A Guide to Dealing with Alopecia

Naomi Campbell and Joanna Rowsell have very different lifestyles but they’ve both got something in common. The notoriously feisty supermodel and gold-medal-winning athlete are both suffering from premature hair loss – otherwise known as alopecia – albeit caused by very different circumstances.

Dr Raghu Reddy, a hair-loss expert based at Harley Street’s Private Clinic, doesn’t think that premature hair loss in women is becoming more widespread – it is just that more women are starting to speak out about the issue. “I’m not convinced that hair loss in women has become more common – it’s possible that increased awareness has simply led to more women seeking help,” says Dr Reddy.

Because there is a range of reasons for premature hair loss, it’s very important to seek help early on. “As hair loss in women is most commonly caused by an underlying medical problem, if the medical reason is diagnosed – and the earlier the better – then in many cases hair loss in women can be reversed,” says Dr Reddy. “The most important thing for women to do is to discover whether the hair loss is a symptom of an underlying medical condition.”