Applying melatonin led to a ‘significant’ reduction in alopecia in 30 to 90 days

Hair loss does not usually spell a serious concern for your health but it can affect your wellbeing. That’s because a thick head of hair is seen as an essential part of identity in many people’s eyes. Given the value people attribute to hair, it is hardly surprising the psychological toll losing it can exact.

What is behind this effect?

The exact mechanisms involved are unclear but experts suggest it may have something to do with the role melatonin plays in helping to orient the body’s circadian rhythm.

Circadian rhythms are 24-hour cycles that are part of the body’s internal clock, governing important processes such as the sleep-wake cycle.

The hair growth cycle in mammals is also under circadian control, which may account for the association, suggests The Lifespan Research Institute, a research body that focuses on anti-ageing compounds.

“As with other circadian cycles, the hair growth cycle becomes dysregulated and lower in amplitude with age,” explains the research outfit.

Some wigs are available on the NHS, but you may have to pay unless you qualify for financial help.

Other treatments include:

• Steroid injection – injections given into bald patches
• Steroid creams – cream applied to bald patches
• Immunotherapy – chemical applied to bald patches
• Light treatment – shining ultraviolet light on bald patches
• Tattooing – tattoo used to look like short hair and eyebrows
• Hair transplant – hair cells are moved to thinning patches
• Scalp reduction surgery – sections of scalp with hair are stretched and stitched together
• Artificial hair transplant – surgery to implant artificial hairs.

Some of the above treatments may not be available on the NHS.