saw her tears. But before I could figure out what to do next, she looked at me and smiled and I realized then that they were tears of joy! All she could sputter was how happy she was and that this was an incredible day for her.  She was absolutely amazed at how great Volluma had made her hair look and feel.

For the next two mornings of the show, Sharon stopped by our booth to show us the different hair styles she had been able to wear since discovering Volluma.  She said she had lived with her old “comb-over” hair style for the last 10 years and this was so exciting for her.

The show was a big success for us, but the best part of it was Sharon’s smiling, confident face – it will be with me forever!

Look good. Feel great!

Dale
www.vollumaforwomen.com

For many women with hair loss, hair extensions may cause more harm than good. Stylists may advise women with thinning hair and hair loss that extensions are the best solution for them. And why not? Besides being profitable for the stylist, extensions look great, giving you the volume, body and thicker hair that you want quickly – albeit expensively.

When considering extensions, it’s best to start with a long and trusting relationship with your stylist but before trying extensions, know your type of hair loss and discover what type of systems will look good and not harm it further. For example if you have rapid, temporary hair loss such as telogen effluvium or you fail the hair pull test, extensions will likely be a waste of time and money. If you suffer from genetic hair loss (androgenetic alopecia) you may enjoy good results.

Educate yourself on the system being proposed, not only the method of attachment but especially the removal process and any other potential associated risks. Find out more about the dangers of removing extensions at http://www.bignews.biz/?id=806831#

Educate yourself and make the best choice for your hair loss!

Christopher Denison
www.vollumaforwomen.com

There are two options to get highlights- at home or at the salon. If you are on a budget or prefer the comforts of home, an easy to use kit such as L’Oreal Couleur Experte will give you a base colour and highlights in an hour. A personalized colour consultation is available online to help you choose the most flattering shade along with application tips for fabulous results.

If you opt for professional highlights, seek out a colourist that will do a consultation for you before your appointment. The more they know about the look you are trying to achieve, the better. Ask for foil highlights using 2-5 shades of a similar tone for a natural look that will add dimension to your hair.

Whichever method you use, here are some helpful hints that will give you gorgeous looking hair through the use of highlighting:

1. The Two Shade Rule- Never go two shades lighter or darker than your natural colour- the results will look more avant garde than natural and will only showcase thinning hair further. If you already have hair that breaks this rule, see a professional colorist to get it back within your natural range.

2. Thin is In- Thin highlights and lowlights give a natural sun kissed look that will add visual thickness to your hair.

3. Beauty is Skin Deep- The more you work with your skin tone, the better colour results you will have. If you have warm (yellow based) skin, stay away from golden tones and go for deeper red based tones. If you have cool (pink based) skin, highlight with ash and wheat based shades rather than warm tones.

Look Good, Feel Great!

Dale
www.vollumaforwomen.com

The Three Do’s for thinning hair:

- Do make bangs a part of your life. Bangs are in. There was a day when the last thing we wanted was bangs. Now, they are not only the “in” thing for younger women, but they are also good for women with thinner hair on top. They give the illusion of more hair in the front. Ask your stylist to layer your bangs. This adds more volume, making your hair look thicker.

- Do have your stylist chop your hair. Before you go running for the door, chopping does not mean chopping all of your hair off. You will simply have your stylist cut your short hair into layers making sure that your ends are “choppy” or irregular. This style gives shape and movement to thin hair, adding volume in the right places.

- Do keep it short. Length pulls the hair down, making any thin areas more noticeable. Shorter hair makes it seem like you have more volume.

Here are Three Don’ts you should never do for thinning hair:

- Don’t dye your hair light blond. The lighter your hair, the more likely it will be that people will notice your scalp shining through. If you don’t want your thin areas to be evident to the entire world, consider a darker shade.

- Don’t weigh your hair down with too much conditioner or heavy hair products. There are several good brands of hair products that add volume and dimension to thin hair. They work by thickening the hair strand, making your hair feel fuller and softer.

- Don’t over process your hair. Some women love to bleach their hair every few weeks. Others love the volume that comes from perms. You need to love the hair you have by treating it kindly. Too many doses of bleach and permanent solution can cause damage to the hair shaft.

Treat yourself to a new hairstyle to go with your best outfit and you’ll be the belle of the ball at the next party – just vow to have so much fun that you’ll forget your anxiety.

Look Good, Feel Great!

Dale
www.vollumaforwomen.com

Now Mary is an attractive middle aged woman, immaculately dressed with beautiful make-up and her hair, what was left of it, was impeccably styled. She was obviously a professional woman who cared about her looks – why would she endure that? She obviously didn’t realize that she has cosmetic options and didn’t have to suffer.

It is because of women like Mary that I wrote the book “10 Styling Secrets for Women with Thinning Hair” because women, regardless of the reason and the degree of their hair loss, have many cosmetic and styling options to help them look great and feel more confident about their looks.

When my banking was done, I thanked her and gave her my business card and told her she might find my free e-book helpful. The look in her eyes seemed to vary between suspicion and hope.

Now, with on-line banking, I don’t get into the branch much any more but I’ll be back to see if she’s taken my advice – it’ll be obvious.

Look Good, Feel Great!

Dale
www.vollumaforwomen.com

I wondered to myself how she could justify trying to treat something she didn’t understand. Taking action is great but, consulting with experts, creating a plan and sticking with it is an even better solution. Ah, the impatience of youth!

I explained that the causes of hair loss for women are many and varied and that if her thinning hairline was simply the result of a regular, tightly pulled hairstyle (traction alopecia), then wearing her hair loose for a while could reverse the problem and allow a full, natural recovery.

I further explained that the abundance and quality of hair is an indicator of overall health and that only a doctor could truly determine the underlying reason for her specific situation, possible spotting something more serious. The cause could be relatively simple and resolvable over time, like diet, stress and medications but could also be more complex like heredity (androgenetic alopecia), hormonal fluctuation and disease or even some combination. Undiagnosed, her hair problem and potentially her health, could deteriorate further.

I asked her if she wouldn’t feel better knowing what the cause was and she agreed she couldn’t afford not to go.

Look Good, Feel Great!

Dale
www.vollumaforwomen.com

“Wigs” went out of style in the 1960s. Now called “Hair Systems” they are still a popular method of covering severe hair loss. Hair systems today available through professionals are made of the highest quality of human hair or synthetic materials custom colored and styled for the wearer to look completely natural. They can be full or partial and woven in place, taped, glued or clipped. Prices vary widely but you get what you pay for with the more expensive pieces being less detectable and more durable. As with any apparel, maintenance in the form of cleaning and coloring is periodically required.

A class of hair cosmetics called “Enhancers” or “Concealers” manufactured under many brand names, work by varying mechanisms to improve the appearance of thinning hair. Essentially there are three basic types of Cosmetic Enhancers for the hair, powders, lotions and sprays.

Lotions available in a limited color range are applied with the fingers or by applicator directly onto the thinning areas of the scalp. They work by darkening the scalp to the color of the hair and reducing scalp contrast.

Loose powders, available in a limited color range, are made of colored organic keratin fibers are sprinkled onto thinning hair areas. The fibers work by adhering to the hair shafts with electrostatic force, temporarily thickening them while the excess powder falls to the scalp, darkening it and reducing scalp contrast.

Compressed powders, available in a limited color range, made of emollients, conditioners, texturizers and botanical ingredients are applied by applicator directly onto the thinning areas of the scalp. They work by darkening the scalp to the color of the hair and reducing the contrast by neutralizing the scalp’s shine.

Aerosol sprays are available in a wider color range than powders and lotions with a variety of formulations depending on the manufacturer and are sprayed into the hair. They work to thicken the hair shaft by bonding microfibers directly to them with excess spray falling to the scalp, darkening it to reduce scalp contrast.

Hair thickening cosmetics should be considered by any woman with thinning hair. The advantage of these cosmetics is that they work well with almost any kind of thin (sparse) hair regardless of where in the process of losing or re-growing your hair you are. They are inexpensive, easy to apply and fit easily into an existing morning beauty regimen.

Look Good, Feel Great!

Dale
www.vollumaforwomen.com

But perhaps your situation is different. Maybe your doctor has eliminated all potential medical causes, you have tried medications that did produce results to your satisfaction and your condition is considered permanent. At any rate, you are at the end of the road trying to re-grow your hair, you long for the return of your lost confidence and you need your hair “fixed”. Could you be a candidate for a hair transplant? Possibly, and even though only 13% of transplants worldwide are performed on women, the results are excellent.

Women under certain circumstances can be helped by hair transplant surgery. The current technology for hair transplantation allows only for the redistribution of existing hair. The particular challenge for women, with the diffuse type of thinning they experience, is that they typically lack the type of dense donor area (monk’s fringe) found in many balding men. The best transplant applications for women with sufficient donor area are the re-creation or thickening of an existing hair line or to minimize a scar or area of trauma. Hair transplants are typically not performed on women suffering from Alopecia Areata as those areas are prone to spontaneous re-growth.

Once you have decided that a hair transplant may be for you, and you have rationalized that even a relatively simple surgery such as this is not completely without risk or complications, look for a surgeon certified by the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) or the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery (ABHRS). Ask for, and check references, the results of surgery are permanent and you want to be happy with results the first time.

Ask your surgeon about their experience – how long have they been performing transplants and how many surgeries have they performed on women? What does he or she recommend for you? How many surgeries will be required? Where will the hair will be harvested from, where it will be transplanted to? How many and what type of grafts will are recommended? How long will the healing process take and what results are ultimately to be expected – can they show you what you will look like? What will they do if you are not completely happy with the results? What is the cost for surgery and any post operative care?

Remember, hair replacement surgery simply redistributes your existing hair from areas of higher density to areas of lower density and no new hair is created however, combined with topical medications and cosmetic enhancers, hair replacement surgery could be just what the doctor ordered!

As our hair loss condition progresses, we often go into denial or feel like hiding. Maybe our hair will just grow back on its own if we ignore it but unfortunately that is not the reality. Admitting to ourselves that we have a problem is the first step towards getting help leading us to the next challenge. Who treats hair loss conditions? How do you find a doctor qualified to diagnose the cause of your thinning hair and prescribe the right treatment? As women have many more potential triggers for hair loss as compared to men, first see your family physician to make the initial assessment. After the elimination of basic hormonal and medical causes, you will likely be referred to a dermatologist who specializes in treating conditions associated with the skin and scalp.

Ask your doctor to refer you to a dermatologist who is board certified with the American Society of Dermatologists. Your dermatologist will perform a battery of tests including a scalp exam, a hair pull test and possible a scalp biopsy to determine the root cause of your condition.

Quite likely, you will be prescribed Minoxidil, the same treatment that has made headlines in treating men’s hair loss but this medication is equally effective for women. The level of re-growth experienced depends largely on how advanced the hair loss is with best results typically seen after early treatment.

Work with your doctor(s) making every effort to provide all details needed by them to make a quick and proper diagnosis. Ask family members about family medical issues and be sure to disclose to your doctor any and all drugs you are taking and personal habits or lifestyles you are engaged in, no matter how embarrassing. After all, doctors are not magicians and the more quality information you can provide, the more accurate your diagnosis can be and the quicker treatment can begin.

With good communication between you and your physician and a willingness on your part to spend the necessary time and energy to work through the potential solutions to your hair loss, you will in time, find one that works. Modern medicine has come along the way in the fight against hair loss and, when combined with the right hair thickening cosmetic, your hair can look good from the beginning of your treatments all the way through to the end with no-one being the wiser to your condition.