Scarsdale resident Elizabeth Cunnane, trichologist (that is, a specialist in hair and scalp health) at the Philip Kingsley Clinic in Manhattan, offers some advice for thinning hair: “Thinning hair and hair loss in females is a problem many women won’t talk about. It can occur for many reasons: low vitamin B-12, zinc, or iron levels [iron helps produce hair-cell protein], thyroid problems, and raging hormones, to name a few. But one factor that often is overlooked is nutrition. Hair is protein, so it is necessary to eat proteins, particularly at breakfast and lunch. First-class proteins for hair include meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and–to an extent–cottage cheese. Protein supplements such as Philip Kingsley PK4Hair [$37 at Bloomingdale’s Space NK , 175 Bloomingdale Rd, White Plains 914-683-6300; Bloomingdales.com] are also helpful. Sometimes, thinning hair is self-inflicted by hard brushing, or pulling too tight when blow-drying or braiding, particularly in Afro-Caribbean hair, so treat your hair gently.”
