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What causes hair loss?
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I often receive questions about hair loss; by both men and women. While men seem more accepting of this condition women on the whole tend to panic. That is particularly true when they "think" they see more hair in the shower drain than before. In some instances, however, their perception is skewed because they don’t always notice how much hair has fallen out. Therefore, when they do finally notice it automatically appears to be out of balance.
Most people lose between 50 and 100 strands of hair each day. There is no perfect "norm," because a lot of different factors come into play when analyzing hair loss. For example, a person’s age, health, and hair maintenance routine will always have a major impact on the amount of hair loss encountered. But that is hardly all there is to it. Other factors like diet, nutrition, and stress can also have an impact on hair loss.
As people age, they automatically tend to experience a thinning out of hair. If in their youth they typically lost only 50 strands a day, they may experience twice that amount as they move into their golden years. Men usually suffer greater loss than women do. For them, hair may continue to fall out in ever increasing amounts while, for women, the process may lessen or return to the rate that was normal for them once they have completed menopause. Hair loss caused by aging is definitely effected by genetics. Some people have a predisposition to more hair loss than others do. It has to do with the shrinking of hair follicles, which may ultimately produce thinner, shorter, strands of hair. Additionally, some hair follicles will simply die off and stop producing any more hair at all.
An individual’s health will also have an impact on his or her hair loss. Certain types of health conditions automatically carry hair loss as a side effect. These include autoimmune disorders, diabetes, fungal infections, hormone imbalance, lupus, and thyroid disease to name just a few. However, oftentimes it is more due to the medications used to treat the illness than the actual condition itself. For example, certain medications used to commonly treat arthritis may result in hair loss. These include, but are not necessarily limited to hydroxychoroquine, leflunomide, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and rheumatrex. Several drugs used to treat bipolar disorders carry the same type of risk. These include carbamazepine, fluoxetine, lamotrigine, and oxcarbazepin. Everyone already knows that certain chemotherapy drugs also lead to massive hair loss.
A drastic change in hormone levels can also result in additional hair loss. Some pregnant women face this issue during pregnancy or immediately following birth, while hormone levels are out of balance. Others experience the issue during menopause, resulting in significant hair loss for those who take years to complete the hormonal changes associated with that condition.
Stress can lead to greater hair loss, primarily because it can also lead to illness, improper nutrition, and poor diet. In such cases, a physician may have to run several tests to determine the primary cause of the condition before he or she can prescribe something to counteract it. In other cases, the suffering individual just has to wait until whatever is causing the undue stress is alleviated.
A poor diet and loss of important vitamins can also lead to hair loss. Iron deficiency has been well documented to cause such a condition. However, many doctors and scientists also believe that loss of vitamins A, B (B6 and B12), C, D, and E, folic acid, and zinc can have a profound impact on the amount of hair a person enjoys as well as on its health and overall condition.
Certain hair treatments commonly used on hair can also result in hair loss. The primary culprit is hair dye bleach, or highlighting products that tend to take the hair several shades lighter in color. The chemicals used for these products are harsh and strip the hair not only of its color, but also some of its protein and vitamins. Weakened hair automatically leads to increased hair loss, which is hopefully only temporary in nature.
Loss of hair can be traumatic to individuals who depend upon their looks to help them feel good about themselves. That is often why movie stars and models resort to hair weaves, extensions, hair pieces, and wigs to supplement what Mother Nature gave them. However, it is important to remember that hair is just that - - hair. It isn’t the end all and be all of an individual’s value or worth.
