We’ve all grown up hearing various old wives tales and mysterious and wondrous ways to cure all. However, how much truth is there really in some of these myths. Here, Consultant Trichologist and Manager of Education at The Institute of Trichologists, Sara Alkazraji MIT, explores and explains the truth behind many of the common hair myths.   Myth: You should not wash your hair everyday as this is bad for hair. Truth: Washing hair regularly is certainly not bad for the hair or scalp and this is a myth. For optimum hair and scalp health in general we recommend washing every; one to two days ..read more

With the cost-of-living crisis appearing daily in the news, many are looking for ways to reduce their outgoings and seeking ways to cut back. Hair care is certainly an area that can bring with it additional costs such as regular visits to the hairdresser, colour appointments, the latest styling tool and product, but great hair care doesn’t have to break the bank. Here, a media spokesperson for the The Institute of Trichologists, Victoria Scott MIT shares her top tips for cutting back but not compromising on great hair.   A parade of products A quick and easy way to reduce your hair care ..read more

July 2021 After many years of working with the Institute of Trichologists, very generously sharing his research and knowledge with members and serving as Vice President, esteemed professor Desmond Tobin is stepping down and “making way” for Dr Claire Higgins, who will take over the position on 1st August 2021. As such, The Institute of Trichologists – the leading professional association for trichologists in the world, and the largest trichology training provider in Europe – has issued a public “thank you” to Professor Tobin for his commitment to the role and for supporting the IoT ..read more

November 2020 Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia, known as CCCA is a permanent, progressive central hair loss condition primarily found in black women. For those women who have this condition, a new CCCA support group is being formed in the UK in partnership with the Cicatricial Alopecia Research Foundation (CARF), and is the first international group to exist outside of the US. Support groups are a great opportunity to connect within the scarring alopecia community allowing patients to express themselves in the safety of a group that understands and where they can share ideas and ..read more

January 2019 We are delighted to share more fantastic news about another of our members in sending out congratulations to Dr Vicky Jolliffe who is a dermatologist local to London. Dr Jolliffe was made a Professor of Postgraduate Medical Education in 2018. She said that she was delighted about the above and at the same time was awarded a prestigious National Teaching Fellowship in recognition of her work in creating flexible global teaching resources with her team. We wish Professor Jolliffe all the best and look forward to more of her lectures in the future ..read more

The Institute of Trichologists’  Member Dr Michael Ryan collaborated in a  study looking at adult stem cell released molecules in combination with microneedling restoring hair growth. Introduction: Alopecia is a chronic dermatological disorder affecting millions of people, in which people lose some or all of the hair on their head. Although alopecia has many forms, all are characterized as a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the hair follicles. Alopecia often has psychological consequences, including high levels of anxiety and depression. Case presentation: We report hair reg ..read more

PROFESSOR ANDREW MESSENGER MD FRCP A study on the epidemiology of alopecia areata in the UK has recently been published in the British Journal of Dermatology [1]. It is currently online only but due to appear in print in the near future in open access form. The investigators used a large primary care database containing over 4.1 million records from English general practices giving information on diagnoses, demographics, prescribing and referrals. 6675 new cases of alopecia areata were recorded over a 10-year period 2009-2018, giving an incidence rate of 0.26 cases per 1000 patient years (appr ..read more

PROFESSOR ANDREW MESSENGER MD FRCP There are an increasing number of case reports and small case series describing hair regrowth following treatment with the monoclonal antibody drug dupilumab. Dupilumab is licensed for treating atopic dermatitis and the original observations were serendipitous in patients who happened to have alopecia areata as well as dermatitis. Although there are also some reports of alopecia areata developing during dupilumab treatment for dermatitis most are positive. Dupilumab works by blocking the action of IL-4 and IL-13 which are cytokines involved in an allergic typ ..read more