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Hair loss in women is not uncommon. In fact, in the last ten years, International Hair Studio has seen a definite increase in enquiries about hair loss in women. Today's lifestyle is perhaps placing different pressures and anxieties on our bodies and minds. These stressors are not always the cause of hair loss but factors that can act as a catalyst to speed up hair loss conditions

Losing your hair as a woman can be extremely difficult. It is less socially expected for a woman to lose her hair compared to a man, and this can lead to women feeling very conscious of their thin hair or visible scalp.

Hair loss is medically known as Alopecia. There are many different types; caused by many different reasons. It is estimated that over 50% of women at some point in their lives will suffer from some thinning hair or hair loss.

If your hair loss is in the early stages of thinning, then this is the best time to seek professional help to have the problem diagnosed. Just like a visit to the dentist, responding to small problems or warning signs often have an easier solution then leaving it until the damage has been done.

Sometimes people aren't sure if they are actually losing their hair. You may be currently assessing your hair, taking photos, asking friends & family, your hair dresser, or your doctor about your hair and if they have noticed a change.

Hair does fall out naturally as part of its growing cycle, and is also seasonally affected, so hair loss will happen more at certain times of the year. It is so much easier just to come and see an expert. At IHS we can look at your hair and advise you if your hair needs any help. IHS will also provide you with unbiased advice and if you do not need any treatment we can help you keep an eye on it.

WHAT CAUSES HAIR LOSS IN WOMEN?

There are many types and causes of hair loss in women. Some of the most commonly occurring types are associated with the hormones and the inherited genes. Androgenic Alopecia or Female Pattern Baldness can typically begin causing the hair to fall or thin anytime from the teenage years. These types of hair loss tend to be concentrated more toward the top of the head and can become more evident and increasing in times of hormonal change. Hair loss can be escalated, or sped up, by all forms of internal and external stresses on the mind and the body.

Other types of hair loss include Alopecia Aereata, Alopecia Totalis, Trichotillomania, Traction Alopecia, Lupus, Frontal Fibrosing Syndrome and unfortunately many more. Hair loss can be greatly infuenced by the hormones, stress, the diet, medications or anything at all that effects the bodies environment and balance.

If there is hair that has been lost, whether this has been over time or quite acutely, then the earlier problems are addressed the better. There are many types of hair loss and not all are permanent, and some respond very well to fast action with minor medicinal or therapeutic treatments

Treatments used may include: Topical Medications, properly administered medical grade Laser Therapy, Nutritional Supplementation, Mesotherapy Injection and Intralesional Corticosteriod Injestions.

Instant results or gradual thickening can also be achieved by the powerful "Step by Step" Non-Surgical hair grafting and replacement systems. These can provide thickening and density to even the most advanced hair loss; and the methods are designed to be permanent, safe and importantly enjoyable solution to provide a wonderful healthy head of hair.

Follicular Unit Injection (FUE) and Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT) are surgical methods which can also be called upon where necessary and when applicable.

The decision of which treatment would be best for you, should be left to a professional - even in today's age of self-diagnosis using the internet. Different treatments work better for different people, and an experienced and unbiased professional should be consulted before commencing any type of treatment. A professional can diagnose the cause of the hair loss, how far it may have progressed, and what type of treatment would be the most effective to attain your personal goals and expectations taking into account not only your hair but also your lifestyle.

At International Hair Studio we have access to the complete range of treatments that are available for hair loss and a take unbiased approach. So, our consultants can discuss the "pros and cons" of any technology or treatment which is on the market. Our core technical team have been involved in the treatment of hair loss, around the world, for the last 30 years and have a tremendous breadth of knowledge and experience.

To speak to an expert for advice before committing to a free consultation, give our friendly team a call. Many of our staff, male and female, have had hair loss conditions themselves and can talk first hand of their experiences and what results can be achieved.

Also, if you would like to speak to an expert for advice before committing to a free consultation then just call any of our clinics and we will be more than happy to help you. Call 0207 486 7077 for our London studio, Reading on 0118 334 2416 or 08222850 for our Stockholm studio.

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Hair Loss in Women | International Hair Studio. London, Reading, Stockholm.

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Hair loss in women is not uncommon. In fact, in the last ten years, International Hair Studio has seen a definite increase in enquiries about hair loss in women. Today's lifestyle is perhaps placing different pressures and anxieties on our bodies and minds.

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Many believe that ginger can help growth

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Sesame as a treatment for hair loss

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Hair transpant

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1.      Bellmer, H. (1936) Plate from La Poupée[Photograph] Available at: https://www.moma.org/collection/works/92615 (Accessed: January 20, 2023).

2.      Brodowicz, A. (no date) Alicja Brodowicz[Online] Available at: http://alicjabrodowicz.com/ (Accessed: January 20, 2023).

3.      Kahneman, D., Sibony, O. and Sunstein, C.R. (2022) Noise: A flaw in human judgment. New York: Littlle, Brown Spark.

4.      Kahlo, F. (1944) The Broken Column[Oil on Masonite] Mexico City, Mexico.

5.      Loveyourselves (no date) VSCO®. Available at: https://vsco.co/loveyourselves/media/60aeec23ce320a7c912f4449 (Accessed: January 20, 2023).

6.      Piper, A. (1985) What Will Become of Me[Installation] Available at: https://www.moma.org/collection/works/153243 (Accessed: January 20, 2023).

7.      Proffitt, D. and Baer, D. (2020) Perception: How our Bodies Shape our Minds Available at: https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=FFC9DwAAQBAJ&pg=GBS.PT178&hl=zh_CN (Accessed: January 20, 2023).

8.      Reilly, M. and Vintiner, D. (2022) In pictures: Up close with Transhumanists, MIT Technology Review. MIT Technology Review. Available at: https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/02/24/1017825/human-body-modification-transhumanism-photo-essay/ (Accessed: January 20, 2023).

9.      Simpson, L. (1994) Wigs[Photograph] Available at: https://www.moma.org/collection/works/73745 (Accessed: January 20, 2023).

10.  Szapocznikow, A. (1969) Motherhood[Polyester color montage of photographs] Available at: https://awarewomenartists.com/en/artiste/alina-szapocznikow/ (Accessed: January 20, 2023).

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The project proposal workshop assisted me in comprehending the crucial components of a project. It was a beneficial method for organizing my thoughts.

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Survey/interview, books, scientific articles...

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Body issues (non-severe chronic diseases )
Ex. Short-signted, pattern hair loss etc.

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A collection of illustrations depicting the daily struggles and challenges faced by those affected.

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Medical and psychology fields

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What Next?: Major Project Idea Development

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What Next?: Major Project Idea Development

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Throughout my studies on the topic of body modification in the first unit, I discovered an important missing aspect- the correlation between health issues and the desire to modify one's body. For example, from my personal experience, I wear contact lenses daily due to my severe short-sightedness and take hair growth pills because of my pattern hair loss. These health issues can also affect my mental well-being, but my parents often brush them off as not being a big deal. These types of chronic health issues are often overlooked by those who do not have them. Therefore, it is crucial to bring attention to these diseases that may not be considered severe but can still have a significant impact on a person's quality of life. For my major project, I plan to investigate these issues and use my illustrations to depict the daily struggles and challenges faced by those affected.

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In my previous project, I considered myself an investigator and my methods, outcomes, materials reflected this. However, during my second project, I became aware of the incorporation of narratives in both the initial attempt and final outcome. While the narrative element was intended in the final outcome through the use of language, it was also present in the animation(combined with the sound) of the first attempt. As a result, I would now see myself as both an investigator and an author.

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Through the work I've done so far, I see myself as an investigator, as the main focus of my work is documenting and reflecting reality. The artworks I studied during my secondary research provided me with a deeper understanding of the techniques and approaches used in investigations.

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Hair Follicle

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At this stage, I feel like it'a bit hard and confusing to understand the message I was trying to convey for people who don't know the background information. Therefore, I decided to add narrative in it and make it appears to be a report-like commercial poster. I chose this format because it can draw attention to the pseudoscientific practices about hair growth. The outcome can be viewed as a modified and fantasized reproduction of the reality. I aim to resonate my audience and induce them to contemplate on their actions for body changing.

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I picked the hair loss problem for hair change topics in specific as that relates to project 1’s experiment. I designed the cube-shaped diagram as the background. The bubbles in the diagram indicate the number of hair loss on each day. The content presents the progress of  the character using the “magical medicine” to treat his hair loss problem. The scalps are layered to convey a sense of chaotic. The “magical medicine” here were a metaphor for those irrational and pseudoscience treatments many people do to their scalp in their real lives.

I designed the character to be bold because many people who suffer from moderate hair loss problems actually exaggerate their problem in their mind. Their perceptions are irrational.

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I originally used nude colors but that was disregarded as I believe black and white gives a feeling of  report-like for my illustration work. It matches the objective sense I was trying to achieve.

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By presenting this contrast, I hope to get my audience to think about their own actions for hair changes. To think about whether these actions are actually rational and necessary.

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In contrast to the realistic, logical and objective diagram background, I designed the context to be imaginary, irrational and subjective. I gained a lot of inspirations from Surrealism artworks which are characterized by a celebration of the irrational.

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I used diagrams as references for the background design because I believe it delivers a strong sense of logic and scientific.

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References for the sense of subjective: Surrealism

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References for the sense of subjective: Surrealism

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(Alina Szapocznikow, 1969)
Alina Szapocznikow - Archives of Women Artists, Research and Exhibitions (awarewomenartists.com)

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(Frida Kahlo, 1944)

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(Hens Bellmer, 1936)

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In the hair change context:
1. The hair loss data recording
2. Natural hair change

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In the hair change context:
1. The dissatisification and undervalued self-perceptions.
2. Hoping for the better look and even seek for pseudoscience methods.

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Umgebung: objective world

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Umwelt: subjective world

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The world we live in

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The book mentioned the concepts of  Umegebung and Umwelt which were delivered by Jakob von Uexküll, a Baltic German biologist. Umgebung is an objective physical environment, while the Umwelt is an subjective experience of an animal towards one place. Initially, the concepts were introduced to study the animal world. But, they could also be generalized on human beings. We, as human, often times we believe that we experience the world as it objectively is which was referred as naïve realism by social scientists and philosophers. That is, we live in our own human Umwelt and this could largely affect our perceptions of the world and ourself. (Proffitt and Baer, 2020, p8)

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“We are each living our own personal version of Gulliver’s Travels, where the size and shape of the objects and people we see are scaled to the size of our body and our ability to interact with our surroundings.”

(Dennis Proffitt & Drake Baker)

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Pseudoscience tips for body changes

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The dissatisfaction for the body and appearance

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Body data recording

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It was a very small sample size and most of the participants were my friends. Therefore, the results may not be generalizable to the public. Despite this, the results still provided me with valuable insights on the topic at hand.

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Hair change

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In the survey, 30% (largest proportion) responded that the body part that they modify most frequently is hair. So, I decided to present hair issues and how people alter it in the second verison of project 2.

The most surprising result is that people with higher self-ratings tends to have a higher frequency in terms of body modifications. Not only that, people record their body data across all ratings and 49% of the participants have believed or tried body change tips (those seemingly pseudoscience ones) from social media. The results clearly indicate that even for those people that rated themselves high, they may still not satisfied with their body. These kind of dissatisfaction may cause anxiety and leads to thoughtless decisions on their bodies such as trusting pseudoscience tips about body changes.

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"Noise" in my context: The tendency to frequently change bodies in an inconsistent manner. (Ex. one day I want to dye my hair red, and the next day I want to cut them off)

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Self-rating and Body Data Record_BarChart

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Self-rating and Body Changes' Frequency_BarChart

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1. What's your gender?

2. How would you rate your appearance from 1-10?

3. Do you think other people would agree with your rating for your appearance?

4. Are you ok with natural body changes？

5. Do you record some of your body changes?

6. Which part of your body do you modify most frequently?

7. Name one change you must make to your body in your daily life

8. Do you spend a lot of time and energy searching for ways to make your body more desirable？

9. Have you believed or tried body change tips from online articles or social media?

10. The changes you made to your body made you think more highly of yourself. Do you aggree?

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To ensure that my work is relatable and relevant to others, I chose to conduct a survey on body modification and self-perception before I proceed on the second attempt.

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Survey Approach: From my personal experiences to other people's experiences

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Survey Approach: From my personal experiences to other people's experiences

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I designed 10 questions in the survey through Microsoft forms and sent out on social media. In total, I got 35 responses.

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Easily create surveys and polls to collect customer feedback, measure employee satisfaction, and organize team events.

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One of the tutor mentined that the final works seemed to be disconnected from the acedemic research and the critical position of an invetisgator. And I would agree with that, this is another dissatisfication for the outcome.

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1. What went successful?

I like the use of real sounds in the animation that I recorded myself, it adds depth to people's imagination, and also highlights the concept of "noise" in an unexpected angle.

2. What didn't went successful?

The color scheme and style ended up being too cheerful, which was not my intention. It came across as a celebration of body modifications rather than a contemplation on them. The context became misleading in this way.

Furthermore, my choice to use animation as the format was not entirely clear. It inadvertently added a narrative element to the work, which was not my initial intention.

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In addition to the illustrations, I also created a short  animation to showcase my work during the peer review. The background audio consists of recordings of various sounds from my daily routine, such as the sound of air blowing on my hair, combing my hair, showering, etc.

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For the background, I took inspiration from vintage mirrors. The vintage mirrors convey traditional ascetics, which fits my subject.

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Tall Ceilings, Large Wall Space - How to Decorate | Vintage mirrors, Hand mirror, Vintage decor

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Sep 9, 2015 - Question: We have very tall ceilings on our main floor and I need a statement piece above some French doors that will help fill in the space.

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See more of loveyourselves's content on VSCO.

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Glitch art is another nonnegligible part of this project . The malfunctioning of technology illustrates the fragility of our human body.

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I designed three images  of the moments of body changing. It was inspired by the concept of "noise audit" in behavioural science and can be viewed as a visual representation of the noises in our daily lives. That is, it reveals people's  frequent but inconiststent desire of modifying their bodies. The existence of mirror represents the self-gazing.

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It could potentially helps us to understand or recognize:

1. Motivations of doing so (reflecting on the behaviors)

2. Impact of societal pressures and norms on self-expression

3. Individuals' physical and mental well-being

4. Cultural significance behind body modification practices

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In the book Noise: A flaw in Human Judgement, the authors introduced the concept of noise audit in behavioral science. Noise is the unwanted variations in one’s judgement and decision making. Noise audit is the way to systematically reveal and mathematically calculate the noise. The concepts inspired me to create a visual representation of the noises in our daily lives. Our human body is fundamental to how we understand ourselves. The way we modify our bodies is often based on two fundamental and interrelated judgements, namely, our self-perception and subjective expectation. However, none of the judgments are necessarily derived from a rational cognitive process or a stable affective state. In reality, they can be both systematically biased and filled with noises. (Kahneman et al., 2022)

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I linked my found images with some of my sketches based on different body parts. Unfortunately, this method did not help me to generate further inspirations. I suspect the reason for failure is that the style is too homogeneous for the found images.

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Skip to Content

They have many reasons for modifying their bodies, but transhumanists are united in their belief that technology can unlock a new way of being.

Implanted in your hand, this RFID/NFC chip can be used to open locks or pay for things.

The human body is a marvel of evolutionary engineering. When it goes wrong, either from illness or from trauma, powerful technologies that we've developed can replace lost limbs, or restore the ability to walk. Occasionally, the repair can even go beyond a restoration, enhancing one's natural abilities.

Photographer David Vintiner became fascinated with these and other sorts of body modifications carried out by proponents of transhumanism. Generally speaking, transhumanists believe that technology can be used as a tool to tweak and enhance the human body. In the photos that follow, we meet some of these people through Vintiner's lens.

The impetus for these body modifications sometimes comes from an accident -a man called James Young replaced his lost arm with a robotic one that's something of a high-tech Swiss army knife. Other transhumanists simply want to see what is possible: to play with perception, the senses, and their own skin and bone in ways that can seem performative, and are sometimes deliberately so. Moon Ribas, for example, dances as a way of interpreting the vibrations she feels when the signals from earthquakes and moonquakes, registering on far-off seismographs, are beamed into implants in her feet. She and Neil Harbisson, who cofounded the advocacy group Cyborg Foundation, both identify as artists rather than technology researchers.

But while many cyborg projects are better described as curios than practical breakthroughs, they are nonetheless difficult to ignore. Modern consumer technology has, after all, already changed us in many strange and fascinating ways. Many people walk around with implants that regulate their heartbeat or insulin levels. And many more stare into the mirror each morning and carefully apply a thin, wet film to the surface of their eye to improve their vision. We may not all end up like Harbisson, who has a light-sensitive antenna sticking out of his skull. But who's to say that he and others aren't simply the first examples of a more advanced form of our species?

Neil Harbisson was born with achromatism, a rare disease that renders him color-blind.

The Eyesect helmet allows the wearer to experience independent eye movement.

Harbisson (above left) has been color-blind since birth. To augment his senses, he had an antenna implanted in his skull that turns the light it picks up into audible vibrations, allowing him to sense colors (and even infrared and ultraviolet light) as sound.

If you've ever wondered what it would be like to detach your eyes and move them around independently, the Eyesect helmet (above right) is for you. Each "eye" camera pipes into your real eye. It may be a profound new sensory experience-or just a good way to break your brain.

James Young's bionic arm (in the chair above) also has a USB charging port, a heart rate monitor, a flashlight, and a small drone.

The aim of the NeuroRex exoskeleton (bottom left) is to take a step beyond wheelchairs. NeuroRex uses a wearable electrode cap that reads a person's brain waves and turns them into commands like "Walk forward," "Turn," "Step back," or "Stop." Its creators hope that people who've lost the ability to walk will one day be able to regain much of their mobility, including navigating stairs and uneven terrain.

Filmmaker Rob Spence (the guy with the red Terminator eye, inset) lost an eye in a childhood accident. In its place, he and a small team created a wearable wireless video camera that record footage from his point of view-complete with furtive glances and eye blinks.

The ears on Stelios Arcadiou's head work just fine. But the artist, who goes by the name Stelarc, endured multiple surgeries, skin necrosis, and a dangerous infection to bring a third ear to life on his forearm (yep that's it, pictured above right). His dream is for it to house a small, internet-connected microphone so people all over the world can listen into what it's hearing.

Researchers at University College London have used stem cells to grow body parts and surgically repair or replace damaged tissue, including tear ducts, windpipes, and blood vessels. More complex parts, like an ear or nose (pictured above), are next.

The "God helmet" (above right) started as an attempt to explain the roots of mystical experience in terms of brain activity. Subjects whose brains were stimulated using the helmet often reported feeling a divine presence (or their dead ancestors, or aliens). Neurohackers have co-opted it to see if it can help with mental health or improve concentration.

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In pictures: up close with transhumanists

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Skip to Content They have many reasons for modifying their bodies, but transhumanists are united in their belief that technology can unlock a new way of being. The human body is a marvel of evolutionary engineering. When it goes wrong, either from illness or from trauma, powerful technologies that we've developed can replace lost limbs, or restore the ability to walk.

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Documenting the products I used everyday to modify my body . It appears to be mostly about makeup and cosmetic products. The areas of my body that have undergone the most modifications are my hair, skin, and eyes.

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Daily body modification

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Psychology

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The paried tutorial assisted me in structuring my ideas and expanding on my topic. Viewing my partner's work provided insight into different methods and approaches for research. Additionally,  Miriam highlighted potential issues in my perfectionist tendencies, which could impede my creative process. She emphasized the importance of experimenting and not always striving for the perfect outcome. Her suggestions helped me to go back on tack of the "playing process". I also encountered difficulty expressing my topic and concept in English as it is not my first language. To prepare for future tutorials, I plan to organize and write down my ideas in English before the tutorial.

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I used a 3D scanning application called Qlone to scan my hand and was surprised at how well it captured the details and textures of my skin. However, it does have limitations as it can only scan objects on a flat surface, making it difficult to scan the human body.

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I tried 3D modeling using blender for the first time. The idea of creating a character came from my previous sketch about generating a human being. Initially, I attempted to model the entire body but struggled with getting the proportions correct, and the final product did not effectively convey my intended message. I think I had been influenced and distracted from the tutorials I watched on Youtube. In future practices, I plan to organize my ideas and make a rough sketch before beginning the modeling process.

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Analyse of the Works: Which Way Should I Go?

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Analyse of the Works: Which Way Should I Go?

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All the works I created during the initial project center around the same theme: the body and changes to the body. However, they approached the topic from two distinct angles. The first one examined body modification in everyday life, while the second delved into the future evolution of the body. I had to consider which direction to take, and I ultimately chose to explore the topic of daily body modification as I had previously worked on a similar theme for the other one. I wanted to push myself into a new territory.

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Elctric chips in the body

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Injecting ink that signals body states

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Future ways of creating human

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Controling my face

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Tattoo before vs. after

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My contact lenses

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Taking hair growth pills

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Visual Experiment 2: The dead part of the body

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Visual Experiment 2: The dead part of the body

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In the meanwhile. Inspired by Adrian Piper and also Alicja Brodowicz’s art works, I took photographs and also record the number of my fallen hair from showers for two weeks. I organized the 8 photographs  and labeled the number of fallen hair next to it. To me, the fallen hair is the dead part of one’s body. So, I tried to find objects that could also convey that idea. Paper came to my mind as it came from the dead part of trees. Then, I experimented with a very thin paper and tried to simulate the shape of the hair balls. The paper strips I peeled off were crumpled up and placed in chaotic manners.

As I was documenting and experimenting, I noticed the growing anxiety towards my hair volume. I start to became very concerned about the amount of hair loss and I found myself paying more attention to other people's hair than usual. This abnormal behavior trigued my interest in the psychological aspect of body changes.

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The scarification of the body during the colonial era. (Photos taken in Tate Modern by myself)

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Jars that contain har, nails and skin. (Adrian Piper, 1985)

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21 pined wigs with text  (Lorna Simpson, 1994)