If your hair is thinning or falling out,. Is hair loss due to stress, heredity, or some other factor? The answer is “yes” to all three. The following are some types of hair loss, with information about each:
Normal Hair Loss:
We all lose about 100 hairs per day, out of the 100,000 contained by the average scalp. This is due to a few factors:
We all lose about 100 hairs per day, out of the 100,000 contained by the average scalp. This is due to a few factors:
- Lifespan: The average lifespan of a single hair is 4.5 years; the hair then falls out and is replaced within 6 months by a new hair.
- Styling: Shampooing, blow drying, and brushing hair can all cause a few hairs to fall out; most of us do this regularly.
- Aging: After the age of 30 (and often before), men and women both start losing hair, though men tend to do so at a faster rate.
Hereditary Hair Loss:
Genetic hair loss isn’t due to excessive amounts of hair falling out, as many believe, but to an insufficient amount of hairs growing back to replace the hairs that have been shed. Hereditary baldness is associated with a few factors:
Genetic hair loss isn’t due to excessive amounts of hair falling out, as many believe, but to an insufficient amount of hairs growing back to replace the hairs that have been shed. Hereditary baldness is associated with a few factors:
- Gender: Hereditary, or “pattern” baldness, is much more common in men than in women.
- Age: By age 30, 1 in 4 men is balding; by age 60, 2 in 3 men are balding or bald.
- Hormones: Pattern baldness is associated with testosterone; women who have more of it in their system as they age tend to lose (or, technically, fail to re-grow) more hair. This is also why more men experience pattern baldness.
Stress and Hair Loss:
You may have heard that stress can cause hair loss, and it’s true. Excessive physical or emotional stress, like that associated with injury, illness or surgery, can cause one of two types of hair loss:
You may have heard that stress can cause hair loss, and it’s true. Excessive physical or emotional stress, like that associated with injury, illness or surgery, can cause one of two types of hair loss:
- The more common type is called telogen effluvium. With this less severe type of hair loss, the hair stops growing and lies dormant, only to fall out 2 or 3 months later. Then it grows back within 6 to 9 months.
- The other type of stress-induced hair loss is known as alopecia areata, and involves a white blood cell attack on the hair follicles. With this type of hair loss, the hair also falls out within weeks (usually in patches), but can involve the entire scalp and even body hair. Hair may grow back on its own, but treatment may also be required.
Other Hair Loss Factors:
There are other factors that can also cause hair loss, including but not limited to:
There are other factors that can also cause hair loss, including but not limited to:
- Illness
- Hormonal changes
- Pregnancy, childbirth, and birth control pill usage
- Nervous habits
- Chemotherapy
If your hair is thinning, or you’re experiencing baldness and it seems abnormal (i.e. if you’re in your teens or 20s, if it’s an odd pattern, etc.) it’s a good idea to see your doctor to determine the cause. Also, if you’re concerned that stress is the culprit, it’s always a good idea to cut down on lifestyle stress and find some effective coping techniques for the stress that remains. (Scroll down for additional resources.)
Hair loss is one of the most common hair problems especially for women. Though physically it only affects your hair, it can take a toll on your psychological health also. People with constant and excessive hair fall end up with very thin hair and this can dampen their self confidence and make them awkward in public gatherings.
Off late, thousands of hair treatments and products promise to cure hair fall, but the truth is that these products are themselves full of chemical substances which might actually end up damaging your hair rather than strengthening them. To understand what treatment will help you or not, its imperative that you first understand the biological causes of hair fall. It is not as simple as it sounds. The phenomenon of hair fall is influenced by some very complicated biological and genetic factors. Here is a look at them-
1. Heredity
Premature baldness or excessive hair fall is actually genetic in nature i.e. it is passed on from one generation to the other.
Premature baldness or excessive hair fall is actually genetic in nature i.e. it is passed on from one generation to the other.
2. Hormonal Imbalances
When the normal hormonal levels are disrupted in the body due to an illness or pregnancy or menopause, hair fall is known to happen.
When the normal hormonal levels are disrupted in the body due to an illness or pregnancy or menopause, hair fall is known to happen.
3. Anxiety or Stress
Your mental and psychological health is intricately related to your hair. People are right when they say that depression or stress can lead to hairfall. People suffering from thyroid can also experience hair problems.
Your mental and psychological health is intricately related to your hair. People are right when they say that depression or stress can lead to hairfall. People suffering from thyroid can also experience hair problems.
4. Nutrition and diet
It might sound far fetched but what you eat plays a vital role in determining the kind of hair you have. So, make sure your diet is rich in mineral, vitamin and fibre content. It should also contain decent quantities of proteins.
Also, sudden and excessive weight loss can also hamper the quality of your hair and cause hair fall. It all boils down to the kind of lifestyle you lead. Remember not to skip meals and pay extra attention to your food intake. If need be, you can also take vitamin supplements to enric
It might sound far fetched but what you eat plays a vital role in determining the kind of hair you have. So, make sure your diet is rich in mineral, vitamin and fibre content. It should also contain decent quantities of proteins.
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