Hair Care, Hair Loss and Excessive Hair Growth
Hair and scalp concerns are a common reason patients seek guidance from pharmacists. To support your practice, the Hair Care, Hair Loss and Excessive Hair Growth chapter in CPS Full Access has been updated with evidence-based, practical information. The revised content includes guidance on general hair care, the pathophysiology of hair growth, and the assessment and treatment of conditions such as alopecia and excessive hair growth—making it easier to provide informed care across a range of patient needs.
"Hair loss is common and can be brought on by many things such as stress, medical treatments, or underlying health conditions. Traction alopecia is a common form of hair loss that is a result of tight hairstyles. Some of these hairstyles are common in professions such as the military or dance, while other hairstyles are tied into cultural practices, specifically for Black people. Black hair is not just hair. It is interwoven into the Black identity. Not only do these hairstyles represent history and resistance, but they are also a means of protecting hair from breakage and damage as well as promoting growth and retention. When health professionals lack knowledge in this area, it not only means they are unable to provide guidance to those experiencing traction alopecia, but they cannot empathize or understand the significant emotional toll this can have on Black patients."
— Afomia Gebre, Editorial Advisory Committee member
What’s new:
- An infographic for patients
- Tables describing causes of hair loss and causes of excessive hair growth
- Section on alopecia areata
- Several new photos showing a variety of skin tones
- Many improvements from a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) perspective: removed inherent biases in descriptions of hair and excess hair, added safety information on laser hair removal systems in darkly pigmented skin, and added preventative care for traction alopecia.
"We’re proud to continue the important work of addressing systemic bias and racism in our therapeutic content. The latest update of our Hair Care, Hair Loss and Excessive Hair Growth chapter provided an opportunity to identify and question some of the inherent biases around hair, race and gender. We hope the updated chapter will help pharmacists provide good advice without any underlying assumptions about how hair ‘should’ look."
— Sarah Jennings, Editor-in-Chief
Check out the updated Hair Care, Hair Loss and Excessive Hair Growth chapter in CPS Full Access to learn more.
