Hair loss for a woman is a devastating blow at any age and now a new survey has revealed that is is affecting women as young as teenagers. Health Editor Barry Nelson considers the cause and impact of losing your hair, and what treatments are available.

WHILE most women suffer the occasional 'bad hair' day, which can ruin mood as well as appearance, there are millions of women - many of them young - who are suffering daily hair anguish.

They have hair loss, hair thinning, or bald patches - conditions which can strike at their self-esteem and femininity and even lead to depression.

The distress hair loss can cause has been highlighted recently in the ITV drama series, Where The Heart Is, where Jean (Jan Frances) is wearing a wig because she has lost her hair through alopecia.

Trichologist Jane Mayhead says: ''Hair loss can be psychologically devastating and have a real impact on a woman's self-confidence.

''It does seem to affect increasing numbers of women, and also at a younger age. This may be because women are under greater stress through working harder and longer hours. This can affect health and hair.''

A new study by Regaine backs this up, as it found that 50 per cent of the women surveyed with hair loss first noticed hair thinning between the ages of 15 to 35.

General research shows that up to two-thirds of women experience hair loss at some stage of their lives, most commonly post pregnancy or during the menopause. The causes include hormonal changes, traumatic experiences or a period of extreme stress, or a hereditary link, Mayhead explains.

Encouragingly, she points out that few women go bald and that if the cause is identified, the majority can be helped. ''Women may not regain all the hair they have lost, but they may be able to improve hair growth and slow down the loss,'' she says.

Consultant dermatologist Dr Daron Seukeran sees women patients complaining of hair loss every week at the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

"It has to be quickly decided whether it is a natural form of hair loss or whether there is an underlying medical condition which can often be treated," says Dr Seukeran.

"What many women don't realise is that at the age of 49 about 15 per cent of women will start showing some thinning of the hair. The good thing is that it is very rare to see a women who completely loses her hair. One of the reassuring things I tell my patients is that it is very unlikely that they are going to lose all hair, but that they may have to consider changing their hairstyle as a form of cosmetic camouflage."

Former TV presenter Elizabeth Steel is one sufferer whose hair returned but the devastating experience inspired her to set up a support organisation, Hairline International, (www.hairlineinternational.com) for other women.

She lost 90 per cent of her hair in her early twenties after suffering alopecia and had to wear a wig. Her hair re-grew after eight years.

''I felt so isolated. I thought I was the only woman this had happened to. I worried that I would lose both my job and even my husband as I lost total confidence in myself and my femininity. It was traumatic,'' says Elizabeth.

''I have received many calls from women who are desperate to get help and often very depressed. I always tell women they are not alone.

''Also, once they can identify why hair loss is happening there are treatments and life changes they can make which may improve the situation.''

FACTS AND FIGURES

* Many causes of female hair loss are temporary - check your general health and be patient.

* Check your family to discover if there's a history of female pattern baldness.

* Take time to research what may help you, including improving nutrition and lifestyle and reducing stress.

* A survey by Regaine, a hereditary hair loss treatment, found that 86 per cent of women felt depressed due to hair loss.

* Only half those questioned felt they were given useful advice by their GP. Over 25 per cent would give up their sex life and just under 25 per cent would give up their career to have their hair back.

CAUSES OF HAIR LOSS

Jane Mayhead, who has two clinics in Kent and London and runs a support group (01634 352 425/020 7631 0156) highlights three of the key causes of hair loss:.

* OVERALL HAIR LOSS: The most common, known as "diffuse alopecia". One in three women will suffer from overall hair shedding. This occurs post pregnancy, post illness, after taking some types of medication, and also because of nutritional deficiencies such as lack of iron. Shock or stress can also play a part.

* ANDROGENIC ALOPECIA: This is thinning ''see-through hair''. In general, genes play a large role here - hereditary hair loss or 'female pattern balding' accounts for 95 per cent of female hair loss.

In most cases this develops at the age of around 40, or with the onset of menopause. The hair thins around the forehead and crown without receding.

* ALOPECIA AREATA: This appears as round bare patches measuring about an inch across. It is believed to be triggered by the body's immune system wrongly recognising hair follicles as foreign and attacking them.

It's an auto-immune disorder and most people will have only one experience of this and hair will regrow. In around 20 per cent of cases hair loss recurs and can become permanent.

FEED YOUR FOLLICLES

Nutritionist Alli Godbold says: ''Many women have hair problems solely because of poor nutrition. There are others who could improve their general health and ability to handle stress - a common factor in hair loss - by eating a balanced diet.''

She suggests the following hair-boosting foods:

* Food rich in protein: fish and seafood, organic chicken and turkey, organic free range eggs, soya, pulses, nuts and seeds and beans.

* Foods rich in zinc: Shellfish, especially oysters, wheatgerm and wheatbran, sesame seeds, and calf's liver.

* Food rich in iron: wheatbran and wheatgerm, pumpkin and sesame seeds, kidney and haricot beans, dried apricots, chicken liver.

* Foods rich in vitamin B6: wheatgerm, oatmeal, salmon, mackerel, walnuts, soya beans.

* Food rich in vitamin C: red pepper and green pepper, blackcurrants and blueberries, kale, tomato puree, broccoli, parsley.

* Drink at least a litre of water which helps the body expel toxins and provides optimum conditions for cell growth.

MEDICAL TREATMENTS

Minoxidil, a drug for treating high blood pressure, was found to have a side effect of thickening hair growth in some people. Studies show that around 20 per cent of women between 18 and 45 have moderate regrowth, and another 40 per cent experience minimal regrowth. It is contained in Regaine for Women - a hereditary hair loss treatment, which costs £24.95, for a month's supply and is available from pharmacies. www.pharmacy2u.co.uk

ALTERNATIVE HAIR HELP

AN excess of the male hormone testosterone plays a part in hair loss, but a herb, palmetto, is reputed to reduce this. It is the primary ingredient in Superior Hair by Food Science of Vermont.

It also contains green tea, which raises the amount of hormone globulin, which helps lower testosterone. Priced £19.95 for 90 capsules, it's available from Victoria Health: 0800 413 596.

Another product, Nourkrin, made from shark cartilage, the mineral silica and vitamin C also claims to improve hair.

Shark cartilage contains glucosamine, and a study in the International Journal of Medical Research showed a 38 per cent increase in new hair growth in 95 per cent of patients taking the product over a six month period.

Nourkrin Hair Recovery Programme costs £49.95 a month and is av ailable from Lloyds Pharmacies, Holland & Barrett, or call: 0845 399 0022.