Hair loss
Why Do We Experience Hair Loss
Hair loss is often distressing and can have a significant effect on an individual's quality of life. It is normal to shed a certain amount of hair every day. People typically lose about 100 hairs a day which is considered normal because new hair is growing in at the same time. Hair loss occurs when this cycle of hair growth and shedding is disrupted or when the hair follicle becomes inactive.
While male and female pattern baldness is a primary cause of hair loss, there is a range of other responsible causes. Reasons for hair fall can vary with varying individuals; it can be the result of heredity hair loss with age, hormonal changes, medical conditions, vitamin deficiency or medication side-effect.
Women and men, both may experience excessive hair loss due to increased levels of testosterone and estrogen, shortly after giving birth in women. Also, diet with low levels of micronutrient intake such as vitamins and minerals plays a major part in the loss of hair.
Causes Of Hair Loss
A particularly life-altering event that causes significant emotional stress can disrupt the normal cycle of hair growth. Learning how to effectively manage your stress levels will help you reduce your risk for further hair loss.
A well-balanced diet can keep your hair in a healthy shape. Make sure you’re including in your diet a balanced variety of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, zinc and iron. Vitamins play an important role in strengthening your hair like Biotin, also known as vitamin B7, which helps the body convert food into energy. Vitamin D stimulates hair follicles to grow, and so when the body does not have enough, the hair may be affected and causes patchy hair loss.
There are a number of diseases associated with hair loss, such as Thyroid problems, Alopecia Areata, Lupus, Cancer, fungus infections such as ringworm of the scalp are a common cause that can result in permanent hair loss because of the scarring.
Diet-related hair loss is most common in people who use extremely restrictive diets to quickly lose weight. When you reduce your intake of calories and micronutrients by a significant amount, it can trigger temporary hair loss. Though the hair loss you experience as a result of rapid weight loss due to dieting usually isn’t permanent.
Changing hormones are the biggest reason for your pregnancy hair changes and postpartum hair loss. During pregnancy, the high levels of estrogen prevented your usual rate of hair loss. However, childbirth may cause temporary hair loss due to the changes that take place in the body.
Medications will likely vary according to the type of treatment you need. Medications generally consist of topical creams and gels that you apply directly to the scalp. Though in some cases medications aren’t enough to stop hair loss, in such cases there are surgical procedures to treat baldness such as Hair transplant.
