Hair loss is more common than you think, but it usually occurs to men and some women when they’re above 40 years of age. However, due to stress, poor diet and bad air pollution, both men and women in South East Asia are experiencing premature scalp ageing as young as 30 years old. It’s very unfortunate that I, exactly at 30, am experiencing major hair loss.
What causes hair loss?
The anatomy of a single human hair
Irregular shampooing and using the wrong cleansing products are the main culprit. When you don’t, dirt and sebum can clog up follicles, making it easy for bacteria to form and infect hair roots. Besides, using hair sprays, gels and wax that touches the scalp can cause blockages too. Follicles will then lack oxygen and cease to function.
Also, the lack of scalp-care knowledge like the usage of tonic and serums is a common problem that leads to hair loss. Not leaving out unhealthy lifestyle like smoking and excessive alcohol consumption that can too be an issue.
I don’t drink nor smoke, however, I am very particular about styling my hair daily, so can you imagine the horror when I started seeing an abnormal amount of hair strands on my desk and a huge clump in my shower drain. My front scalp is more visible than usual these past three weeks.
Not to mention, I am prone to Male Pattern Baldness due to dihydrotestosterone that’s made from testosterone - this hormone is responsible in killing hair follicles. Luckily, there are tons of treatments available to counter these issues.
What are the treatments for scalp thinning and hair loss?
Treatment room: Scalp steaming, prepping massages take place here
There are plenty of treatments that can tackle scalp thinning and hair loss, ranging from laser machines to tonics. To know which treatment suits your condition, it’s best to first consult a Trichologist.
Ms. Eileen, Hair Expert of Svenson - a hair and scalp care centre - mentions that treatments and therapies are specially designed for each individual’s scalp. According to her, my scalp and hair follicles are weak, so I’m experiencing hair loss, and young hair is growing at a slow rate. Hence why I’ll need a treatment that uses the Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) technology.
Thankfully, the good people at Svenson gave me access to a full scalp therapy session to counter this issue.
And so it begins...
Step 1: Personal information
Upon entering her room, I had to go through an examination, so it’s very important that I truthfully reveal my age, lifestyle choices, unhealthy shampooing and hair styling habits for her to properly identify the cause of my hair loss.
Step 2: My hair wash routine
Back in 2011, a therapist diagnosed my scalp as combination (oily and dry at certain areas).So, I’m not allowed to shampoo my hair often. Below is my everyday routine:
- Shampoo my hair on alternate days
- Use a conditioner or hair mask
- Spray on some scalp tonic
- Rub on some after-wash serum to soften hair
- Use heat-protection oil with my hair straightener
- Use hair wax to shape my hair
Before & After Treatment
Step 3: Scanning my scalp
She scanned my scalp, zooming in on all the nasty bits. It turns out that my scalp developed a new condition as I aged; it’s now sensitive, redness-prone, flaky and dandruff-filled with dead skin cells. Reason? Overly active oil glands.
Oil or sebum can fill up hair follicles and cause excessive build ups. After the full consultation, the results show that my scalp is showing signs of a 40-year old male, but I’m only 30. That is 10 years of fast ageing, due to my hair wash pattern which is incorrect.
Step 4: Treatment
At the final step, Ms. Eileen prescribed a treatment that involved their latest invention, the Capillus (CAP-LS Therapy). But before that, I’ll need to go through a basic scalp treatment and learn the proper way to wash my hair. I was sent to a therapist named May who further advised me on how to do so.
What is the proper way to wash and treat the scalp?
Here’s how to prep my scalp for a wash
Scalp steaming in the treatment room
Ms. May, the therapist, applied a cleansing cream to my oily, dirty scalp to loosen stubborn dead skin cells, sebum and dirt. It has a cool and relaxing feeling which got better when the therapist massages my scalp after. Then, she wrapped the edges and put my head under a steamer to open up my pores and hair follicles to further remove dirt later.
I learnt how to scrub away all the gunk on my scalp, twice
Diagram: The correct way to wash your hair
After steaming, May moved me to the sink for a thorough wash. Using her fingertips only, May lathered a small amount of shampoo on her palms and started to scrub the front and back part of my scalp. She scrubbed back and forth using the sideways motion, followed by the up and down motion, as shown in the diagram above.
She put a lot of pressure, with her fingertips, on scrubbing my scalp to properly remove the dead skin cells and stubborn dandruff. May then washed it all off and repeated the steps. This is to properly remove the remaining and very stubborn gunk from my scalp and follicle opening; preparing them for further treatment.
Getting rid of bacteria that can harm the scalp
The therapist is using the Non-invasive High-frequency tool to remove bacteria and stimulate blood circulation on my scalp
Next, May used the Non-invasive High-frequency tool to zap away harmful bacteria that can attack hair follicle openings. It also helps stimulate blood circulation for healthy hair growth. She brushed the tool all over my scalp for about five minutes, and there was a very slight discomfort as it feels a little zappy but it’s not painful.
Preparing the scalp for an extensive treatment
After getting rid of bacteria and harmful particles on my scalp, May proceeded to apply, with a cotton stick, some preparation serum all over my scalp. It’s cooling and comfortable, perfect after the Non-invasive High-frequency tool zapping.
A crucial 15-step massage is then performed by the therapist, starting from the front of the scalp to back for good blood circulation. This can help stimulate hair follicles. When the scalp is prepped and ready for treatment, I was sent to a slightly intimidating room for the extensive treatment, simply named by Svenson, the Capillus (CAP-LS Therapy).
What is the Capillus (CAP-LS Therapy)?
The Capillus (CAP-LS Therapy) machine
The Capillus (CAP-LS Therapy) uses the Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) technology to stimulate your hair follicles, decrease inflammation and promote microcirculation without the usage of drugs.
Most importantly, the red low level laser light targets the Mitochondria in a single human cell to increase its energy, enhance tissue oxygen and overall cell reproduction. The results: thicker, faster and healthier hair growth.
The inside of the Capillus (CAP-LS Therapy) machine
The FDA-approved machine looked like a bicycle cap, so it was actually not too intimidating after all. When the therapist placed it on my head (imagine steaming your hair in a salon), the bright red laser came on. There was absolutely no feeling at all except a very slight warmish feeling on my scalp. It was pretty relaxing, thus I fell asleep during the treatment.
Immediately after the treatment that lasted only six minutes, my scalp felt very clean, light and not itchy at all. I went home with a complimentary bottle of shampoo that works to thoroughly remove sebum, dead skin cells and flakes.
Additionally, I purchased two extra products - the Sebum Control Tonic to stimulate cells and promote hair growth, and Hair Booster Tonic to speed up the process of hair growth.
Of course, I can not see any results with just one treatment. According to Ms. Eileen, my scalp’s condition will reverse with at least 16 treatments, once a week, provided I take excellent care of my scalp at home. This means I can only start seeing results from about four months.
One week later...
My scalp’s condition after one week
I went for a follow-up session a week later. According to Ms. Eileen, my scalp looks cleaner and clearer compared to a week ago. My hair follicles are almost transparent, meaning there is no sebum and dirt blocking the openings. Although, there are still some visible redness due to skin sensitivity, that should also be the least of my worries provided I take great care of my scalp.
As mentioned earlier, my oil glands are overactive, so Ms. Eileen advised me to double cleanse my hair twice a day to stabilise the oil production. When my scalp recovers, I can go back to washing it only once a day. Nevertheless, our hair can only look good when the scalp is healthy.
Here's Your Chance To Try It For FREE...*
...only if you're one of our 5 lucky readers who answer a very simple question! We have 5 sets of CAP-LS Hair Restoration Therapy (includes 1x Session CAP-LS Therapy and 1x Elixir Hair Serum) each to give away - just fill in your details and answer the question in the form below.
Giveaway period is from 7 till 20 October 2019 so we'd advise you to try your luck before it ends!
*Terms & conditions apply
If you're too excited and want to give CAP-LS Therapy a try already, you can sign up for your first trial session at only RM119 (worth RM545) that also includes an Elixir Hair Serum. For more information on their other hair treatments, click here.