Causes of Hair Loss

Hair Loss With Natural Hair Growth Cycle

The loss of hair can be natural, though you might not realize it. In fact, throughout our lives we are growing and losing hair all the time in cycles that we may not even notice. Right now, about 10% of the hair on your head is in what is called a resting phase that will last two to three months. After this time the hair will fall out and be replaced by new growth. Each person has a different rate of hair loss with each cycle, so the hair loss of one cannot easily be compared to the hair loss of another. Each hair on your head will grow about one centimeter per month during this growth period that will last two to six years. This means that only 90% of the hair on your head is growing at any one time. Hair loss becomes an issue for most people when the growth rate isn’t as constant as the resting or falling out rate of the hair on your head, which makes the scalp more noticeable and you may even look as though you are balding.

Common Cause of Hair Loss: Genetics

Of course, the most common reason for hair loss is genetic. Most men and even a good portion of women experience hair thinning or balding as they age. Men are more prone to this and will likely see patterned hair loss not unlike that of their father or even their grandfathers as it is an inherited trait. Some men start balding early and will see a continuation of the baldness throughout their lives, while others simply experience thinning throughout life. Some men can deal with their hair loss as a right of passage while others are very self-conscious about their new look. It’s an individual experience, and there are some things that can be done about it. But first, you should eliminate all the other possible reasons for your hair loss.

Illness or Surgery Can Cause Hair Loss

A very common cause of excessive hair loss is a serious illness or even major surgery. The stress of the illness or recovery from the surgery may cause extensive hair loss. While this is almost always temporary, it can be disheartening. But, as your body recovers and you eliminate the stress of healing you’ll notice that your hair will grow back and it will soon be a distant memory.

Hair Loss Due To Hormonal Imbalance

Hormonal problems are a common culprit of excessive hair loss. Many people unknowingly have an overactive or under active thyroid glad and this causes your hair to fall out. Sometimes the hair loss will be gradual, other times the hair will fall out very quickly. Treating the thyroid condition can treat this type of hair loss; meaning that once you get the thyroid condition under control you’ll see the growth of your hair return to normal. Hair loss may also occur when there is an imbalance of the male or female hormones known as androgens and estrogens. Correcting the balance can be quite simple for you and your doctor, and once the imbalanced hormones are corrected your hair growth will return to normal.

Pregnancy Hair Loss

Another common time that one might experience hair loss is three to four months after they have given birth to a baby. This is a hormonal response that affects the hair as well as the rest of the body. The high levels of certain hormones during the pregnancy cause the hair to continue growing or resting when it would have normally fallen out. After the birth of the baby the hormones will return to normal and the hair will resume its normal cycle, meaning it will need to make up for lost time as so much of the hair that would have normally fallen out is still sticking around! This type of hair loss is usually not all that noticeable when you simply look at the scalp, though the new mother may feel like she is losing all of her hair!

Hair Loss and Medications

Some medications cause hair loss, so if you experience excessive hair loss when you begin taking a medication you might want to check with your doctor or pharmacist about how long the medication may affect you in such a manner. Fungal infections of the scalp are also a common cause of hair loss in people of all ages, but especially in children. Hair loss is also a common symptom of many underlying diseases like lupus or even diabetes. If you are experiencing unexplained hair loss it’s a good idea to get in touch with your doctor to try to find the cause so that you can not only treat the disease in the appropriate manner, but also see the return of a full head of hair.

Traction Alopecia

If you commonly keep your hair in tight rollers, pigtails, or cornrows you might experience related hair loss. This type of hair loss is called traction alopecia and can be stopped if you stop treating your hair and your scalp in such a manner. If the scalp has already become scarred from the pulling of the hair so tight, permanent hair loss is not out of the question. Many people also experience hair loss because hot oils or chemicals in hair dye and perms over process their hair. This type of hair loss can usually be undone when the hair has the chance to grow back without all of the over processing that has been taking place in recent weeks or months. This type of hair loss is generally associated with a swelling of the hair follicle, and once the swelling subsides the hair will start growing once again.

Hair Loss Causes and Treatments

Stopping the hair loss is something that has to be considered on a case-by-case basis. If you are suffering from a disease or you are taking a medication that is causing the hair loss, you’ll likely find that treatment is quite simple. If you are suffering from common baldness associated with age or genetics, you might have to consider more drastic measures, though there are some medications that can slow the balding process.

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