Pituitary gland and hair loss

Our pituitary gland is the master of all the glands in our body. It controls several other glands. The previous articles explained how a malfunction of the thyroid and the adrenal glands could cause hair loss. Imagine what can happen if the master gland is compromised.

The pituitary gland is responsible for controlling growth and development of our body structures as well as the functioning of other endocrine glands. Consider your pituitary gland as the captain of a ship, whose responsibility is to direct the crew to ensure that the ship is on the right course. If something goes wrong with the captain, the rest of its team can be thrown into total chaos, placing the ship in danger, or worse, the ship sinks.

A well-functioning pituitary gland maintains normal level of the endocrine hormones in our body, including those that regulate hair growth. If you are healthy from within, your radiance also glows on the outside. This can be seen on your hair, skin and nails.

I had explained, in my previous articles, how the adrenal and the thyroid glands can influence hair growth, both in males and females.

Your pituitary glands, however, have direct control in stimulating these glands. It only makes sense that if you have dysfunctional pituitary glands, the hormone levels being secreted by the other two glands are disrupted. This imbalance can cause severe hair loss and even complete baldness.

The problem with hair loss is that you often overlook its early symptoms, which may be hair breakage or excess shedding. It is only when a bald patch becomes visible, that you take this matter seriously. As a result of my own training and experience, I can advise that you visit a trichologist whenever you observe significant shedding of the hair.

A trichologist is a healthy hair and scalp doctor who specialises in hair and scalp maladies. These include, but are not limited to, hair loss, baldness and severe itching (pruritus).

After being examined, your trichologist may refer you to a medical specialist, like an endocrinologist, once the assessment concludes that your hair loss is the cause of hormonal imbalance.

Correction of this is usually the most probable cure. This can be through medications, including hormonal replacement therapy.

Please remember that along with medical intervention, the modification of your lifestyle is necessary to achieve the optimum effect of the therapy. This will include eating a well-balanced diet, proper hydration and daily adequate exercise.

You must always remember that though physical nourishment is important, the strengthening of your psychological and social well-being is also critical.

Hair loss can cause a huge impact on your self-esteem. Hair growth after a treatment does not happen overnight. If you want to manage how you look while you undergo treatment, I suggest you visit a trichologist and a cosmetologist for assistance in camouflaging techniques.

As a healthy hair doctor, I specialise in both trichology and cosmetology.

It is my personal goal to provide you with a holistic solution for your hair and scalp care.

Germaine Williams Beckles is a doctor of trichology (DT TECT) and a nutrition consultant (NC), Rayogee Wellness Lifestyle, Woodbrook; geesexclusive.com. Email your questions to queries@geesexclusive.

com or 627-4659.