Actress Sue Holderness

Sue Holderness, the actor who portrays bouffant-haired Marlene on BBC’s Only Fools And Horses, could only achieve that “big hair” with the help of wigs. Holderness has recently revealed that she has been a hair loss sufferer since her mid 30s. After having children in her 30s, the actor says she began losing hair, dramatically, sometimes coming out in clumps, leaving bald patches on her scalp.

Holderness consulted specialists, but doctors were unable to tell her exactly why her hair was falling out.

“With women, there are lots of different reasons, but with men hair loss tends to be inherited,’” says Dr Peter Williams, of The Hospital Group.

“Women tend to get thinner hair all over because as they age they have less oestrogen circulating and this means they not only grow less hair, but it becomes thinner too.’”

Marilyn Sherlock, of the Institute of Trichologists, adds: “There is always a cause for hair loss, but occasionally it can be something as innocuous as having had a fever.  The high temperature kills the hair, but it won’t fall out for about three months. Healthy hair requires all vitamins and minerals and being low in certain ones, especially iron, can lead to thinning because iron is vital for new hair cells. A crash diet can lead to quite dramatic hair loss too.”

When Sue Holderness began menopause, her hair loss accelerated. The actor suffered anxiety and panic attacks over her hair loss, that was only exacerbated by the fact that she was in the public eye and her appearance was vital to her livelihood.

The only available non-surgical treatment for women is Minoxidil, a topical medicinal ointment that stops hair loss and in some cases grows hair. Before being treated, however, women must first consult a specialist to see if there is an underlying illness causing the hair loss.

Now, Ms. Holderness has her hair back, and lots of it. She attributes the growth to a healthy diet, and a regimen of vitamin products. Doctors, however, remain skeptical that such products provide a cure for hair loss. “‘Whether or not this product works I don’t know, but because there are so many different causes of hair loss I find it unlikely that one pill will help everyone.”

Source: DailyMail.co.uk.

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Tags | alopecia, hair loss in women