Can You Lose Your Hair From Stress

Ways To Reverse Hair Loss From Stress

Can hair loss be related to stress? The bad news is yes, but the good news is that stress-induced hair loss is usually temporary.

âTelogen effluvium is the scientific name for stress-induced hair loss,â Robert Haber, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and hair transplant surgeon, tells WebMD Connect to Care. Haber says the sources of stress that can lead to this condition include:

• Childbirth
• Emotional stress
• Significant weight loss

âFortunately, if the hair loss is strictly due to the stress, complete recovery often occurs after several months to a year,â Haber says.

If youâve been affected by hair loss from stress, there are some important steps you can take.

Can Stress Make Your Hair Fall Out

Stress is part of our everyday lives. Traffic jams, bills, chauffeuring the kids, impressing a client, the list goes on and on. Day-to-day stress may make you feel like youre losing your mind, but can it cause you to lose your hair?

The answer is that certain types of stress can cause hair loss. While being late for work or getting a speeding ticket will not result in your hair falling out the next day, hair loss is related to prolonged stress that results in physiological changes. Here are some facts you should know.

There are three types of hair loss experts say may be associated with high stress levels:

Telogen effluvium

Telogen effluvium is a common reason for hair loss. This condition occurs when significant stress or a shock to the body pushes large numbers of hair follicles into the a resting phase of growth. Within a few months of the stressful or shocking event, the impacted hairs may fall out suddenly when simply combing or washing your hair. The main reasons for telogen effluvium include:

Childbirth

Women may experience TE due to the sudden changes in hormones after giving birth. There may be some shedding, but hair loss is typically short lived and most women will see their hair grow back to its normal fullness in a few months. This is also commonly referred to as postpartum alopecia.

Restrictive Diets

Chronic Stress or Illness

Sudden Shock or Trauma

Trichotillomania

Alopecia Areata

Is Hair Loss A Symptom Of Covid

Many people notice hair loss in the months after recovering from a COVID-19 infection. We now know that more than 20% of people hospitalized with COVID-19 lose hair in the 3 to 6 months after discharge. Other studies that include people with milder symptoms suggest that hair loss after COVID-19 may actually be much more common.

There are many reasons why you may lose your hair, and stress is a common cause. The clinical term for hair loss thats related to stress is telogen effluvium. It usually happens about 3 months after a stressful event, and it can commonly last for up to 6 months. Telogen effluvium often happens after other stressful life events such as having a baby or a major surgery.

Cases of telogen effluvium have grown a lot since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic they are up over 400%. And rates of this condition are highest in people of color and other groups disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

While we dont fully understand why this is the case, it is thought to be related to the stress of having COVID-19. Theres no evidence yet that the COVID-19 virus directly causes this hair loss.

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How Stress Can Lead To Hair Loss

You may have heard that stress can cause hair loss, and its true. While the first two causes of hair loss are genetically programmed, hair loss due to stress is environmentally caused and may be more easily controlled if the stress can be managed.

Excessive physical or emotional stresslike that associated with injury, illness, or surgerycan cause one of two types of hair loss:

• Alopecia areata: This stress-induced hair loss involves a white blood cell attack on the hair follicles. With this type of hair loss, the hair also falls out within weeks , but can involve the entire scalp and even body hair. Hair may grow back on its own, but treatment may also be required.
• Telogen effluvium: With this more common and 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.

How Do I Know If My Hair Is Falling Out Due To Stress

More than 100 strands of hair clogging your shower drain or on the hair brush is a sure shot sign of hair loss. In telogen effluvium, you will notice hair thinning on the scalp. With alopecia, you may notice bald patches of hair on the scalp. With Trichotillomania, which causes constant pulling of hair, you may notice that your hair volume has reduced over time.

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What Are The Myths About Hair Loss

Myths about hair loss are widespread. Nothing in the following list is true:

• Youre losing hair because you shampoo it too much, or because youve colored it or gotten a perm.
• Dandruff causes permanent hair loss in women.
• Stress causes permanent hair loss in women.
• If you shave your head, your hair will grow back twice as thick.
• If you stand on your head youll increase circulation, stimulating hair growth.
• If you brush your hair 100 strokes a day that will make your hair healthier.
• Hats and wigs cause hair loss in women.
• Hair loss only affects intellectual women.

How Extreme Stress Causes Hair Loss

Stress levels are high, and for some, that could mean less hair on your head.

Indeed, science supports the notion that significant emotional stress may be linked to at least one type of hair loss: telogen effluvium. Here is what you need to know about this common type of stress-induced hair loss.

Excess hair shedding may be a sign of telogen effluvium.

Getty

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Stress Vs Hair: Can Stress Make Your Hair Fall Out

It is commonly discussed whether hair loss is related to stress. Are they relatable? Have you ever wondered how long it will take for your hair to grow back after experiencing stress?

In short, Yes, stress and hair loss can be related.

According to this research site, hair loss can be associated with high stress levels. There are three types of hair loss that can associate with stress.

Here is the good news. Stress are external factors in which we have control about! When we manage stress and get it under control, your hair loss doesnt have to be permanent and might be under control as well.

In this article we are going to cover answer that question and a few more common concerns about your stress induced hair loss.

How To Relieve Stress

You can’t always prevent stress from occurring in your life, but you can often minimize the amount of stress you experience, and when you cut down on stress in some areas, you have more energy to manage the stress that can’t be avoided. These techniques can help you cut out stress in your life when possible.

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What Are The Stages Of Hair Growth

There are three main stages of hair growth:

Telogen effluvium occurs when hair follicles are pushed into the telogen phase earlier than normal. In 2 to 3 months after the stressful event, these hairs will start falling out.

How Does Stress Cause Hair Loss

Most of the time, hair loss is caused by hormonal and genetic factors such as a sensitivity to dihydrotestosterone . However, in some cases, external factors such as stress can take their toll on your hairline, causing everything from thinning to patches of total hair loss.

Stress is linked to a type of hair loss called telogen effluvium, which can interrupt your hairs natural growth cycle.

Like your skin and nails, your hair doesnt grow in just one stage. Instead, each hair completes a complex growth cycle that involves multiple stages, from growing from the follicle to reaching its full length, breaking away and repeating the cycle.

In the first stage the anagen phase your hair starts to grow from the hair follicle, growing by about six inches every year. Each strand of hair continues to grow for two to six years before it reaches its full length.

After the hair reaches its full length, it enters the catagen phase. In this phase, the hair follicle starts to shrink. The strand of hair detaches from the follicle and stops growing. Since the hair isnt attached to the follicle, its no longer supplied with nutrients from your body.

After about two weeks, the hair exits the catagen phase and enters the telogen phase. At this point, a new hair will start to grow from the follicle, causing the old strand of hair to detach from your body and shed.

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Treating Stress From The Source

Wary of this advice, I decided it was at least easy and affordable to try. So I cancelled my next appointment at the dermatologist and didnt buy any special oils or scalp massage tools.

Instead, I went out with friends. I worked out. I took my vitamins. I watched movies. I cried when I felt like crying. I made an effort to do five minutes of breathwork and ten minutes of meditation in the morning. I slept in when it felt good. I went to therapy. I meal prepped. Basically, I lived my life.

And you know what? The next month, I did see new hairs start to come in. And more, the month after. Until finally, the spot went away completely.

Ways To Manage Stress

The good news is that stress-related hair loss is usually only temporaryonce youve removed the stress from your life, your hair will start to grow back. Be patient, as it will take a while to notice its growing back, possibly as much as three months.

Reducing stress levels is important, not only for your hair but for your overall health, but how do you do that? Here are some steps to take:

1. Identify what is causing stress. Can you remove or alleviate the stressor from your life? Can you find a way to make it less stressful?

2. Exercise. Endorphins released during exercise make you feel better overall, and they can distract you from your concerns.

3. Sleep. Stress can cause sleeplessness and not enough sleep can exacerbate stress. Learn some relaxation techniques for bedtime to help you manage night-time stress.

4. Healthy eating. Eating on the run and stress-eating are common when life feels overwhelming, but fueling your body inappropriately can lead to even more stress. Focus on healthy food choices to feel better.

While your body goes through changes, its important to make sure your microbiome is kept healthy. An easy and delicious way to do this is by supplementing it with the essential nutrients, probiotics, antioxidants, and vitamins found in the Foundation Beauty Elixir. Foundation not only helps boost immunity but also has a significant impact on our external appearance, and blue spirulina is a great way to jumpstart a new health regimen.

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Reverse Hair Loss From Stress

Stress-related hair loss is not permanent. As soon as you relax and the stress stops, your hair will resume its normal growth cycle. So dont worry if youve been seeing extra stress-induced hair loss because both time and stress hair loss treatments will be your new best friend.

Adding a supplement and hair oils can put you on the fast-track to healthy-looking hair. Want to know how to regain hair loss from stress? Check out some of the recommendations below.

This all-natural oil is packed with Omega 6 and 9 fatty acids and vitamin E. To help treat damaged hair from either stress or lack of care, castor oil is a recommended stress hair loss treatment that both promotes hair growth and prevents hair loss.

Biotin is a B vitamin that nourishes your stressed tresses, leaving it healthier and longer. As a bonus, its also great for growing healthy nails and skin. A biotin supplement for a brief period of time can help reverse the noticeable signs of hair loss due to stress.

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Habits And Lifestyle Changes

Changing your lifestyle and habits can often help to reduce stress. If you often feel stressed, try using the techniques below to limit your exposure to sources of stress and manage stress when you experience it:

If your hair loss is caused by chronic stress, understanding and coping with the stress in healthier ways may help you to regrow some or all of the hair that youve lost.

This is something that youll need to discuss with your healthcare provider.

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Causes Of Anxiety Hair Loss

Hair loss is never the only symptom of anxiety. But it is a distressing one.

The key issue between anxiety and hair loss is stress. Anxiety can create long term and persistent stress. While technically these are two separate conditions and long term stress on its own can lead to many of the same symptoms, the reality is that anyone dealing with anxiety is putting themselves under severe mental and physical stress all the time.

Stress can cause many conditions that lead to hair loss. These include:

• Alopecia Areata – Sudden loss of large clumps of hair in areas around your scalp or gradual hair loss that builds over time.
• Telogen Effluvium – This is a condition where more hairs than normal prepare to fall out.
• Trichotillomania – This is a habitual condition caused by stress and anxiety where the person pulls out hairs – sometimes without realizing it.

It’s highly likely that those with mild hair loss caused by anxiety are suffering from either telogen effluvium, or simply stress weakened hair. But the other two are also a concern and affect a smaller percentage of the anxiety population.

Many individuals with anxiety conditions suffer from nutritional deficiencies. Lack of vitamins will develop problems with growing back hair that naturally falls out daily.

Hairs have a growth cycle of two years before stopping and falling out two months later. If your body “tells” more hairs than normal to stop growing, two months later more hairs will fall out.

Not All Hair Loss Is Anxiety Related

It’s also important to note that not all hair loss is anxiety related, but the two may occur at a similar period of time. Some people that start to suffer from hair loss are at an age with many other stresses, like kids, work, and finances. Because they happen at the same age they may seem related, but are technically different conditions.

Furthermore, some people start to feel anxiety**_ because_** they’re experiencing hair loss. In a way, hair loss is their anxiety trigger, and they experience greater levels of anxiety because they are so worried about losing their hair.

Finally, sometimes those with anxiety simply see more hair loss where it doesn’t exist, because of their fears. It’s not uncommon for hair to look exactly the same but anxiety plays tricks with the mind to make it seem or feel like more fell out than usual.

While anxiety can absolutely cause hair to fall out – in some cases in very large clumps – anxiety is not always the problem. Sometimes the problem is simply that your anxiety causes you to think more and care more about your hair than necessary, giving the impression that the two are related.

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Your Mom Lost Her Hair Too

“If you come from a family where women started to have hair loss at a certain age, then you might be more prone to it,” says Dr. Glashofer. Unlike men, women don’t tend to have a receding hairline, instead their part may widen and they may have noticeable thinning of hair. This is also known as femalepattern baldness.

Women may benefit from minoxidil to help grow hair, or at least, maintain the hair you have, Dr. Glashofer says. Rogaine is available over-the-counter and is approved for women with this type of hair loss.

How Can Hair Loss In Women Be Prevented

Preventing hair loss is not possible when it is due to disease, aging, heredity or physical stressors like injuries. You can prevent hair loss caused by caustic chemicals or tight hairstyles by avoiding them. You might be able to prevent some hair loss by eating a healthy diet that provides necessary nutrients in terms of vitamins, minerals and protein. You can stop smoking.

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