Should I Let My Hair Fall Out My Hair From Falling Out Due To Stress
The impact of stress and hair loss are likely to affect your body but you may be able to manage it through regular exercise. Keeping in touch with positive people can help reduce stress isolating yourself can be detrimental. Take a multivitamin if your doctor suggests it as part of a healthy diet. Make sure your hair is hydrated, dried, and polished.
Stress And Alopecia Areata
Alopecia areata is a condition that causes specific patches of hair loss to appear randomly on your scalp. These are usually circular in shape and roughly the size of a coin, although they can also be larger.
Alopecia areata is widely accepted to be an autoimmune disorder, where your body sees certain hair cells as foreign enemies and attacks them. What triggers this response is not entirely understood, but 90% of cases are associated with stress, shock, bereavement, illness, or an accident. For more information, please read our section on Alopecia Areata.
If you are worried about any form of hair loss, our Clinics in London and New York specialise in all aspects of hair and scalp health, and are waiting to welcome you.
Tips To Save Your Hair From Stress
If youve experienced hair loss stress, we have seven tips to help you save your hair and put the stress and hair loss behind you once and for all.
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Stress And Female Hair Loss: What You Need To Know
Medically reviewed by Kristin Hall, FNP
Feeling stressed? According to data from the American Psychological Association, Americans are feeling more stressed than ever.
Stress can originate from a variety of sources. A difficult personal life, challenging job or tough financial situation can all cause and worsen stress, lead to symptoms ranging from insomnia and fatigue to headaches, aches, pains and a weakened immune system. Hopefully, you are doing all you can to overcome stress by engaging with essential wellness resources. Managing stress is different for everyone so be patient with yourself as you find what works for you.
Physical stress is one of several factors that can contribute to hair certain types of hair loss. If youre feeling overly stressed, its possible that you might notice your hair starting to fall out and thin, even if youre not genetically prone to female hair loss.
Below, weve explained how stress can affect your hair health, as well as what you can do to treat hair loss from stress. Weve also listed other potential causes of hair loss in women that are easy to mistake for stress-induced hair loss.
Hair Loss Due To Depression
Depression is presently a common mental health issue around the globe that affects a huge proportion of the world population. Depression and hair loss have been linked directly. Depressive state of mind and body harms the hair growth cycle and lead to excessive hair loss, hair breakage, thinning and even balding.
Certain antidepressant medications such as Prozac can lead to hair thinning as a side effect. Thinning hair also carries a negative effect on mood.
The physiological states one undergoes during depression such as low mood, discouragement, lethargy, and low self-esteem contribute to reducing the hair growth phase which then leads to hair loss.
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Examining Hair Loss Stress
There are many different hair loss reasons to consider. Hormonal changes, side effects from certain medications and supplements, radiation or chemotherapy treatment, certain medical conditions, and even nutrient deficiencies can cause hair loss. Thats right you could experience hair loss simply because you do not have enough Vitamin A in your diet! However, the truth is that the biggest culprit of hair loss is stress.
Three medical conditions are directly related to high stress and hair loss. The first is called telogen effluvium. Our hair typically goes through three different cycles that repeat throughout our life. The first is the anagen phase . The second is the catagen phase , and the third is the telogen phase .
Telogen effluvium is associated with the telogen phase, the main symptom being increased shedding of your hair. Symptom onset is usually quite abrupt. After experiencing chronic stress or a traumatic event, your hair follicles can be pushed into the resting phase. New hair growth becomes stunted and existing hair begins to shed more quickly. You may notice the thinning of hair around the scalp. In many cases, this condition is temporary, and hair begins to regrow after stress has subsided.
If you notice your hair clumping in the shower or a large amount of hair sticking to your brush or comb, you may be suffering from telogen effluvium.
Reduce Anxiety And The Hair May Come Back
The good news for anxiety sufferers is that not all anxiety related hair loss is permanent. If stress and anxiety are what caused your hair loss, then reducing that anxiety can help your hair come back when combined with vitamin and mineral supplements to aid in the process.
For more information about anxiety treatment strategies, .
Remember – not all hair comes back after it’s lost regardless of the cause, and your hair loss may be natural and not caused by anxiety at all. No matter what, you need to make sure that you are addressing your anxiety directly in order to both reduce the likelihood of anxiety related hair loss and reduce the anxiety you experience because of your lost hair.
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Can Stress Cause Hair Loss
Stress can have a variety of side effects on the body and mind, such as a weakened immune system and immune system attacks for both men and women. This is why one might notice that they experience more frequent colds and other brief illnesses when theyâre stressed.
However, stress doesnât just bring on colds, it can also impact our hair. There is a correlation between extreme stress and hair loss that many people are unaware of. When under great stress, one could experience one of three types of hair loss. Such hair loss could occur abruptly and lead to the loss of various strands of hair, which could, unfortunately, lead to even more stress for the affected individual.
Other Hair Loss Factors
There are other factors that can also cause hair loss, including but not limited to:
- Chemotherapy
- Nervous habits
- Pregnancy, childbirth, and birth control pill usage
If your hair is thinning, or youre experiencing baldness and it seems abnormal its a good idea to see your doctor in order to determine the cause.
Also, if youre concerned that stress is the culprit, its always a good idea to cut down on lifestyle stress and find some effective coping techniques for the stress that remains. Specifically, the following resources can help.
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Q: How Long Does Hair Fall Out Due To Stress
A: Usually, it takes about 2 months after a stressful incident for hair to begin falling out. Telogen effluvium usually lasts about 6 months.
If your hair continues to fall out in clumps after 6 months, you may have more than 1 underlying factor or a chronic condition.
Usually, you can expect to have your typical head of hair back in about 1 year after the telogen effluvium starts.
Covid And Pandemic Stress Is Causing Widespread Hair Loss
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Hair loss is a common side effect of COVID-19 and the trauma of the pandemic itself. NPRs Ailsa Chang talks with Atlantic writer Amanda Mull about her article, The Year Americas Hair Fell Out.
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
If youve noticed your hair is getting thinner during this pandemic or even falling out, youre not alone. For many people, the general upending of life as we knew it has shown up in visible hair loss bald spots, receding hairlines, clogged shower drains. Hair loss can also be a side effect of COVID-19 itself. This has been The Year Americas Hair Fell Out. That is the title of an article in The Atlantic written by Amanda Mull, who joins us now. Welcome.
AMANDA MULL: So glad to be here. Thank you for having me.
CHANG: I understand this reporting all started with your own personal experience with hair loss. Can you just talk about what happened to you?
MULL: Yes. I experienced two distinct waves of hair loss. And when I experienced the second one, it was one of those sort of, like, come to Jesus moments where its like, OK, I can no longer pretend that this is not a thing that is happening to me, and its time to figure out why.
CHANG: And just to be clear, you did not contract COVID-19, but COVID can result in hair loss, right?
CHANG: Right.
CHANG: Wow, thats confusing. Yeah.
MULL: Right. Right. Theres no, like, real logical reason that you would look at your hair loss in June and go, this is because of an illness I had in March.
CHANG: Oh.
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Does Stress Cause Hair Loss And How Can I Treat It
Its natural to lose several hairs from the head each day. However, if you seem to be losing more than usual, or if youre losing a lot of hairs from a particular area of the scalp, stress could be an underlying cause.
The medical term for hair loss is alopecia. Its incredibly common in men and women of all ages, and its been well established that hair loss, emotional stress, and anxiety are inextricably linked. However, its worth noting that there is usually a delay of around three months between stressful events and noticeable hair loss. By the time hair loss is noticeable, a lot of people have already recovered from the emotional stress they had been going through months previously.
Because hair loss is only apparent months after a stressful period, many people fail to make the connection between the two. If the stress is short-lived, its likely that hair will grow back months down the line.
Can Stress Cause Hair Loss Stress And Anxiety
Can stress cause hair loss or hair shedding? Did you ever notice a higher amount of hair in your shower drains or in your hair comb during a stressful time in your life? If so, you are not alone and that is no mere coincidence. Simply put, stress and anxiety-related hair loss are serious medical conditions.
The medical term used by hair specialists for hair shedding is called telogen effluvium . The etiologies of hair loss are most commonly androgenetic alopecia, but there are many other causes of hair loss that require medical evaluation by a specialist in hair and scalp disorders. Millions of people have been impacted by TE. The good news is this type of hair loss can actually be successfully treated with the help and assistance of a hair restoration surgeon who is a Diplomate of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery .
Dr. Williams in this blog post sheds light on the topic of stress-induced hair loss, its symptoms, causes, and potential treatments.
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See Less Hair Loss When Supporting Your Hypothalamus
Another important step you need to take is supporting your hypothalamus. If your hypothalamus is constantly being triggered by your stress response, its going to cause system-wide miscommunication with your adrenal glands, your thyroid, and your ovaries or testes.
I recommend using Genesis Gold® to support your hypothalamus and provide it with the nutrients it needs to regulate your hormones and help stimulate new hair growth.
I have had patients who had thinning hair, notice that their hair was getting thicker with less shedding after taking Genesis Gold®. Hair growth is not going to happen right away because your hormones have to get back into balance first. About two to three months later, youll start noticing new hair growth and less shedding.
When taking Genesis Gold® some people notice that their hair quality changes. I have always had thick hair, but before Genesis Gold®, it was dry, brittle, and frizzy. Within months of taking Genesis Gold®, my hair became incredibly soft and luxurious. I can credit the phytonutrients, but its really because my hormones got into better balance.
Stress can make your hair very unhealthy as inflammatory cortisol strips the follicle of nutrients, causing dry, unhealthy hair.
Does Mental Health Prevent Loss Of Hair
In general, depression, stress, and other mental health conditions, however, usually affect a vast number of people in different ways. Researchers find it common to experience mood symptoms and emotional distress when thinning hair declines. Loss of hair from stress-related factors is not an inevitable result.
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Deal With The Stressor Of Your Hair Loss
First and foremost, you have to deal with the stressor. You may not be able to change the financial situation, the loss youve had in a relationship, or the death of a loved one, but you can change the way you react to it.
Consider therapy, meditation, deep breathing, or any other tactic you use to calm down. I have a CALM meditation that is available in my Hormone Reboot Training, which is designed to train your body to make GABA, a calming neurotransmitter produced by the parasympathetic nervous system.
Can Heartbreak Cause Hair Loss
Heartbreak is the most common cause of hair loss due to emotional stress or trauma. It can last for as long as the heartbreak goes on for, plus an additional 7 or 8 months for the hair to grow back properly.
This is because the emotional stress the heartbreak will shift hair follicles into the resting phase too quickly, preventing them from growing properly. The hair then moves into the shedding phase and starts again. However, if the emotional trauma is not addressed, the cycle happens again before the hair can grow properly.
Once the emotional stress has been resolved or is being resolved, the hair can start to regrow. However, this can take roughly 7 to 8 months, as all the hair that was pushed into the resting phase early needs to shed before it can regrow.
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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
Signs & Symptoms Of Stress
The first sign of stress-related hair loss is noticeable, and excessive hair shedding defined as root strands per day. You may start to notice more strands on your brush or comb, more clumps in the shower, or falling about you as you journey through the day-to-day. Hair breaks, thins and ultimately, it falls out. Fortunately, stress-related hair loss can be treated and cured. To do this requires addressing and alleviating the root cause of the stress itself.
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Is There Help For Stress
Yes! One of the best ways to learn the ins and outs of your personal hair loss is by scheduling a hair loss consultation with an expert, like the team at Honest Hair Restoration. As a board-certified physician, Dr. Maag approaches your hair loss from a medical standpoint and doesnt try to sell you unnecessary services.
During your consultation, Dr. Maag and our care team review your personal medical history and family history, then examine your scalp and discuss any other factors relevant to your hair loss. Depending on your needs, he may also order additional tests, like bloodwork, to uncover the root cause of your hair loss.
With a diagnosis in hand, our team creates a personalized hair restoration treatment plan. Though everyones results differ, many of our patients with stress-related TE and AA hair loss find success with one or more hair restoration procedure, such as:
- Custom-blended, prescription-strength medications
- Noninvasive, low-level laser cap therapy
- Hair transplantation with follicular unit extraction
- Exosomal injections with mesenchymal stem cells
- Platelet-rich plasma therapy
Dr. Maag offers continued support and takes time to address any questions or concerns you have from the day of your consultation, during your treatment, and after your hair restoration therapy including questions about managing stress to minimize future hair loss.
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