Hair loss: Tap water and the bald truth

Dubai Losing hair? Blame it on tap water! This is perhaps a frequent refrain from expatriates living in the UAE when hair thins and hairlines recede.

But doctors refuse to pin blame on the bath water. They say the reasons could be anything from stress to thyroid problems.

'Devastating'

Hair is the defining part of a person's personality and losing it causes loss of self-esteem. "It's psychologically devastating," said a trichologist (a specialist on the health of hair and the scalp).

Experts advise attaching a filter to the shower head to stop chemicals like calcium, chlorine or silica scalings from damaging the hair. But it is not just water in the UAE, they add.

For a majority, genetics is the main culprit for steady hair loss or balding. The other risk factors are the daily stresses of life, no proper nutrition and lack of essential vitamin supplements.

The dry weather adds to the problem and not drinking water or dehydration makes the hair lose its gloss.

Dyeing and colouring hair with chemical dyes are some of the other factors for hair loss.

There is good news however, but that is still a decade or two in the future, as stem cell research will finally find a cure for baldness.