Managing Major Hair Loss
There are many things you can do to disguise sudden hair loss in women that is severe. You can use a hat, scarf, or bandana to cover your head. If you have bald areas, consider getting a weave or concealing the bald area with a hairpiece. Wigs can be very natural looking. They fit so well you can even wear them while you are working out at the gym or swimming. If hair loss causes severe distress and it is affecting your self-esteem or ability to carry out daily activities, seek the help of a therapist.
REFERENCES:
Initial Signs Hair Loss
The early signs of male pattern baldness are as follows:
Noticeable change in your hairline
Male pattern baldness generally begins in the hairline, when you notice that your mildly receded hairline has turned into a more obvious M-shaped hairline. For most men this begins around the temples and the crown and often starts with thinning rather than total hair loss.
Noticeable thinning of your hair
Not all men experience baldness in their hairline. Some men experience what is defined as diffuse thinning a type of hair loss that either affects the entire scalp or specific areas like the crown that results in hair loss that starts from the back or top, rather than from the hairline.
Excessive hair loss after showering or brushing
On average, people lose round 50-100 hairs a day, meaning that the five to 10 hairs you notice between your hands after shampooing aren’t anything to be concerned about. However, if you start noticing an excessive amount of hair falling out throughout the day, then there is a risk that it could be the result of male pattern baldness.
In general the early signs of hair loss show up in the following ways
Gradual thinning of the hair on the head
Receding hairline that becomes more visible with each passing year
For women, the first noticeable sign of hair loss is often a widening part or less fullness to their ponytail.
Drugs That Regrow Hair
There are two FDA-approved pharmaceuticals that can regrow hair.
Minoxidil can reverse hair loss for both men and women, although researchers dont fully understand how it works. Chemists discovered it by accident when they were trying to make a drug to decrease high blood pressure. Minoxidil can cause heart palpitations in rare cases, but the bigger issues are minodoxils unpleasant texture and inflammatory properties. Minoxidil leaves a greasy residue in your hair, which is particularly challenging for women, and one of the leading reasons they stop using it.
Compliance is a huge issue with minoxidil, Kogan says. A lot of people also experience scalp irritation or inflammation as a result of it.
Another downside? Minoxidil sometimes makes your hair fall out, and faster, although researchers dont know why.
Finasteride is the second FDA-approved drug for hair loss, specifically for men. It blocks 5-alpha reductase, the enzyme in your hair follicles that converts testosterone to DHT. Finasteride decreases DHT levels by about 60 percent, which is great for reversing hair loss, but blocking sex hormone synthesis has a lot of side effects. The biggest ones with finasteride are erectile dysfunction, low sex drive, and trouble ejaculating, likely because it interferes with circulating testosterone and DHT beyond just your hair follicles.
RELATED: Supplements for Better Skin, Hair, and Nails
Recommended Reading: What Are The Signs Of Stress
Things I Did To Regrow My Lost Hair
1. Give yourself a Head Massage
But why?
Because head massage is really really good for your hair. Okay, that was a short explanation.
Heres the detailed one:
When you head massage, it stimulates the scalp circulation and brings with it more oxygen and nutrients for your hair follicles. More nourishment means your hair will grow healthier and stronger.
Another question that arises is should you use oil? Well, its not necessary, its your choice. You can massage with or without oil. But if you choose to use oil, make sure you use cold pressed oils like coconut, castor, almond or olive oil.
How to massage? Apply oil on your scalp and massage gently for 5 minutes or so. Let the oil soak in for an hour before washing, or you can also keep it overnight for better conditioning. For healthier and stronger hair, head massage at least once a week.
You may also like: Hair Growth Serum for Weak, Thin and Falling Hair
2. Ditch Store-bought Conditioners
I tend to stay away from conditioners as they are one of the culprits of my hair loss.
When you apply conditioner, you are putting more chemicals on your scalp and hair. And since they are heavy and thick, they can clog your hair follicles and halt growth.
So what do you do?
Keep your hair care as simple as possible. You can pre-condition your hair with coconut or almond oil and then shampoo. Plus, you can replace the conditioner with plant infusion or hair rinse .
3. Use Herbal Rinse
4. Use a Wide-Tooth Wood Comb
5. Fingernail Rubbing
Living With Alopecia Areata
The American Academy of Family Physicians recognizes that living with alopecia areata can be emotionally difficult. It affects social interaction and self-confidence, as people are embarrassed to let others see their hair loss. It can also be frustrating to not know if your hair is going to grow back or fall out again.
Consider joining a patient support group for people who have alopecia areata. Support groups give you a chance to talk about your condition. They help you realize you are not alone in your frustration with alopecia areata. A support group can be a good resource for practical tips to deal with the condition.
Hairstyling techniques or hair care products can help to cover bare patches on your head. But some products can be harsh on your hair. This could cause additional damage and loss. You might want to talk with your doctor about what products to avoid. People who have alopecia areata are encouraged to be creative with hats, scarves, and wigs.
Losing your eyelashes, eyebrows, and the hair in your nose and ears also can be a problem. Hair protects your eyes, nose, and ears from the irritation of dust, germs, and small, foreign particles. Wear eyeglasses or sunglasses to protect your eyes. You can use antibiotic ointment inside your nose to help keep germs out.
Be sure to cover areas of exposed scalp with a hat or sunscreen to reduce your risk of sunburn and skin cancer.
Recommended Reading: How To Deal With Financial Stress
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.
Hair Loss Prevention: How To Stop It Falling Out And Thinning With Stress
Causes, prevention and treatment we speak to an award-winning hair doctor to get some advice on preserving your precious locks
e are living in stressful times.
For some the mask wearing, hand washing, food hoarding and job uncertainty will cause sleepless nights, for others it might trigger, or exacerbate existing, hair loss.
Its well established that hair loss can be related to emotional stress or anxiety, award-winning dermatologist Dr. Serkan Aygin tells the Standard. When youre stressed or anxious, your body produces whats known as the fight or flight response. This is when your body is making extra hormones to prepare it to deal with whatever it thinks of as being a potential threat. This change in your hormone levels can have effects all around your body. When these extra hormones are made, they can affect the growth patterns of the hair follicles on your scalp.
Theres usually about a three-month delay between the stressful event or time period and the moment your hair starts falling out. So anyone feeling the Covid-19 anxiety, might not actually notice any hair loss until the end of summer.
The good news though, is that hair loss due to stress tends to be temporary. Unless theres another underlying medical reason for your hair loss, it should only last for as long as youre going through that particular period of stress or anxiety, says Dr. Aygin, who has treated over 10,000 patients for hair loss at his eponymous specialist hair clinic.
Don’t Miss: How To Relieve Stress In Neck
Stress Cortisol And Hair Loss
According to Kogan, stress is a huge, huge, huge component of .
Stress nowadays is different from the stress your ancestors faced. Thanks to technology like smartphones, internet, email, and social media, your nervous system is in a more-or-less constant state of stimulation.
Were no longer able to disconnect from anyone, even ourselves, Kogan says. We never put that phone down thats what we call the 21st-century conundrum.
Statistics back up what Kogan says: 59 percent of working-age people report feeling significantly stressed. Most of them also report burnout, exhaustion, anxiety, and depression.
Constantly high cortisol, your bodys stress hormone, causes a 40 percent drop in hyaluronicacid and proteoglycan synthesis. These two compounds protect your hair follicles and help them grow when theyre depleted, your hair begins falling out and it doesnt growing back.
Whats Hair Loss In Women
Hair loss in women is just that when a woman experiences unexpected, heavy loss of hair. Generally, humans shed between 50 and 100 single hairs per day. Hair shedding is part of a natural balance some hairs fall out while others grow in. When the balance is interrupted when hair falls out and less hair grows in hair loss happens. Hair loss is different than hair shedding. The medical term for hair loss is alopecia.
Hair grows on almost all of your skin surfaces not the palms of your hands, soles of your feet, lips or eyelids. Light, fine, short hair is called vellus hair. Terminal/androgenic hair is thicker, darker and longer.
You May Like: How Long Do Stress Symptoms Last
What Are The Cycles Of Hair Growth
Hair goes through three cycles:
- The anagen phase can last from two years to eight years. This phase generally refers to about 85% to 90% of the hair on your head.
- The catagen phase is the time that hair follicles shrink and takes about two to three weeks.
- The telogen phase takes about two to four months. At the end of this phase, the hair falls out.
Your shorter hairs like eyelashes, arm and leg hair and eyebrows have a short anagen phase about one month. Your scalp hair can last up to six years or even longer.
Opt For Hair Health Supplements
You can boost your hair repair process by consuming hair health supplements. Antioxidants such as vitamins A, E, C fight oxidative stress and help your body heal faster. Biotin or vitamin B7 is important for producing keratin, a protein which forms the structure of your hair. Most Indian women have iron deficiency. In such a case, taking iron supplements may help control your hair loss much faster. Zinc too plays an essential role in repair of hair tissue. Other important nutrients that you can supplement are protein, vitamin D and fish oil.
Don’t Miss: Will Stress Cause Hair Loss
Is There A Way To Prevent Hair Loss Caused By Stress
Now that weve explored the link between stress and hair loss and how to regain hair loss from stress, youre probably wondering how to prevent stress-related hair loss.
The most important thing is to learn effective stress management techniques to help you to reduce your stress levels. Proper stress management can help reduce some of the strain and prevent hair loss due to stress.
Since its thought that stress may affect the hair follicles ability to function properly, another way to prevent hair loss caused by stress could be to use products that support a healthy scalp such as:
% Money Back Growth Guarantee
We stand behind the effectiveness of our products 100%. Try any of our laser caps or complete hair growth system today risk free. If you do not see results after 7 months, you can return your products for a full refund. We pride ourselves on being #1 in customer service with zero hassle returns and extremely helpful customer service staff to help you along the way.
Read Also: Can Your Chest Hurt From Stress
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.
Autoimmune Diseases That Affect Hair
Alopecia areata is often associated with an autoimmune disease, so it’s thought that some forms of hair loss can be caused by one of these medical conditions or is at least somehow related to it. Diabetes and lupus are two autoimmune diseases that can result in hair loss. This type of hair loss may not always be reversible it may sometimes be permanent. But medications and hair restoration surgeries may help compensate for any hair loss.
Recommended Reading: Can You Get Acne From Stress
Is It Possible To Regrow Hair
Every day we lose anywhere from 50 to 100 strands of hair. On average, its normal to lose about 80 strands for both men and women. Its a natural process, with dying cells releasing hair strands to make a room for new, healthier hair to grow. But whats happening when your hair continues to fall out in high amounts and starts thinning up?
Hair thinning and excess hair loss can happen for several reasons. Sometimes, these reasons can be genetic, but more often they are the consequences of accumulated stress and hormonal disbalance that affects the hormones that affect hair growth. Lastly, one of the reasons you may be losing your hair is an underlying condition that manifests through this symptom.
So what to do? Is it possible to regrow hair, and what should we do to prevent the further process of losing your hair? The earlier its detected the easier it is to regrow hair and make lifestyle changes that are necessary to minimize the stress that affects your hair growth.
Another thing about regrowing your hair is that it doesnt always come from hair loss. If youve cut your hair short and only found it was a bad decision after the haircut was made, we understand. Thats why we wrote this guide and a list of tips and tricks that will help you regrow hair so that its shiny and healthy again.
Well also unveil the causes of hair loss so that if you noticed some other symptoms, youll be able to address the condition and prevent further hair loss and potential baldness.
When Should I See A Doctor About My Hair Loss
Its a good idea to see a healthcare provider if your hair loss lasts more than 6 months or if you have any other symptoms like patches of hair loss, itching, or other irritation. You may need an additional workup for other causes of hair loss such as hormonal causes, nutritional deficiencies, or autoimmune hair loss. There may also be some treatments available while you wait for the hair to regrow.
Also Check: How To Stop Stress Dreams
Medication For Hair Loss
Minoxidil, or Rogaine, is a topical medication that is used to treat female pattern hair loss and male-pattern baldness. It was initially developed as a blood pressure medication and was used off-label to treat hair loss until it became FDA-approved for that purpose. Minoxidil can slow the progression of hair loss. Most women who use the medication experience regrowth of hair. The medication needs to be used continuously to maintain results. Other types of treatment work for different kinds of hair loss. Corticosteroids help suppress the immune response that damages hair follicles in people who have alopecia areata. Once the follicles recover, hair can grow back. If nutritional deficiencies underlie hair loss, eating a healthy diet with adequate and protein and nutrients can help you regrow hair. Certain medical problems may trigger hair loss. Adequately treating these conditions may help restore hair growth.
Be Gentle With Your Hair
At this time when your hair is at its weakest, you need to be gentle to prevent excessive shedding. During hair wash, massage your scalp in gentle circular motion. Wash in a downward direction instead of piling your hair up in order to reduce tangles. Consider having a haircut. Trimming away the dry ends of your hair may reduce tangles and pulling while combing your hair. Avoid ingredients like sulfates, parabens, alcohols and artificial fragrance in your hair products. Also, stay away from heat styling and chemical hair treatments such as perming and re-bonding.
Recommended Reading: Can Stress And Anxiety Cause Afib
