June 3, 2024 • 31 mins
Shayna lost all of her hair when she was 18 months old.
In this episode of the Hair Loss in Women podcast, Bambi talks to Shayna about Alopecia Universalis and delves into the world of living with such a significant loss of hair.
In this episode you’ll hear about:
- How growing up with hair loss has shaped her identity
- Why confidence can be the answer to many problems, including hair loss.
- Bambi also talks about what to look out for in the lucrative world of supplements in the Did You Know segment.
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DISCLAIMER:
While Bambi is a former registered nurse with extensive knowledge on hair loss in women, she is not a medical doctor.
All information shared in this podcast is of a general nature.
Please see your GP or other medical professional for specific advice related to your circumstances.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Hello ladies, are you struggling with hairloss?
I want you to know you're not alone.
Hi, I'm Bambi Staveley, former registerednurse, author, founder of Boost n Blend,
and someone who probably just like you hashad first -hand experience with hair loss,
which is all covered in my latest book,Hair Loss in Women.
(00:23):
When I noticed my own hair thinning 15years ago,
I went looking for information and I wentlooking for products for women, just like
you and me.
But all I could find out there wasproducts made for men.
And most of the information I could findwas about male pattern baldness.
Well, that's not much help.
So I set out to change that.
(00:44):
I want to see women with hair loss talkingabout it and talking to each other,
sharing their stories from a place ofknowledge.
So join me.
as I meet some courageous women.
I'll share some information and we'lllearn together on the Hair Loss in Women
podcast.
(01:08):
Hi there, time for another episode of theHair Loss in Women podcast.
Many women in the hair loss communityspend a lot of time hiding their hair
loss, but not today's guest.
Today's guest is Shayna.
She has alopecia universalis, so thatmeans she has no hair at all.
(01:28):
I really enjoyed talking to Shayna becauseher story of how her confidence grew as
she grew older was something that I thinkis so interesting.
and is also important for us all as womento hear.
So you'll get to meet Shana in just amoment and then you'll get to hear about
something that can be a littlecontroversial in the hair loss community
(01:50):
and that is supplements.
I'm going to walk you through whensupplements can actually help and what to
look out for and that's straight after ourinterview.
So first up, it's time now to hear fromShana.
Hi, Shayna.
Welcome to the Hair Loss in Women podcast.
(02:11):
Hi, thanks for having me.
Well, thank you so much for giving yourtime today.
I really appreciate it.
So let's go back to the beginning of yourhair loss.
When did you first lose your hair?
I was very young.
I was so young that I don't even rememberit happening.
I was 18 months old.
So I effectively grew up without anyknowledge of hair, any memory of hair.
(02:34):
And I grew up with alopecia universalis.
full body hair loss, grew up just with itbeing what was normal to me.
Wow.
So you had hair before you were 18 monthsold, which a lot of little ones don't
have.
So you obviously had hair.
And how did your mother cope with that atthe time?
(02:56):
Or how did she tell you that she copedwith it?
She mentioned that because it happenedvery suddenly, so I had full hair loss in
about three weeks.
time from when it began.
She has stories of needing to vacuum up myhair from the crib and how difficult that
was, not knowing if it was somethingserious.
(03:16):
I think at that point she hadn't heard ofalopecia and she didn't know what was
happening.
I seemed healthy, but obviously I waslosing my hair.
And so from the stories she's told me, itwas about visiting different doctors,
trying to work out what was happening andfind a sense of acceptance really and
manage any sense of self -care.
blame in the process.
(03:38):
Yeah.
And so what did the doctors tell her?
They explained that all signs pointed toalopecia and they introduced her to the
idea of the autoimmune disease.
I believe she had looked into, you know,whether hereditary causes, environmental
causes, things like that.
And there was a stage where they tried, Ithink, different creams.
(04:00):
I don't have a lot of detail on it becauseagain, it's sort of before my memory.
But pretty quickly as a toddler, shewanted me to feel as normal as possible
and made an effort to put me in as manygroup classes, sports, dance classes,
anything I could get into and wanting meto feel good on my own, au natural as she
would always say, and show me that therewas no difference for me from any other
(04:21):
kid and try to build those lessons inquite early.
And was that good for you?
Did you grow up feeling okay about it?
Yeah, you know what, I grew up not f***inggood.
questioning it.
It actually wasn't a conversation we hadregularly that I can remember, for better
or for worse.
It was sort of, this is just, this is whoyou are and you look a bit different, but
(04:44):
there's, you're healthy and there'snothing wrong with you.
And I have heard stories that when I wasreally young and walking and talking, we
would go into department stores and Iwould walk up to strangers almost with a
sense of pride about it.
And I would take off my winter hat.
to reveal my bald head and I would say,hello, my name is, and I would say first
(05:06):
name, middle name, last name, I wouldstate my entire address and I would say,
and I have Alopecia areata universalis andthen nothing and just wait for a response.
And these stunned people would kind ofstare back and look at my mom and mom
would have to jump in with a bit of anexplanation.
But as I got older, when you start tonotice the difference, notice the staring.
(05:29):
hear some whispers, maybe hear some wordsfrom other people.
That's when you're made aware of thatyou're different, that you look different.
What a wonderful mother you have.
The fact that she gave you that confidenceand that feeling of self -worth was just
so wonderful that she was able to do thatfor you.
(05:50):
So how different do you think it wouldhave been for you had you had hair?
I mean, I'm just wondering about primaryschool, how that might have played out.
I think it shapes you pretty early in thesense that not having hair, I always
wanted to make other people feelcomfortable.
It was almost a way of managing theirresponses to me to kind of say, no, no,
(06:13):
I'm okay, I'm healthy.
And that put me, I think looking back onit now as an adult who goes to therapy, I
think it put me in a state of peoplepleasing.
Really, I was trying to placate otherpeople where they were at, preempt how
they might respond, create a comfortable,safe environment for them.
And had I had hair, I probably wouldn'thave to worry about something like that.
(06:33):
I could have just enjoyed whatever I wasdoing.
And I think the other part with growing upas a little kid without hair and looking
different is you do have people staring atyou.
Sometimes it's your classmates andsometimes they'll make comments.
I was very fortunate in that I didn't growup with bullying.
I would hear comments on the streetsometimes.
Usually positive or neutral, people justkind of stating, hey, that girl doesn't
(06:57):
have any hair.
Or particularly, you know, from otherlittle kids who don't have that filter
that we're all aware of where they wouldsay, you know, daddy, why is that woman
bald?
Quite loud on the streets, which is alsointeresting to hear how they respond.
But you have to learn at a young age howto adapt to those situations, what stories
you tell.
(07:17):
Even now I'm finding it, my friends are atthe age where they're having kids and they
have kids who are toddlers and thosetoddlers are now aware of my difference
and they're asking me why I don't have anyhair.
And how you explain autoimmune disease totoddlers is quite interesting.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So for many women in the hair losscommunity, I guess myself included, we
spend a lot of time hiding our hair lossor hiding from it.
(07:40):
So what's it like for you to go throughthe world, not looking to hide it or do
you ever hide it?
I don't hide it often.
I think I was lucky growing up in that Iwas quite a serious competitive swimmer.
So a lot of my time I was in sport in thepool and not having hair to work to my
advantage.
So it was kind of wrapped up with my senseof identity in that sense.
I didn't have the hair to go with it.
(08:04):
But when I was younger, the odd time I didwear a wig, it was to fit in.
It was to blend in as much as possiblebecause being stared at, you know, the
double takes, sometimes that's exhausting.
you made aware all the time of howdifferent you feel.
And sometimes you just don't want to feeldifferent.
You just want to be normal.
And in the times, probably my late teensand early twenties, when I started
(08:27):
dabbling in wigs, that was the intention,getting something that looked as natural
as possible for that kind of goingincognito mode to feel like, it's almost
like I was a celebrity that no onerecognized and I could just relax a little
bit more and have fun.
And I found myself actually in a moreplayful mood as a result.
But as I've gotten older and I think it'sjust,
the symptom of I'm a woman who's 40 yearsold now and I've got a lot of confidence
(08:50):
that comes with that.
I love standing out.
It's flipped the other way where now if Iwalk into a room and there's another woman
that has a shaved head, I kind of go, hangon here, this is my turf.
I had this look first.
And as a result, I mean, it's built, youknow, that confidence extends to other
areas of my life or benefits other areasof my life in general.
(09:12):
But it's been interesting to be on thatjourney.
Yeah, for sure.
Absolutely.
So have you dated?
Has that ever been an issue?
I think it hasn't been an issue, but I amcurrently single and on the app.
So going through that joyful experiencethat many women here know.
When I was younger, I think it all againcomes back to confidence.
(09:32):
So when I was younger, I worried that Iwasn't as beautiful as other women or that
maybe it would be, I was with someone whowas fetishizing how I looked.
I worried that a lot of people would thinkI had cancer.
And so I went out of my way on dating appsto explain what alopecia was and that I
was well.
And in terms of having the confidence towalk up to someone back when we used to do
(09:55):
that, you know, at a bar, out in public, Iwouldn't, because I thought, I don't know,
I want to know that they've seen me, thatthey like me and they've approached me.
It was that initial like vetting that hashappened and that it was safe for me.
Cause I didn't feel like I could walk upto them like any other woman and be
accepted the same way.
(10:15):
But again, as I've gotten older, I'velearned that the more I embrace it, the
more I'm straight and the more menactually really like it.
Wow.
That's great.
Not in a fetish kind of way.
They just go, wow, you look different.
You look beautiful.
And yeah, you do.
When I, thank you.
When I, when I wear wigs and I I've gotones that are a bit more fun and you know,
blue and funky colors and things that dostand out.
(10:37):
So I've gone from hiding to standing outeven with wigs.
my partners don't always like me wearingit.
And I know that's common with other women.
It's, they've just said, you just standout just the way you are.
And that's like, what's special about youis the fact that you're bald.
And for me to actually hear that andaccept it, that's the other thing.
I think the people I would have dated as ateenager probably said something similar
(10:58):
from memory, but I didn't buy it because Ididn't feel that way really about myself.
And I've done a lot of work in therapy.
You know, I've, despite not having hairall this time, it still creeps up
sometimes.
not feeling confident, not feeling good,grieving the loss of something that I
don't even remember losing in a way, or anexperience I didn't have.
And so as confident as I may sound, Ithink I'd probably say to anyone listening
(11:21):
that it's such a journey and the way youfeel about your hair or hair loss might
change every day.
And we just have to be gentle withourselves and ride that wave and know that
no one's got it figured out.
That it's just the pressures we feel inbeauty and the shame associated with all
of that.
and the grief.
Yeah, they're all very real feelings.
(11:43):
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's interesting that you grieve the lossbecause as you said, it's not something
you remember losing.
And for those of us who have lost, youknow, up to 75 % of the hair we once had,
there is a grief.
There really is.
It's a very palpable thing to feel thatloss.
(12:03):
So it's interesting that you feel thatloss as well.
And I'm sorry that you do.
But that's something that we all have towork through as you said and we all work
through it in our own way and everybodyhas their own, you know this word journey,
we are all on our own journey to figureout who we are with whatever hair we do or
(12:25):
don't have.
So you said you have at various timestried wigs, so I'm assuming that that's
now something in the past that you're notgoing to consider or you don't consider
that something that you might move to.
Ever again?
I've always worn them for fun.
So it's never really been something I wearfor even longer than a few hours because
I, because I don't need, I don't feel theneed to wear them ongoing.
(12:47):
I don't invest in high quality wigs.
Therefore they're itchier, they're hotter,you know, it's that catch 22, you need to
get used to them.
But if you're not wearing them enoughanyway.
So in my experience, I would often wearthem usually in winter, cause it feels
like a winter hat because they're so warmand I'm from Canada.
So I had a bit more opportunity to do thatthan here.
Yep.
(13:07):
so I'd wear it for a few nights, go to thebar, have a bit of fun, enjoy that relief
of peeling that sweaty bad boy off at theend of the day.
Look in the mirror, have a challengingexperience of not looking as beautiful as
I just did a few minutes ago.
So I still had that experience where I,wow, I be, I'm beautiful as is, but in
some part of me would say, gosh, you lookbetter with it.
(13:29):
And there's that little journey.
And I don't like, I associate that withwearing a wig and that's not a positive.
No.
Part of the.
process.
And so yeah, for me for wearing wigs, it'sI wouldn't say it's I'm done with it, but
I have to be in a mood to do it.
Right.
Okay.
And you said it was cold where you werewhen you were growing up in Canada and
(13:49):
when you said here you're in Australianow.
So it's the weather is much warmer and wedon't tend to well, I guess some women do
wear hats and we do try to keep our headwarm, but it's not something we do.
We don't live through the snow.
or certainly not in where you are or whereI am.
If you were in Canada and it was reallycold, you might be more inclined to wear a
(14:09):
hat than you would be in Australia, Isuppose.
I was wearing my winter hat this morning,actually, here in Melbourne.
OK.
Well, it does get cold, doesn't it?
Yeah, but it's also the sun here at SOFIA.
So I tend to, as I've gotten older again,thinking about my skin and the usual
things we do, I wear a baseball cap moreoften, not because I'm hiding, but just
for sun protection because I went so manyyears without really taking care of my
(14:32):
scalp.
And yeah, I've got a great big sun hat.
And so it's more, yes, not because it'scold in Australia, but because the sun is
so fierce.
So it's nice to have some protection, beit a wig, a hat, yeah, a scarf.
Yeah, absolutely.
We really do have to look after our skinand you would have to look after your
scalp as well as your face.
So yeah, I understand that.
(14:53):
Now, one of the things about alopeciauniversalis is that you lose all your
hair.
So that means your eyebrows and eyelashesas well.
Do you replace those?
No, and that's been an interesting part ofmy journey.
I'll use that word again.
So I think the main reason I don't replacethem is again, from when I was growing up
(15:15):
as a swimmer, it just wasn't practical tobe wearing a lot of makeup or doing those
things.
So I got used to myself looking a certainway.
But realistically, I think I'm aperfectionist, unfortunately, and I can
never get that makeup looking as nice as Iwould like it to.
And I then become self -conscious.
of my face.
What's changed the game probably from aneyebrow perspective is the temporary
(15:37):
tattoo eyebrows that are now available.
I've done a bit of performance actually inthe last few years getting into the
burlesque space just on a very casuallevel.
And it's nice to have eyebrows to show theexpression on your face when you're
performing.
So that's an opportunity when I'd oftenput them on even though they don't move
quite as naturally.
But they just, you know, they stay on fora long time.
(15:58):
They look good.
I'm not worried about rubbing them offbecause I'm a bit sweaty and I forget that
they're there.
Eyelashes though are ones that, you know,in some ways I'd rather have lashes than I
would hair.
There's an association I have withfemininity and eyelashes and I consider
myself quite feminine on that kind ofspectrum.
And I've struggled with not having thatopportunity.
(16:20):
And it used to irk me when women would goand get lash extensions.
Cause I'm like, some of us aren't workingwith anything here.
Can we not try to do that?
You already have an advantage.
And so I've tried different fake lashes,particularly with performing, but I find
without having even a base lash for themto rest on that they fall off more easily.
And it's, it's a bit of a pain.
(16:42):
The magnetic one's a bit, a bit more fun,but again, they don't really last that
long on me.
So I rely a bit more on liner.
I've looked at potentially tattooingliner, just so I don't have to worry about
it.
I'm just a little bit nervous about thatprocess.
I have to look into it a bit more and findsomeone great.
But in general, yeah, and the interestingthing I think about not drawing on
(17:04):
eyebrows and lashes is that I don't oftensee other people who look like me when I
turn to social media.
And this was something that became evidentto me over our lockdowns that we had
starting in 2020.
We're all spending a bit more time than wenormally would online, turning to
Instagram for the scrolling.
And I started exploring the Alopeciacommunity, starting in Melbourne a little
(17:26):
bit.
more, I hadn't really connected withanyone since moving here in 2012.
And that's one thing I noticed.
And I had to start looking globally to tryto find someone who had alopecia
universalis who wasn't sort of topping up,if you will, with eyebrows and lashes.
And I maybe found three people, threeaccounts.
(17:47):
And I thought, I'm just not seeing therepresent representation matters.
And I'm not really seeing women who looklike me in this mix.
And so, you know,
did what a lot of people did at the timeand I started an Instagram account to try
to have a bit of a place in thatconversation.
Great.
Well, I think it's wonderful that you havedone that.
And I guess there would be a lot of womenwho would be very grateful to you that you
(18:10):
have done that, especially when you wentto look, there was nothing there or there
was hardly anyone there.
So you do appear to me to be someone whois very comfortable in your own skin.
And I think that's just so wonderful tohear you talk about it that way and to see
you.
with such confidence.
Of course, we all are like, you know,confidence on the outside, what's going on
(18:31):
on the inside can be something completelydifferent.
But I guess your natural self is a personwithout hair.
So how would you feel if suddenly therewas a cure and you could grow hair?
How would you feel about that?
That's a great question.
I've thought about that many times myself.
I don't know if I would take it.
(18:53):
I know it's probably, it's sort of likethe devil, you know?
Yeah.
Because realistically I've never had toshave my legs.
One time I grew a pubic hair, one randomdark pubic hair and it was on my inner
thigh.
Wasn't even in kind of the right place, ifyou will.
And I didn't know what to do with it.
I went out and I bought a razor becausethe idea of plucking terrified me.
(19:14):
Yeah.
Yep, it would.
And so there's all these unknownsassociated with it.
You know, I've never washed my hair.
I don't have children, but I even thoughtif I had kids, I wouldn't know how to
brush their hair, how to wash.
I just have no experience in that space.
And so it's, I think the only, the onlyreason I might maybe take it is the fear
of God knows what this very heavily sunkissed scalp will look like in 30 years.
(19:39):
I might want to cover it up.
Maybe I'd want hair.
Maybe I'll wear wigs then.
I'm not quite sure, but yeah, it's areally, it's kind of an existential
question that I've mulled over many timesover the years.
Yeah.
Great question.
And so here you are, I think you saidyou're 40, which is a great age, I think.
And so how do you feel about it now interms of the way you live your life?
(20:01):
So how do you feel now when you're older,you're not a teenager anymore.
So how do you feel?
Yeah.
I'm at that point where, as I think somany women,
at 40 are feeling that they don't have toreport to anybody.
They can be who they want to be.
You choose to live your life.
You have inklings that life's a bitshorter.
(20:23):
Maybe you're starting to lose parents orloved ones.
And so outside of the alopecia being partof this, I think there's just a freedom
that comes with being a bit older,settling into your skin, knowing who you
are, trusting yourself more.
I think that's been a really big one inthe last few years for me.
It's that.
You know, I think a woman's intuition, inparticular, woman was very powerful.
(20:43):
We don't always listen to it.
We're told to think our way out of things.
And so I'm really been spending a lot ofconscious effort cultivating that.
And it hasn't served me wrong yet.
40 is fun.
So far things aren't hurting too much onthe body.
So I think this is a sweet spot.
Yep.
Yeah.
That's why I say, I think it's a greatage.
I really do.
I remember it.
(21:04):
So anything that you would like to tellother women who might be going through
something similar.
I think it's similar to what I was sayingearlier, that we need to be kind with
ourselves, that there's no, again, no onehas it perfect.
There's, it's a tough thing to go through.
It's, it's challenging because therearen't physical, you know, health
(21:26):
repercussions really associated with this,like other autoimmune diseases.
And so with how powerful it can affect,how powerfully it can affect us, how much
grief we can feel.
There's also a good likelihood, Iexperience this myself, so I assume other
people can experience this too.
There's a shame associated with, well, itshouldn't be that bad because it's not
(21:48):
life -threatening.
We should be able to get over it and finda place of acceptance pretty quickly
because it's just hair.
And unless you've experienced that loss ofsense of identity, not feeling as
beautiful as society tells you you shouldlook, there's a lot of things that are
challenged when you start having hair lossin whatever quantity.
I just think going back to, I guess, theidea of being 40 and being, you know,
(22:12):
trusting yourself, it's just let it, letyourself feel the emotions.
know that there's a lot of support outthere.
I'm someone who didn't tap into supportwhen I was a kid.
I didn't join support groups.
I just, I didn't have any friends who hadhair loss.
I didn't talk to about, talk to anyoneabout it.
And this was pre -internet.
So there were no forums are there.
I just got on with it and I'm stilldealing with those things now.
(22:34):
Cause I think they're worth processing.
They're big feelings about.
important things are happening to us.
So reaching out to friends, going tosupport groups.
There's some, I know I've been to somehere in Melbourne, there's great ones
around the country.
Talking to other people and just beingreally kind with yourself and knowing that
again, acceptance, will we ever truly everreach it ourselves if it's something we're
(22:55):
constantly dealing with?
Maybe not.
And there's almost an acceptance inaccepting that you might never accept it.
And it's okay to not accept it.
Our hearts can handle.
Exactly.
a lot of different, differing, conflictingemotions at the same time.
Yeah.
And yeah, it's just to be kind.
Absolutely.
Be kind to yourself.
Yeah.
Well, thank you, Shayna.
I really appreciate your candidness.
(23:17):
It's just so refreshing to talk to you.
So thank you.
Thank you for telling us your story.
Really appreciate it.
Yeah.
Thank you so much for having me.
It's really great to hear from someonelike Shayna who is so comfortable in her
own skin.
And I think her advice about being kind toourselves is true as well.
So, okay, it's time now for our Did YouKnow segment.
(23:43):
This week we're talking about what youneed to know about supplements.
Have you looked into taking supplementsfor your hair loss?
Well, supplements come in all shapes andsizes.
They come as capsules, gummies, gel caps,powders, drinks, and even bars.
But they're very common in the hair lossworld.
(24:06):
Particularly, I see a lot of advertisingaround hair gummies, hair, nail, and skin.
capsules and hair growth support vitamins.
Maybe you've tried them, maybe you'vetried many of them, and maybe you've tried
all that you can get your hands on.
Well, it might surprise you to know thatsupplements don't undergo the same rigours
(24:27):
of testing that medications and drugs do.
Supplements are not really used forserious medical issues and they can't
claim that they can actually do anything.
I say do anything in, you know,
air quotes, they don't grow hair unlessthey have evidence that it does.
(24:49):
And evidence would mean a lot of rigoroustesting.
If there was a vitamin or a supplementthat did grow hair, we'd all be talking
about it, we'd all be taking it.
So they can only be used for minor healthproblems.
And you probably know of the commonvitamin deficiencies that are often
linked, rightly or wrongly, to female hairloss like vitamin D,
(25:11):
iron, zinc, biotin and of course thesupplement industry is a very lucrative
one.
So today I'm just going to give you anoverview of what might be helpful and what
to look out for when it comes tosupplements.
Please remember what I'm about to say isvery general and very brief.
(25:32):
If you have a question about supplementsfor your own personal situation, please
see your health professional.
So the first thing to say is thatsupplements, particularly when taken for
hair loss, only work or have any kind ofpositive effect when there is a
deficiency.
So the first thing you need to do is havea blood test and work out exactly what you
(25:56):
are or are not deficient in.
Talk to a doctor, that's the mostimportant place to start.
And then if you are deficient in somethinglike, say for example, iron,
then you would supplement with iron.
But in some cases, if you add more of aparticular vitamin or a mineral to your
(26:16):
diet when you don't need it, so at theother end of the scale, too much of
something, it can actually cause problemsand hair loss, of course, would be one of
them.
And the body only needs so much of eachelement of each vitamin or mineral and
loading up with more doesn't actually haveany positive effect.
And if you're thinking, well, what's theharm?
(26:39):
I might as well put in as much as I can incase it helps.
Then I would say, does loading up on sugarhave a cumulative positive effect?
Of course not.
Your body only needs so much to function.
Now, the other thing that I think isimportant to look at is the claims, the
claims that the companies and the productsmake.
(27:00):
So keep in mind and please carefully checkthe wording.
that is used on the labeling of supplementbottles.
You'll only see words like may help or canreduce or supports, say supports healthy
hair growth for example, not causeshealthy hair growth, supports, maintains,
(27:23):
so it keeps the status quo, that sort ofthing.
You won't see guarantees.
You won't see the words used for thetreatment of.
like you do in say a blood pressure tabletthat's used in the treatment of high blood
pressure.
Generally speaking, you won't findpromises at all when it comes to
supplements.
They haven't been proven to do anything.
(27:45):
They haven't been proven that they can doanything more than maybe help to increase
the amount of a particular vitamin ormineral.
So that'll only help, of course, if therewas a deficiency in the first place.
You might find Chinese herbs mentionedwhich have some properties.
that again might support some hair elementor another.
(28:06):
So I think as a general warning, I'dremind everyone to read the fine print.
Look for the asterisk.
It may say, may help hair growth asterisk.
Then look for what the asterisk isreferring to.
And you'll find something in the tinyprint somewhere down the bottom that says,
this product can only be of assistance ifdietary intake is inadequate.
(28:28):
Well, that's right.
That's what I'm saying.
In fact,
Always read the statement that theasterisk is referring to because
sometimes, especially with so -called hairgrowth products, there is a statement that
says something like, results notguaranteed or results not typical.
So make sure that you always read theinformation and then really work out what
(28:49):
you need for your situation.
Otherwise you might be wasting your moneyor even worse, making your hair loss
worse.
And
Another thing that's sort of interestingto note that at the time of making this
podcast, if you're in Australia, the TGAor the Therapeutic Goods Administration
doesn't have a separate category forsupplements.
(29:11):
And in fact, many supplements are justmerely categorized as foods.
And in the US, if you're in America, theFDA or the Food and Drug Administration,
their dietary supplements come under adifferent set of regulations than
traditional food and drugs.
And in the US, unlike drugs, the FDAdoesn't have the authority to approve
(29:33):
supplements or their labeling beforethey're sold to the public.
So that is a really interesting thing tobe aware of.
The FDA isn't even informed when newproducts hit the market.
And it's only if the product is reportedor it's reported as unsafe or there's a
breach in regulations that the FDA stepsin.
So buy beware really when you're takingsupplements.
(29:56):
Read the label.
Have a look at what you're actuallytaking.
Don't take more than the recommendedamount, thinking that a higher dose will
have a larger effect because that's veryunlikely.
And even better, get a blood test and seeif there is something you need to take.
And then go ahead with some confidencethat what you're taking is the right thing
(30:19):
for your situation.
So I hope that's given you a bit of foodfor thought about the supplements you
might take or you might think abouttaking.
And just be careful when you're thinkingof purchasing supplements and only do it
with the advice and guidance of yourdoctor.
Well, that's all we have time for today.
I hope you've enjoyed this episode.
Until next time, please remember, kindnessis beautiful, so wear it every day.
(30:49):
Thanks for joining me on the Hair Loss inWomen podcast.
And a big thank you to the women who sharetheir stories here and with others in
their community.
One of the hardest things about hair lossfor women is that we don't talk about it.
So if you do want to hear more, pleasesubscribe to the podcast.
And if you like what you heard, why notleave a review?
(31:11):
Positive reviews will help other women tofind this podcast too.
You can also find out more in my book.
care loss in women.
This podcast has been recorded in Sydney,Australia and is produced by Pod and Pen
Productions.
Hello ladies, are you struggling with hairloss?
I want you to know you're not alone.
Hi, I'm Bambi Staveley, former registerednurse, author, founder of Boost n Blend,
and someone who probably just like you hashad first -hand experience with hair loss,
which is all covered in my latest book,Hair Loss in Women.
(00:23):
When I noticed my own hair thinning 15years ago,
I went looking for information and I wentlooking for products for women, just like
you and me.
But all I could find out there wasproducts made for men.
And most of the information I could findwas about male pattern baldness.
Well, that's not much help.
So I set out to change that.
(00:44):
I want to see women with hair loss talkingabout it and talking to each other,
sharing their stories from a place ofknowledge.
So join me.
as I meet some courageous women.
I'll share some information and we'lllearn together on the Hair Loss in Women
podcast.
(01:08):
Hi there, time for another episode of theHair Loss in Women podcast.
Many women in the hair loss communityspend a lot of time hiding their hair
loss, but not today's guest.
Today's guest is Shayna.
She has alopecia universalis, so thatmeans she has no hair at all.
(01:28):
I really enjoyed talking to Shayna becauseher story of how her confidence grew as
she grew older was something that I thinkis so interesting.
and is also important for us all as womento hear.
So you'll get to meet Shana in just amoment and then you'll get to hear about
something that can be a littlecontroversial in the hair loss community
(01:50):
and that is supplements.
I'm going to walk you through whensupplements can actually help and what to
look out for and that's straight after ourinterview.
So first up, it's time now to hear fromShana.
Hi, Shayna.
Welcome to the Hair Loss in Women podcast.
(02:11):
Hi, thanks for having me.
Well, thank you so much for giving yourtime today.
I really appreciate it.
So let's go back to the beginning of yourhair loss.
When did you first lose your hair?
I was very young.
I was so young that I don't even rememberit happening.
I was 18 months old.
So I effectively grew up without anyknowledge of hair, any memory of hair.
(02:34):
And I grew up with alopecia universalis.
full body hair loss, grew up just with itbeing what was normal to me.
Wow.
So you had hair before you were 18 monthsold, which a lot of little ones don't
have.
So you obviously had hair.
And how did your mother cope with that atthe time?
(02:56):
Or how did she tell you that she copedwith it?
She mentioned that because it happenedvery suddenly, so I had full hair loss in
about three weeks.
time from when it began.
She has stories of needing to vacuum up myhair from the crib and how difficult that
was, not knowing if it was somethingserious.
(03:16):
I think at that point she hadn't heard ofalopecia and she didn't know what was
happening.
I seemed healthy, but obviously I waslosing my hair.
And so from the stories she's told me, itwas about visiting different doctors,
trying to work out what was happening andfind a sense of acceptance really and
manage any sense of self -care.
blame in the process.
(03:38):
Yeah.
And so what did the doctors tell her?
They explained that all signs pointed toalopecia and they introduced her to the
idea of the autoimmune disease.
I believe she had looked into, you know,whether hereditary causes, environmental
causes, things like that.
And there was a stage where they tried, Ithink, different creams.
(04:00):
I don't have a lot of detail on it becauseagain, it's sort of before my memory.
But pretty quickly as a toddler, shewanted me to feel as normal as possible
and made an effort to put me in as manygroup classes, sports, dance classes,
anything I could get into and wanting meto feel good on my own, au natural as she
would always say, and show me that therewas no difference for me from any other
(04:21):
kid and try to build those lessons inquite early.
And was that good for you?
Did you grow up feeling okay about it?
Yeah, you know what, I grew up not f***inggood.
questioning it.
It actually wasn't a conversation we hadregularly that I can remember, for better
or for worse.
It was sort of, this is just, this is whoyou are and you look a bit different, but
(04:44):
there's, you're healthy and there'snothing wrong with you.
And I have heard stories that when I wasreally young and walking and talking, we
would go into department stores and Iwould walk up to strangers almost with a
sense of pride about it.
And I would take off my winter hat.
to reveal my bald head and I would say,hello, my name is, and I would say first
(05:06):
name, middle name, last name, I wouldstate my entire address and I would say,
and I have Alopecia areata universalis andthen nothing and just wait for a response.
And these stunned people would kind ofstare back and look at my mom and mom
would have to jump in with a bit of anexplanation.
But as I got older, when you start tonotice the difference, notice the staring.
(05:29):
hear some whispers, maybe hear some wordsfrom other people.
That's when you're made aware of thatyou're different, that you look different.
What a wonderful mother you have.
The fact that she gave you that confidenceand that feeling of self -worth was just
so wonderful that she was able to do thatfor you.
(05:50):
So how different do you think it wouldhave been for you had you had hair?
I mean, I'm just wondering about primaryschool, how that might have played out.
I think it shapes you pretty early in thesense that not having hair, I always
wanted to make other people feelcomfortable.
It was almost a way of managing theirresponses to me to kind of say, no, no,
(06:13):
I'm okay, I'm healthy.
And that put me, I think looking back onit now as an adult who goes to therapy, I
think it put me in a state of peoplepleasing.
Really, I was trying to placate otherpeople where they were at, preempt how
they might respond, create a comfortable,safe environment for them.
And had I had hair, I probably wouldn'thave to worry about something like that.
(06:33):
I could have just enjoyed whatever I wasdoing.
And I think the other part with growing upas a little kid without hair and looking
different is you do have people staring atyou.
Sometimes it's your classmates andsometimes they'll make comments.
I was very fortunate in that I didn't growup with bullying.
I would hear comments on the streetsometimes.
Usually positive or neutral, people justkind of stating, hey, that girl doesn't
(06:57):
have any hair.
Or particularly, you know, from otherlittle kids who don't have that filter
that we're all aware of where they wouldsay, you know, daddy, why is that woman
bald?
Quite loud on the streets, which is alsointeresting to hear how they respond.
But you have to learn at a young age howto adapt to those situations, what stories
you tell.
(07:17):
Even now I'm finding it, my friends are atthe age where they're having kids and they
have kids who are toddlers and thosetoddlers are now aware of my difference
and they're asking me why I don't have anyhair.
And how you explain autoimmune disease totoddlers is quite interesting.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So for many women in the hair losscommunity, I guess myself included, we
spend a lot of time hiding our hair lossor hiding from it.
(07:40):
So what's it like for you to go throughthe world, not looking to hide it or do
you ever hide it?
I don't hide it often.
I think I was lucky growing up in that Iwas quite a serious competitive swimmer.
So a lot of my time I was in sport in thepool and not having hair to work to my
advantage.
So it was kind of wrapped up with my senseof identity in that sense.
I didn't have the hair to go with it.
(08:04):
But when I was younger, the odd time I didwear a wig, it was to fit in.
It was to blend in as much as possiblebecause being stared at, you know, the
double takes, sometimes that's exhausting.
you made aware all the time of howdifferent you feel.
And sometimes you just don't want to feeldifferent.
You just want to be normal.
And in the times, probably my late teensand early twenties, when I started
(08:27):
dabbling in wigs, that was the intention,getting something that looked as natural
as possible for that kind of goingincognito mode to feel like, it's almost
like I was a celebrity that no onerecognized and I could just relax a little
bit more and have fun.
And I found myself actually in a moreplayful mood as a result.
But as I've gotten older and I think it'sjust,
the symptom of I'm a woman who's 40 yearsold now and I've got a lot of confidence
(08:50):
that comes with that.
I love standing out.
It's flipped the other way where now if Iwalk into a room and there's another woman
that has a shaved head, I kind of go, hangon here, this is my turf.
I had this look first.
And as a result, I mean, it's built, youknow, that confidence extends to other
areas of my life or benefits other areasof my life in general.
(09:12):
But it's been interesting to be on thatjourney.
Yeah, for sure.
Absolutely.
So have you dated?
Has that ever been an issue?
I think it hasn't been an issue, but I amcurrently single and on the app.
So going through that joyful experiencethat many women here know.
When I was younger, I think it all againcomes back to confidence.
(09:32):
So when I was younger, I worried that Iwasn't as beautiful as other women or that
maybe it would be, I was with someone whowas fetishizing how I looked.
I worried that a lot of people would thinkI had cancer.
And so I went out of my way on dating appsto explain what alopecia was and that I
was well.
And in terms of having the confidence towalk up to someone back when we used to do
(09:55):
that, you know, at a bar, out in public, Iwouldn't, because I thought, I don't know,
I want to know that they've seen me, thatthey like me and they've approached me.
It was that initial like vetting that hashappened and that it was safe for me.
Cause I didn't feel like I could walk upto them like any other woman and be
accepted the same way.
(10:15):
But again, as I've gotten older, I'velearned that the more I embrace it, the
more I'm straight and the more menactually really like it.
Wow.
That's great.
Not in a fetish kind of way.
They just go, wow, you look different.
You look beautiful.
And yeah, you do.
When I, thank you.
When I, when I wear wigs and I I've gotones that are a bit more fun and you know,
blue and funky colors and things that dostand out.
(10:37):
So I've gone from hiding to standing outeven with wigs.
my partners don't always like me wearingit.
And I know that's common with other women.
It's, they've just said, you just standout just the way you are.
And that's like, what's special about youis the fact that you're bald.
And for me to actually hear that andaccept it, that's the other thing.
I think the people I would have dated as ateenager probably said something similar
(10:58):
from memory, but I didn't buy it because Ididn't feel that way really about myself.
And I've done a lot of work in therapy.
You know, I've, despite not having hairall this time, it still creeps up
sometimes.
not feeling confident, not feeling good,grieving the loss of something that I
don't even remember losing in a way, or anexperience I didn't have.
And so as confident as I may sound, Ithink I'd probably say to anyone listening
(11:21):
that it's such a journey and the way youfeel about your hair or hair loss might
change every day.
And we just have to be gentle withourselves and ride that wave and know that
no one's got it figured out.
That it's just the pressures we feel inbeauty and the shame associated with all
of that.
and the grief.
Yeah, they're all very real feelings.
(11:43):
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's interesting that you grieve the lossbecause as you said, it's not something
you remember losing.
And for those of us who have lost, youknow, up to 75 % of the hair we once had,
there is a grief.
There really is.
It's a very palpable thing to feel thatloss.
(12:03):
So it's interesting that you feel thatloss as well.
And I'm sorry that you do.
But that's something that we all have towork through as you said and we all work
through it in our own way and everybodyhas their own, you know this word journey,
we are all on our own journey to figureout who we are with whatever hair we do or
(12:25):
don't have.
So you said you have at various timestried wigs, so I'm assuming that that's
now something in the past that you're notgoing to consider or you don't consider
that something that you might move to.
Ever again?
I've always worn them for fun.
So it's never really been something I wearfor even longer than a few hours because
I, because I don't need, I don't feel theneed to wear them ongoing.
(12:47):
I don't invest in high quality wigs.
Therefore they're itchier, they're hotter,you know, it's that catch 22, you need to
get used to them.
But if you're not wearing them enoughanyway.
So in my experience, I would often wearthem usually in winter, cause it feels
like a winter hat because they're so warmand I'm from Canada.
So I had a bit more opportunity to do thatthan here.
Yep.
(13:07):
so I'd wear it for a few nights, go to thebar, have a bit of fun, enjoy that relief
of peeling that sweaty bad boy off at theend of the day.
Look in the mirror, have a challengingexperience of not looking as beautiful as
I just did a few minutes ago.
So I still had that experience where I,wow, I be, I'm beautiful as is, but in
some part of me would say, gosh, you lookbetter with it.
(13:29):
And there's that little journey.
And I don't like, I associate that withwearing a wig and that's not a positive.
No.
Part of the.
process.
And so yeah, for me for wearing wigs, it'sI wouldn't say it's I'm done with it, but
I have to be in a mood to do it.
Right.
Okay.
And you said it was cold where you werewhen you were growing up in Canada and
(13:49):
when you said here you're in Australianow.
So it's the weather is much warmer and wedon't tend to well, I guess some women do
wear hats and we do try to keep our headwarm, but it's not something we do.
We don't live through the snow.
or certainly not in where you are or whereI am.
If you were in Canada and it was reallycold, you might be more inclined to wear a
(14:09):
hat than you would be in Australia, Isuppose.
I was wearing my winter hat this morning,actually, here in Melbourne.
OK.
Well, it does get cold, doesn't it?
Yeah, but it's also the sun here at SOFIA.
So I tend to, as I've gotten older again,thinking about my skin and the usual
things we do, I wear a baseball cap moreoften, not because I'm hiding, but just
for sun protection because I went so manyyears without really taking care of my
(14:32):
scalp.
And yeah, I've got a great big sun hat.
And so it's more, yes, not because it'scold in Australia, but because the sun is
so fierce.
So it's nice to have some protection, beit a wig, a hat, yeah, a scarf.
Yeah, absolutely.
We really do have to look after our skinand you would have to look after your
scalp as well as your face.
So yeah, I understand that.
(14:53):
Now, one of the things about alopeciauniversalis is that you lose all your
hair.
So that means your eyebrows and eyelashesas well.
Do you replace those?
No, and that's been an interesting part ofmy journey.
I'll use that word again.
So I think the main reason I don't replacethem is again, from when I was growing up
(15:15):
as a swimmer, it just wasn't practical tobe wearing a lot of makeup or doing those
things.
So I got used to myself looking a certainway.
But realistically, I think I'm aperfectionist, unfortunately, and I can
never get that makeup looking as nice as Iwould like it to.
And I then become self -conscious.
of my face.
What's changed the game probably from aneyebrow perspective is the temporary
(15:37):
tattoo eyebrows that are now available.
I've done a bit of performance actually inthe last few years getting into the
burlesque space just on a very casuallevel.
And it's nice to have eyebrows to show theexpression on your face when you're
performing.
So that's an opportunity when I'd oftenput them on even though they don't move
quite as naturally.
But they just, you know, they stay on fora long time.
(15:58):
They look good.
I'm not worried about rubbing them offbecause I'm a bit sweaty and I forget that
they're there.
Eyelashes though are ones that, you know,in some ways I'd rather have lashes than I
would hair.
There's an association I have withfemininity and eyelashes and I consider
myself quite feminine on that kind ofspectrum.
And I've struggled with not having thatopportunity.
(16:20):
And it used to irk me when women would goand get lash extensions.
Cause I'm like, some of us aren't workingwith anything here.
Can we not try to do that?
You already have an advantage.
And so I've tried different fake lashes,particularly with performing, but I find
without having even a base lash for themto rest on that they fall off more easily.
And it's, it's a bit of a pain.
(16:42):
The magnetic one's a bit, a bit more fun,but again, they don't really last that
long on me.
So I rely a bit more on liner.
I've looked at potentially tattooingliner, just so I don't have to worry about
it.
I'm just a little bit nervous about thatprocess.
I have to look into it a bit more and findsomeone great.
But in general, yeah, and the interestingthing I think about not drawing on
(17:04):
eyebrows and lashes is that I don't oftensee other people who look like me when I
turn to social media.
And this was something that became evidentto me over our lockdowns that we had
starting in 2020.
We're all spending a bit more time than wenormally would online, turning to
Instagram for the scrolling.
And I started exploring the Alopeciacommunity, starting in Melbourne a little
(17:26):
bit.
more, I hadn't really connected withanyone since moving here in 2012.
And that's one thing I noticed.
And I had to start looking globally to tryto find someone who had alopecia
universalis who wasn't sort of topping up,if you will, with eyebrows and lashes.
And I maybe found three people, threeaccounts.
(17:47):
And I thought, I'm just not seeing therepresent representation matters.
And I'm not really seeing women who looklike me in this mix.
And so, you know,
did what a lot of people did at the timeand I started an Instagram account to try
to have a bit of a place in thatconversation.
Great.
Well, I think it's wonderful that you havedone that.
And I guess there would be a lot of womenwho would be very grateful to you that you
(18:10):
have done that, especially when you wentto look, there was nothing there or there
was hardly anyone there.
So you do appear to me to be someone whois very comfortable in your own skin.
And I think that's just so wonderful tohear you talk about it that way and to see
you.
with such confidence.
Of course, we all are like, you know,confidence on the outside, what's going on
(18:31):
on the inside can be something completelydifferent.
But I guess your natural self is a personwithout hair.
So how would you feel if suddenly therewas a cure and you could grow hair?
How would you feel about that?
That's a great question.
I've thought about that many times myself.
I don't know if I would take it.
(18:53):
I know it's probably, it's sort of likethe devil, you know?
Yeah.
Because realistically I've never had toshave my legs.
One time I grew a pubic hair, one randomdark pubic hair and it was on my inner
thigh.
Wasn't even in kind of the right place, ifyou will.
And I didn't know what to do with it.
I went out and I bought a razor becausethe idea of plucking terrified me.
(19:14):
Yeah.
Yep, it would.
And so there's all these unknownsassociated with it.
You know, I've never washed my hair.
I don't have children, but I even thoughtif I had kids, I wouldn't know how to
brush their hair, how to wash.
I just have no experience in that space.
And so it's, I think the only, the onlyreason I might maybe take it is the fear
of God knows what this very heavily sunkissed scalp will look like in 30 years.
(19:39):
I might want to cover it up.
Maybe I'd want hair.
Maybe I'll wear wigs then.
I'm not quite sure, but yeah, it's areally, it's kind of an existential
question that I've mulled over many timesover the years.
Yeah.
Great question.
And so here you are, I think you saidyou're 40, which is a great age, I think.
And so how do you feel about it now interms of the way you live your life?
(20:01):
So how do you feel now when you're older,you're not a teenager anymore.
So how do you feel?
Yeah.
I'm at that point where, as I think somany women,
at 40 are feeling that they don't have toreport to anybody.
They can be who they want to be.
You choose to live your life.
You have inklings that life's a bitshorter.
(20:23):
Maybe you're starting to lose parents orloved ones.
And so outside of the alopecia being partof this, I think there's just a freedom
that comes with being a bit older,settling into your skin, knowing who you
are, trusting yourself more.
I think that's been a really big one inthe last few years for me.
It's that.
You know, I think a woman's intuition, inparticular, woman was very powerful.
(20:43):
We don't always listen to it.
We're told to think our way out of things.
And so I'm really been spending a lot ofconscious effort cultivating that.
And it hasn't served me wrong yet.
40 is fun.
So far things aren't hurting too much onthe body.
So I think this is a sweet spot.
Yep.
Yeah.
That's why I say, I think it's a greatage.
I really do.
I remember it.
(21:04):
So anything that you would like to tellother women who might be going through
something similar.
I think it's similar to what I was sayingearlier, that we need to be kind with
ourselves, that there's no, again, no onehas it perfect.
There's, it's a tough thing to go through.
It's, it's challenging because therearen't physical, you know, health
(21:26):
repercussions really associated with this,like other autoimmune diseases.
And so with how powerful it can affect,how powerfully it can affect us, how much
grief we can feel.
There's also a good likelihood, Iexperience this myself, so I assume other
people can experience this too.
There's a shame associated with, well, itshouldn't be that bad because it's not
(21:48):
life -threatening.
We should be able to get over it and finda place of acceptance pretty quickly
because it's just hair.
And unless you've experienced that loss ofsense of identity, not feeling as
beautiful as society tells you you shouldlook, there's a lot of things that are
challenged when you start having hair lossin whatever quantity.
I just think going back to, I guess, theidea of being 40 and being, you know,
(22:12):
trusting yourself, it's just let it, letyourself feel the emotions.
know that there's a lot of support outthere.
I'm someone who didn't tap into supportwhen I was a kid.
I didn't join support groups.
I just, I didn't have any friends who hadhair loss.
I didn't talk to about, talk to anyoneabout it.
And this was pre -internet.
So there were no forums are there.
I just got on with it and I'm stilldealing with those things now.
(22:34):
Cause I think they're worth processing.
They're big feelings about.
important things are happening to us.
So reaching out to friends, going tosupport groups.
There's some, I know I've been to somehere in Melbourne, there's great ones
around the country.
Talking to other people and just beingreally kind with yourself and knowing that
again, acceptance, will we ever truly everreach it ourselves if it's something we're
(22:55):
constantly dealing with?
Maybe not.
And there's almost an acceptance inaccepting that you might never accept it.
And it's okay to not accept it.
Our hearts can handle.
Exactly.
a lot of different, differing, conflictingemotions at the same time.
Yeah.
And yeah, it's just to be kind.
Absolutely.
Be kind to yourself.
Yeah.
Well, thank you, Shayna.
I really appreciate your candidness.
(23:17):
It's just so refreshing to talk to you.
So thank you.
Thank you for telling us your story.
Really appreciate it.
Yeah.
Thank you so much for having me.
It's really great to hear from someonelike Shayna who is so comfortable in her
own skin.
And I think her advice about being kind toourselves is true as well.
So, okay, it's time now for our Did YouKnow segment.
(23:43):
This week we're talking about what youneed to know about supplements.
Have you looked into taking supplementsfor your hair loss?
Well, supplements come in all shapes andsizes.
They come as capsules, gummies, gel caps,powders, drinks, and even bars.
But they're very common in the hair lossworld.
(24:06):
Particularly, I see a lot of advertisingaround hair gummies, hair, nail, and skin.
capsules and hair growth support vitamins.
Maybe you've tried them, maybe you'vetried many of them, and maybe you've tried
all that you can get your hands on.
Well, it might surprise you to know thatsupplements don't undergo the same rigours
(24:27):
of testing that medications and drugs do.
Supplements are not really used forserious medical issues and they can't
claim that they can actually do anything.
I say do anything in, you know,
air quotes, they don't grow hair unlessthey have evidence that it does.
(24:49):
And evidence would mean a lot of rigoroustesting.
If there was a vitamin or a supplementthat did grow hair, we'd all be talking
about it, we'd all be taking it.
So they can only be used for minor healthproblems.
And you probably know of the commonvitamin deficiencies that are often
linked, rightly or wrongly, to female hairloss like vitamin D,
(25:11):
iron, zinc, biotin and of course thesupplement industry is a very lucrative
one.
So today I'm just going to give you anoverview of what might be helpful and what
to look out for when it comes tosupplements.
Please remember what I'm about to say isvery general and very brief.
(25:32):
If you have a question about supplementsfor your own personal situation, please
see your health professional.
So the first thing to say is thatsupplements, particularly when taken for
hair loss, only work or have any kind ofpositive effect when there is a
deficiency.
So the first thing you need to do is havea blood test and work out exactly what you
(25:56):
are or are not deficient in.
Talk to a doctor, that's the mostimportant place to start.
And then if you are deficient in somethinglike, say for example, iron,
then you would supplement with iron.
But in some cases, if you add more of aparticular vitamin or a mineral to your
(26:16):
diet when you don't need it, so at theother end of the scale, too much of
something, it can actually cause problemsand hair loss, of course, would be one of
them.
And the body only needs so much of eachelement of each vitamin or mineral and
loading up with more doesn't actually haveany positive effect.
And if you're thinking, well, what's theharm?
(26:39):
I might as well put in as much as I can incase it helps.
Then I would say, does loading up on sugarhave a cumulative positive effect?
Of course not.
Your body only needs so much to function.
Now, the other thing that I think isimportant to look at is the claims, the
claims that the companies and the productsmake.
(27:00):
So keep in mind and please carefully checkthe wording.
that is used on the labeling of supplementbottles.
You'll only see words like may help or canreduce or supports, say supports healthy
hair growth for example, not causeshealthy hair growth, supports, maintains,
(27:23):
so it keeps the status quo, that sort ofthing.
You won't see guarantees.
You won't see the words used for thetreatment of.
like you do in say a blood pressure tabletthat's used in the treatment of high blood
pressure.
Generally speaking, you won't findpromises at all when it comes to
supplements.
They haven't been proven to do anything.
(27:45):
They haven't been proven that they can doanything more than maybe help to increase
the amount of a particular vitamin ormineral.
So that'll only help, of course, if therewas a deficiency in the first place.
You might find Chinese herbs mentionedwhich have some properties.
that again might support some hair elementor another.
(28:06):
So I think as a general warning, I'dremind everyone to read the fine print.
Look for the asterisk.
It may say, may help hair growth asterisk.
Then look for what the asterisk isreferring to.
And you'll find something in the tinyprint somewhere down the bottom that says,
this product can only be of assistance ifdietary intake is inadequate.
(28:28):
Well, that's right.
That's what I'm saying.
In fact,
Always read the statement that theasterisk is referring to because
sometimes, especially with so -called hairgrowth products, there is a statement that
says something like, results notguaranteed or results not typical.
So make sure that you always read theinformation and then really work out what
(28:49):
you need for your situation.
Otherwise you might be wasting your moneyor even worse, making your hair loss
worse.
And
Another thing that's sort of interestingto note that at the time of making this
podcast, if you're in Australia, the TGAor the Therapeutic Goods Administration
doesn't have a separate category forsupplements.
(29:11):
And in fact, many supplements are justmerely categorized as foods.
And in the US, if you're in America, theFDA or the Food and Drug Administration,
their dietary supplements come under adifferent set of regulations than
traditional food and drugs.
And in the US, unlike drugs, the FDAdoesn't have the authority to approve
(29:33):
supplements or their labeling beforethey're sold to the public.
So that is a really interesting thing tobe aware of.
The FDA isn't even informed when newproducts hit the market.
And it's only if the product is reportedor it's reported as unsafe or there's a
breach in regulations that the FDA stepsin.
So buy beware really when you're takingsupplements.
(29:56):
Read the label.
Have a look at what you're actuallytaking.
Don't take more than the recommendedamount, thinking that a higher dose will
have a larger effect because that's veryunlikely.
And even better, get a blood test and seeif there is something you need to take.
And then go ahead with some confidencethat what you're taking is the right thing
(30:19):
for your situation.
So I hope that's given you a bit of foodfor thought about the supplements you
might take or you might think abouttaking.
And just be careful when you're thinkingof purchasing supplements and only do it
with the advice and guidance of yourdoctor.
Well, that's all we have time for today.
I hope you've enjoyed this episode.
Until next time, please remember, kindnessis beautiful, so wear it every day.
(30:49):
Thanks for joining me on the Hair Loss inWomen podcast.
And a big thank you to the women who sharetheir stories here and with others in
their community.
One of the hardest things about hair lossfor women is that we don't talk about it.
So if you do want to hear more, pleasesubscribe to the podcast.
And if you like what you heard, why notleave a review?
(31:11):
Positive reviews will help other women tofind this podcast too.
You can also find out more in my book.
care loss in women.
This podcast has been recorded in Sydney,Australia and is produced by Pod and Pen
Productions.
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