TV presenter Melanie Sykes has revealed she is now completely bald, and the cause is a surprisingly common condition called alopecia.
Believed to affect more than 100,000 people in Britain, alopecia can range from mild hair loss to complete baldness.
There are various kinds of alopecia, which is a general term for hair loss, but one of the most common types is alopecia areata – an autoimmune condition which causes the body to mistakenly attack its hair follicles.
In minor cases alopecia areata causes small, round bald patches on the scalp and can also affect the eyebrows and eyelashes. But in more severe instances it can lead to the loss of all hair on the scalp or across the entire body.
Other forms of alopecia behave differently. Androgenetic alopecia – better known as male or female pattern baldness – usually causes a receding hairline, thinning hair or hair loss at the crown.
Ms Sykes revealed she had lost around ‘two-thirds’ of her hair shortly before debuting her completely bald look.
While it remains unclear which type of alopecia the 55-year-old has, experts are now warning of the everyday activities that can trigger certain types of alopecia – and the practical steps people can take to protect against it.
Melanie Sykes revealed she is now completely bald amid her ongoing battle with alopecia
TikTok hair styles
Tutorials showing how to achieve tight, slicked-back ponytails and buns have racked up millions of views on TikTok, with many dubbing it a ‘natural Botox’ because the look provides a face-lifting effect.
But experts warn the viral aesthetic could come at a cost.
According to Dr Aamna Adel, a consultant dermatologist and hair specialist, wearing tightly pulled hairstyles can trigger traction alopecia – a form of hair loss caused by repeated tugging on the hair follicles.
She tells the Daily Mail: ‘Traction alopecia is caused by wearing tight hairstyles like slick-back buns or tightly pulled ponytails.
‘Essentially, you’re stressing the hair follicle by tugging at it. If you are wearing those hairstyles repeatedly for long periods of hours, the hair can fall out.
‘It’s reversible as long as you stop doing the tight hairstyles. But over time, repeatedly, the hair follicle can become scarred and it can become permanent.’
Poor diet
Not getting enough essential nutrients can contribute to hair loss, particularly in people following restrictive diets.
For example, vegans and vegetarians have been found to be at greater risk of iron deficiency because they do not eat red meat, one of the richest sources of iron.
Studies have linked low iron levels to hair loss, particularly shedding known as telogen effluvium.
Deficiencies in zinc, found in meat and seafood, as well as vitamin B2, found in dairy products, eggs and lean meats, may also contribute to hair loss.
Meanwhile, low levels of folate, common in leafy green vegetables, beans and legumes, and vitamin B12, the richest sources of which are animal proteins, have been linked to some forms of alopecia.
A deficiency in selenium – found in Brazil nuts, fish, meats and eggs – can also lead to hair loss, studies have shown, although this is more rare.
Dr Adel said: ‘Not eating enough meat can lead to people developing nutritional deficiencies, but that’s not always the case.
‘I often ask whether some of these are vegan or vegetarian because they may not be getting certain nutrients within their diet.
Ms Sykes revealed she had lost around ‘two-thirds’ of her hair before shortly before debuting her completely bald look
‘So it’s not necessarily linked to just meat, but I would say any type of restrictive diet can lead to nutritional deficiencies potentially.’
Low levels of vitamin D – traditionally caused by a lack of sunlight exposure – have also been associated with alopecia, especially alopecia areata.
Constant stress
One of the most common phrases about being stressed is that you are left ‘pulling your hair out’.
But it turns out stress may already be doing that for you.
Studies have shown that physical and emotional stress can be linked to hair loss and, according to experts, three conditions in particular may be triggered by it.
The first is telogen effluvium, in which stress pushes large numbers of hair follicles into a so-called ‘resting phase’. A few months later, the affected hairs may begin falling out, often while brushing or washing.
Stress is thought to play a role in alopecia areata, too, while it can also trigger trichotillomania, a psychological condition that causes an urge to pull out hair from the scalp, eyebrows or other parts of the body as a way of coping with difficult emotions.
Experts say that stress management techniques, such as regular exercise and talking therapy, can reduce the risk of this hair loss.
Dr Adel said: ‘Alopecia can be related to general stress. If you’ve had surgery, any type of stress is really either physically or mentally can kind of trigger that type of hair loss.
‘I would say that managing stress is really important when it comes to hair loss and hair thinning, especially where there’s autoimmune disease, which tends to be really triggered by stressful events.
‘When I’m seeing people in clinic, I always tell them a trigger for you having another episode of this hair loss can be stress.
So, it’s really important to try to manage that as best as possible, which is obviously easier said than done.’
