THE ROOT CAUSE
Androgenic alopecia is a common side effect of hormonal changes. Trichologist Claire Fullam reveals why preventative scalp care matters, and how incorporating scalp health into your clinic can elevate both client results and revenue
HOW DID YOU GET INTO TRICHOLOGY?
“I lost my own hair 10 years ago. I had the biggest head of red hair, and in five weeks, I lost 90% of it. I went through so many different emotional challenges, trying to work out why this was happening.
“I went to everyone, and no one took the time to explain to me what an autoimmune condition was, that it was going to get worse before it gets better, and why I am spending money on these products.
“So I built an online following documenting my hair loss, and five and a half years ago, I went back to college, studied trichology, and then I opened our clinic, Trua.
“There’s a phrase in psychology, the wounded healer, which means when a person has experienced something, they’re the best healers for that experience, because they understand things at a deeper level, and they have more empathy towards people. “Hair loss isn’t about vanity; it really can alter the course of someone’s life. It’s important to have honest conversations about it as much as possible.”
WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON SCALP CONDITIONS THAT YOU SEE IN YOUR CLINIC?
“We mainly treat women going through perimenopause, menopause, and post menopause, when there’s a drop in estrogen and a rise in androgen which causes androgenic alopecia.
“93% of hair loss is androgenetic alopecia, which is when you lose all of your hair, this is also the kind of hair loss you commonly see in men.
“Women who suffer with PCOS and endometriosis, can also face androgenic alopecia. The other 7% is telogen effluvium which is typically temporary hair loss.”
WHAT ARE SOME COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS YOU HEAR ABOUT SCALP CARE?
“I could write a book about the things we hear. I think the most common one is that it’s good to leave your hair unwashed. The reality is you have to put scalp care first, and not washing your scalp can have huge implications on your scalp and hair health, so washing it regularly for most people is a good idea.
“I’d love to kind of educate people on shopping for your hair. People shop for the hair that they want, but when it comes to your scalp, it’s important to shop for the hair that you have.”
ARE YOU SEEING A MOVE TOWARDS PREVENTATIVE SCALP AND HAIR HEALTH CARE?
“Yeah, 100% that’s why we brought Remi to the market, because I saw this trend. A lot of brands were reacting to hair loss, but what should we do before then? We see it in the clinic as well, and preventive care can help a lot with preventing hair loss.”
HOW CAN INTRODUCING SCALP HEALTH SERVICES CREATE NEW REVENUE STREAMS FOR AESTHETIC CLINICS?
“You don’t have to be a trichologist to treat the scalp; education is important, but scalp health coincides with a lot of aesthetic treatments such as microneedling. It’s an excellent revenue source for aesthetic practitioners because your patients are already a clientele that look after their skin and they are willing to spend money, so you can upsell for procedures, such as exosomes in the scalp.
“There is an audience for scalp health, but you need to create a space where people feel comfortable talking about scalp concerns, and educate your staff so they understand how to speak to patients about their scalp. If someone cares about their skin and they understand their skin, they’ll also spend money on their scalp.”
LOOKING FORWARD, WHAT INNOVATIONS ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT?
“Exosomes are doing so much for scalp health, quickening up the process of bringing back the hair. However, they won’t work for people with complete scarring hair loss and immune forms of alopecia, however for androgenic alopecia we’re seeing really great results.”