Latest news with #AventusClinic
IOL News
13-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- IOL News
Seven daily habits that could be harming your skin and hair
Women who frequently wear tight hairstyles suffer some level of hair loss. Image: Freepik We all love a good serum or a miracle hair mask, but what if the secret to glowing skin and healthier hair wasn't in a bottle? According to Dr. Suhail Alam of Aventus Clinic, it's not about buying more products but more about rethinking the little things you do every day. "Your daily routine has a bigger impact on skin and hair health than any single product," he says. "Simple tweaks to your habits can help you preserve your glow, prevent damage, and even maintain a youthful appearance, all without spending a fortune." From how you sleep to how you use your phone, here are seven sneaky habits that could be sabotaging your skin and hair. Your phone might be wrecking your skin Think about how many times your phone touches your face. Now think about all the grime, oil, and bacteria that might be hitching a ride. 'Dirty phones, makeup brushes, and even hats can be hotspots for bacteria,' warn the experts at Aventus Clinic. That buildup can lead to acne, scalp irritation, and even folliculitis (an inflamed hair follicle). The fix? Wipe your phone down daily and give your beauty tools a weekly deep clean. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Make sure your phone is clean. Image: / Pexels Tight hairstyles could be costing you your hairline A slicked-back ponytail is a go-to style for many of us, but wearing high-tension styles too often could be pulling more than just your hair. Research shows that one in three women who frequently wear tight hairstyles suffer some level of hair loss, thanks to a condition called traction alopecia. Loosen up your style, and your follicles will thank you. Pulling your hair back can cause hairloss. Image: Pavel Danilyuk / Pexels Cotton pillowcases are the culprit behind morning creases Your beauty sleep could be doing more harm than good if your pillowcase is cotton. The friction can tug at your skin and hair, leading to sleep lines, breakage, and long-term wrinkles. Swap in a silk or satin pillowcase for a smoother, gentler night's rest. Hot showers are drying you out Don't you just love a hot, steamy shower? While you are enjoying your shower, your skin may be paying the price. Super-hot water can strip away your skin's protective barrier, leaving it dry and sensitive. Keep the water lukewarm instead and aim for under 10 minutes to help your skin stay hydrated. Keep the water lukewarm when you shower. Image: / Pexels Overwashing isn't doing you any favours You might think you're being extra clean, but too much washing can actually disrupt your skin and scalp's natural balance. 'Most people only need to shampoo two to three times a week and wash their face twice daily,' says Dr. Alam. However, anything more could strip away the good oils your body needs. Your hands are getting in the way of clear skin Face-touchers, beware. It's an unconscious habit for many of us, but it could be spreading bacteria and oil that trigger breakouts. Constantly twirling or fussing with your hair can lead to split ends and breakage. Hands off is the mantra if you're chasing that effortless glow. Stop touching your face. Image: Polina Tankilevitch / Pexels Going to bed with wet hair leads to breakage At some point, many of us have climbed into bed with damp hair after a late shower. But when your hair's wet, it's at its weakest. Tossing and turning on the pillow adds extra friction, leading to tangles, breakage, and even thinning over time. Let your hair air-dry before sleep, or give it a gentle blow-dry with a heat protectant. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. IOL Lifestyle
The Sun
11-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
The 5 mistakes you're making that are causing hair loss – including the style you should never wear
DESPERATE for longer, thicker tresses? Aren't we all. Broken shafts and weak follicles are commonplace thanks to a plethora of hair styling practices, such as heat, bleach and way-too-tight up 'dos. It's likely that, somewhere along the line, we're all engaging in things that are indirectly or directly causing our hair to fall out. Experts have long recommended oils and scalp massages to remedy thinning, but there's actually daily lifestyle changes you can implement too. On average, humans lose 50 to 100 strands of hair per day. This is a completely normal part of the hair growth cycle, where older hair falls out to make way for new hair to grow in. But in some cases, your daily routines will be inflating this number and putting you at risk of bald patches. 1. Stop slicking your hair back (or do it less) High-tension hairstyles, like slick-back buns and high ponytails, can wreak havoc on your follicles. These types of styles pull on the hair, making it susceptible to falling out AND thinning. "High-tension styles like slick ponytails may cause traction alopecia - a form of hair loss caused by chronic follicle stress,' Dr Suhail Alam from Aventus Clinic told The Express. 'Research published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that up to one in three women who regularly wear tight hairstyles experience some degree of hair loss." 2. Never sleep on wet hair We get it, you're tired - and flopping into bed for some doomscrolling seems way more attractive than standing in the mirror with the blow dryer at 10pm. For the sake of your hair health, though, you should choose the latter. I tried Aldi's Dyson airwrap dupe at bargain price - and it gave me easy hair salon look "Wet hair is weaker and more prone to breakage,' Dr Suhail said. 'Tossing and turning on it adds friction and tangling. Let it dry naturally, or use a gentle blow-dry before sleep." 3. Swap your pillow cases Most bed sheets and pillow cases are made from polyester (a synthetic fibre) or cotton, or sometimes a hybrid of the two. These abrasive materials can be particularly problematic for your tresses as they create more friction against the hair while you sleep, especially if you move around a lot. This friction can cause hair to tangle, break or frizz - and over time, this can make it fall out at an unnatural rate. Dr Suhail recommends sleeping on a satin or silk pillowcase to reduce friction, and thus foster a healthier sleep environment for your lengths. 4. Stop washing your hair so much Most people either team 'I wash my hair once a week' or 'I wash my hair every day' - but the sweet spot is somewhere in the middle. Over-washing strips sebum, the natural oil produced by your scalp to keep your hair moisturised and protected, leading to dryness and making your hair more prone to breakage. It can also irritate the scalp, contributing to conditions like dandruff and irritation and, in some instances, hair loss. Dr Suhail recommends washing your hair three times a week at most, but never less than two times a week, to ensure your scalp doesn't suffer a build-up of products and oils. 5. Turn down the shower temperature Like over-washing, having scorching water during your shower can further strip your hair of the natural oils and contribute towards hair loss. Hair re-growth FAQs Anabel Kingsley, Consultant Trichologist and Brand President at Philip Kingsley spoke exclusively to Fabulous. How long does it take for hair to grow back? Hair grows, on average, half an inch a month. You cannot speed this up. Do rosemary oil and scalp massages work? Oils do not promote hair growth. In terms of rosemary oil, the current trend stems from one small study carried out on 50 men in 2015. No women were involved, and the study compared the effects of 2 per cent minoxidil to Rosemary oil. 2 per cent minoxidil doesn't do much for male pattern hair loss anyway, so the results were not very impressive. Oils do serve a purpose in conditioning hair treatments though. They help add shine and smooth the hair cuticle to lock-in moisture and improve combability. Scalp massages alone won't cure hair loss, but it can help relax you, aid in lymphatic drainage, exfoliate and help topicals penetrate. Are there any products or foods/vitamins you recommend someone using or eating to help with hair regrowth? To support healthy hair regrowth, if you are experiencing hair thinning we'd recommend our Density Preserving Scalp Drops clinically proven to help slow hair loss with continued daily use within three months. Telogen effluvium (hair shedding) due to nutritional deficiencies can often be simply treated with changes to your diet, and nutritional supplements such as our specially formulated Density Healthy Hair Complex and Density Amino Acid Booster. Iron and Ferritin (stored iron) in red meat, dried apricots and dark, leafy greens. Vitamin B12 in animal products and fortified plant-based foods. Protein from oily fish, lean meat, cottage cheese, tofu, nuts, chickpeas, and beans. However, there may be an underlying cause for their hair loss and rather than this being masked by using an off-the-shelf product, they should be encouraged to seek the advice of a specialist such as a Trichologist. Furthermore, the heat from hot water opens up the hair cuticle (the outer layer of the hair shaft), which allows moisture to escape from your hair. This can turn your lengths dry, brittle and more susceptible to breakage over time - and when it's dry, your hair will feel rough and look dull. And when the scalp loses moisture, it may overcompensate by producing excess oil, leading to greasy hair or an imbalanced scalp. This will also make your hair appear less smooth and harder to manage after a hot shower. Instead, you should shampoo it with lukewarm water.
