Perms: in the grand history of hairstyling they're usually something we want to brush under the carpet rather than resurrect. However, as they got papped shooting the new Anchorman movie, Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd and Steve Carell looked dangerously close to beginning a new trend for the Curly Sue look.
The three actors, who all have umpteen blockbuster comedy films under their belts, were certainly getting into the Seventies style for their roles, and Christina Applegate, who appears to be reprising her role as Veronica Corningstone, must be grateful that her character has remained perm-less. Kanye West and fellow rapper Drake also made cameos in the film, which was being shot on location in Manhattan this week, although they seemed to be relying on wigs to achieve their permed styles (either that or their hair is extremely fast-growing).
It's fair to say that a perm revival in popular culture is unlikely, but many people, especially women, still use the styling technique. Perming is a chemical process, and whilst it can really dry hair out, it shouldn't usually cause hair loss. However, at Belgravia we do see hair loss as a result of chemical burns that have occurred when the chemical and the heat that is being used to straighten or curl hair burns the scalp. Alongside perms, chemicals are often used to straighten hair, particularly potentially hard to manage hair types such as Afro hair.
When a burn occurs, it can lead to the scalp follicle scarring and becoming permanently damaged, meaning that no further hair is able to grow from the follicle. However, if no such burn has taken place but styling has left your hair looking thinner than usual, it's possible that hair has been damaged to the extent that breakage has occurred along the hair shaft.
Hairs break more easily when permed because it's a drying treatment, meaning that hair can become weaker, brittle and more prone to breakage than it otherwise would have been. Because any hair treatment should only affect your current hair rather than the hair that will subsequently grow from the follicles, allowing your hair to grow out without treating it should be enough to return it to its previous health.
However, if your perm has been long gone but your hair is still thinning, it may be that the hair treatment-related thinning masked the onset of pattern hair loss. This genetic condition won't fix itself, and if you have noticed that your thinning is atop the head as supposed to all over the scalp, it could well be that this is the cause of your hair loss, perm or no perm.
Regular haircuts and moisturising masks are probably the best way to help hair that's become dry from styling techniques. However, treating pattern hair loss requires clinically proven hair loss medication in order to slow the rate of hair loss and potentially regrow thinning hair. If you're unsure as to what is causing your hair loss, visit your GP or a hair loss specialist, who should be able to diagnose you and recommend a hair loss treatment programme if appropriate.