Woman Who Suffered Severe Hair Loss Undergoes Transformation In Channel 4's Body Shockers | HuffPost Life

Woman's Severe Hair Loss Transformation Is Astonishing

The Huffington Post UK

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As teenagers, most of us spent our time worrying about crushes, clothes and (occasionally) homework. But for Kellie, it was a very different story.

At the age of 15 she began to notice her long, thick hair was rapidly thinning. Understandably, it was a very distressing time.

Now a 28-year-old mother, Kellie is set to feature on Channel 4's Body Shockers where she undergoes treatment to aid her hair loss.

Like lots of other girls of her age, hair was extremely important to Kellie when she was 15. She went to see her doctor for help soon after noticing it was thinning.

The doctor contributed the hair loss to her age and teenage hormones, effectively telling Kellie to "wait it out".

Although Kellie waited well beyond her teenage years, her hair continued to get worse.

"I was so conscious of my hair loss and trying to cover it up, it became a massive part of my morning routine," Kellie said.

"I would continually keep coming back to my hair, however, I never left the house feeling satisfied and felt rubbish for the rest of the day.

"My hair loss was never far from my mind which had a big effect on my confidence."

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Kellie was prescribed a selection of medications by a local dermatologist for the condition. Sadly, the drugs seemed to do very little to help.

At the age of 25, the condition of Kellie's hair deteriorated even further after giving birth to her son.

She was referred to a specialist in London who after several tests, concluded that Kellie had low iron levels and prescribed her Minoxidil. But yet again, the medication made little to no difference.

The breakthrough finally came when Kellie booked a consultation with Simone Thomas - a clinician who had suffered from hair loss herself.

Just before the treatment

"Meeting Simone was amazing," Kellie said. "I had been to loads of consultations for my hair loss but never truly felt that they understood me.

"That was totally different with Simone, knowing she had suffered from hair loss herself I could instantly relate to her and trusted her.

"For the first time I felt like I was not the only one with hair loss. We spoke for over an hour and I finally got the answers I had been wanting for 10 years."

Kellie found that it was likely her hair loss had started when she had worked as an assistant in a salon, where she would frequently change her hair styles, trying different colours every other week and applying a mass of products to her hair.

However, when she started to lose her hair, Kellie stopped going to hair salons as she was worried that the hair stylists would ask her questions about her hair and cause her embarrassment.

Simone helped Kellie to whittle down the long list of products she had been using to try and prevent her hair loss (many of which were actually doing the opposite).

Instead, Kellie now goes to Simone for a Nioxin Dermabrasion.

During the process

Commenting on the treatment, Simone said: "Nioxin is massaged into the scalp and works to help rejuvenate the scalp helping to provide a foundation for thicker and fuller hair to grow.

"The results so far have been fantastic. Kellie has been a pleasure to work with and I am so pleased to have been able to help."

For Kellie's transformation on Channel 4, Simone also provided her with a specialised Hair Volumizer System to help with her hair loss in the short term and boost her confidence.

"The system is absolutely amazing and has totally changed my morning routine. I no longer worry about having to cover my hair loss in the mornings as the system does that for me," Kellie said.

"It makes me feel so much more relaxed for the rest of the day and gives me more important time to spend with my son."

For more information on Nioxin visit www.nioxin.com. For more information Simone Thomas and Hair Loss Bournemouth visit hairlossbournemouth.co.uk

11 Causes Of Hair Loss

Trichotillomania(01 of11)

Trichotillomania is an impulse control disorder. Although the underlying causes for this disorder are not concretely understood, its most obvious symptom is the urge to break or pull out one's own hair. Individuals that have trichotillomania cannot control these urges and often pull out entire patches of their hair -- often from the scalp or eyebrows. The disorder is fairly rare -- 4 percent of people in the U.S. are affected by it -- although men are less likely to experience these urges than women are. (credit:Thinkstock)

Hair Care(02 of11)

Are you a hair dye junkie or someone who consistently flat irons? You could be damaging your hair with these hair care practices. Both excessive use of hair treatments (i.e. bleaching, perms, relaxers) and products (i.e. blow dryers, straighteners and curling irons) can make hair brittle. Luckily, these types of hair damage are not permanent -- change the bad-for-your-hair habit and your hair should restore itself! (credit:Thinkstock)

Tight Hairstyles(03 of11)

Over time, men and women who consistently wear their hair in styles that pull at the scalp (i.e. tight braids, weaves, tight ponytails) may develop a condition termed "traction alopecia." According to Dr. Alexis, traction alopecia is a hair loss condition that is seen far more often in women than men. A couple of the experts we spoke to also said that in their practices they most often saw traction alopecia in African-American and Hispanic women -- although the condition spans all ethnic groups. Chris Rock's 2009 documentary film, "Good Hair," addressed some of these issues as they effect the African-American community. "Women put up with a lot of pain," Dr. Cotsarelis told The Huffington Post. "Pain to your scalp should be avoided." Sounds like a good rule of thumb to us! (credit:Thinkstock)

Nutritional Deficiencies(04 of11)

Iron and protein deficiencies are two of the most common nutritional triggers for hair loss. If individuals have low levels of iron -- even if they are not anemic -- hair loss may occur. An article published in the May 2006 edition of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology concluded that hair loss treatment was made more effective when a patient's iron deficiency was treated. Dr. Cotsarelis says that he consistenly checks the iron levels of any patient that comes to him experiencing hair loss. However, the exact reason behind this correlation has not been proven.Protein deficiency is more straightforward. Hair growth requires protein, and when the body is not getting enough, it moves these protein supplies to other, more necessary functions. Once an individual's diet is adjusted hair growth usually returns to normal within a couple months.While not a deficiency, for those that have Celiac Disease or gluten-sensitivity, the introduction of the gluten protein into the system may also lead to hair thinning or loss. In this case, it is the immune system that attacks hair growth. (credit:Thinkstock)

Major Weight Loss(05 of11)

Although this trigger technically falls under nutritional deficiencies, we felt that it warranted specific attention. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, individuals who lose 15 or more pounds (even through healthy means) often experience some amount of hair loss. This type of hair loss usually self-corrects without any need for treatment.More concerning is hair loss as a result of an eating disorder, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia. These eating disorders do not allow the body to receive the necessary vitamins, minerals and protein that it needs to function healthfully -- which in turn can shut down hair growth. "Anorexics can have very extreme hair loss," says Dr. Cotsarelis. "I had a patient in her 20s who was anorexic -- her hair was just coming out in gobs because of poor protein intake."

Thyroid Disease(06 of11)

Hair loss is a common symptom of an imbalance in one's thyroid hormones. Both hypothryoidism (an underactive thyroid) or hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid) can lead to excessive hair shedding. Once the thyroid imbalance is treated, the hair generally regrows. (credit:Getty)

Menopause(07 of11)

Doctors still are unsure what the scientific connection is between menopause and hair thinning -- but many women, in their perimenopausal years, experience some sort of generalized hair loss. Some combination of hormonal changes are likely at play. "We don't really understand exactly why, but it's pretty clear [that there is a connection]," says Dr. Cotsarelis. "[Many] women have very thick hair their whole life and then when they go through menopause, they [experience] thinning." (credit:Thinkstock)

Alopecia Areata(08 of11)

When we hear talk of "alopecia," most likely what is being referred to is alopecia areata. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease, which means that the body attacks itself. Alopecia areata is usually characterized by hair loss in round patches on the scalp or other parts of the body and affects men, women and children. (credit:Flickr: Urban Aquarium Video and Light)

Trauma/Stress(09 of11)

Telogen effluvium is defined by Dr. McMichael as "shedding due to physiologic stress." McMichael told The Huffington Post that a traumatic or particularly stressful event is a common reason that individuals experience this type of hair loss (even more so for women than men). The most common emotional causes of telogen effluvium are life-altering occurrences such as a death or going through a divorce. These events can cause hair to be forced into the resting state before they normally would be.According to Dr. Cotsarelis, this type of hair shedding often does not show up until two to four months after the trigger occurs. (credit:Thinkstock)

Illness(10 of11)

Illness is another possible cause of telogen effluvium -- most often triggered by a high fever. The stress on the body that illness causes can become a disruption to the hair cycle. Once the illness is gone, the cycle gets itself back on track. (credit:Thinkstock)

Medications(11 of11)

Many medications have hair loss listed as a possible side effect, although various types tend to affect each person differently. Medications that contain hormones -- such as the birth control pill are common hair loss culprits. According to Mayo Clinic, antidepressants, blood pressure medications and arthritis treatments are also frequent offenders. (credit:Thinkstock)

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