Female hair loss is a psychological disadvantage for women
The development of female pattern hair loss can be associated
with some significant psychological effects according to two
researchers from Monash University. To counter the potentially
devastating effect of hair loss on the psyche of women, a new
group therapy program called HALO (short for HAir LOss) has
been developed by lecturer in Behavioural Studies Dr Francesca
Collins and Monash honorary research associate Ms Sebastiana
Biondo. This program has achieved positive outcomes in dealing
with the psychological effects of hair loss and can be pretty
effective.
Statistics show that around 50% of women in Australia suffer
from female pattern hair loss. Female pattern hair loss typically
presents as an overall thinning, but with maintenance of a normal
hairline. The effect can be seen in one in five women over the
age of 30 and one in two women aged 60 or more. As such, the
professionals claim the problem of female pattern hair loss
is universal and needs to addressed at the national and even
global level.
The Halo program is a program that is specially designed for
adult women in Australia. The women that are admitted to this
program are suffering from female pattern hair loss and are
receiving, or waiting to receive, medical treatment for the
condition. This program was successfully launched by Alfred
Hospital in 2004, where around 20 women initially took part
in the 8-week program.
The program evaluates important issues that are related to
the psychological effect on women of female pattern hair loss,
including, self-esteem, body image, self-confidence, relationships,
anxiety, quality of life, and depression. A report on the treatment
will be presented at the annual Australian Psychological Society
conference in Melbourne.
The history of Australian research on the psychological effects
of female hair loss is limited. However, in 2002, Ms Biondo
undertook the first Australian study that explored the quality
of life and psychological impact on women with hereditary hair
loss. This became the launch pad for the Halo program, in association
with Dr Collins, and Dr Rodney Sinclair, Professor of Dermatology
at the University of Melbourne.
The main purpose of the Halo program is to counsel women about
the disease and the effects of it on their personality. The
Halo program organizers have noticed that most of the women
who join the program are unaware about the very idea that such
a disease could happen to them, and that so many women are suffering
from it. The fear and anxiety about the problem is so much that
women fear discussing the situation with their doctors. Research
and counseling programs such as Halo are needed to improve the
overall psychology of women who are suffering from female pattern
hair loss in conjunction with more effective clinical treatments.
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