Different Types Of Alopecia
Alopecia is the medical term for hair loss, and there are two main types: alopecia areata and androgenic alopecia. Alopecia may cause hair loss only on the scalp or all over the body. It may result in thinning hair, patches of hair loss, some balding, or total baldness, and it may be permanent or temporary. There are numerous causes, including genetics. Talk to your doctor about possible treatments.
Talk To A Dermatologist And Be Realistic With Your Approach To Hair Loss
You always hear these stories about people who take a homeopathic approach to fighting baldness.
Its usually some off-the-wall remedy like smearing a paste of ginger and cayenne pepper on your scalp three times a day or eating a special type of ginseng farmed only in a rural village in Tibet. Well go on the record to say that its highly unlikely that these remedies work at any level.
Theres a lot of misinformation, half-truths, and pseudoscience regarding hair loss, and there are also treatment programs that have been well-researched and tested in clinical settings. So, how do you find the difference? For starters, talk to the experts in the industry like dermatologists and general physicians about treatment programs.
Avoid people advertising secret cures, all-natural remedies, and permanent fixes. If there was a way to stop baldness from happening, wed all know about it already.
How To Control Hair Fall Due To Stress
There are several ways you can address hair fall caused due to stress.
Over-the-counter, FDA-approved topical solutions and drugs like Minoxidil and Finasteride can help in promoting hair growth and act as treatments for hair loss due to stress. Minoxidil or Rogaine enhances the blood flow and oxygen supply to the scalp, thereby nourishing the hair follicles. Finasteride, on the other hand, is a prescription medication that reduces the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone , the hormone that is primarily responsible for hair loss in men. Finasteride stimulates hair growth by bringing down the DHT levels.
Massaging the scalp with certain essential oils is also said to be an effective remedy for hair loss. Some examples include lavender oil, castor oil, peppermint oil, rosemary oil, tea tree oil, lemongrass oil, and thyme oil.
Besides addressing hair loss, your stress level needs to be managed too. Relaxation techniques like yoga, exercise, meditation, breathing exercises, and positive thinking can effectively deal with stress. While yoga and meditation calm the mind, exercise releases chemicals like endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, which impact your mood and help you manage your stress.
You May Like: What To Do When You Are Stressed About School
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.
Related Post:Thinning Hair Treatment: How to Stop Hair Loss in Women
Hair Loss From Stress Vs Male Pattern Baldness
There are several major differences between telogen effluvium and hair loss from male pattern baldness:
-
First, hair loss from male pattern baldness is typically permanent. In contrast, almost all of the hair you lose from telogen effluvium will grow back, provided the primary cause of the telogen effluvium is treated.
-
Second, hair loss from male pattern baldness looks different from hair loss thats triggered by stress. Male pattern baldness typically causes a receding hairline, balding on the crown or other baldness patterns. Telogen effluvium causes diffuse thinning on the entire scalp.
-
Third, telogen effluvium is not related to androgen hormones such as DHT. This means that some treatments for male pattern baldness, such as finasteride, arent effective as treatments for stress-related hair loss.
-
Fifth, If your hair loss is caused by stress, you may also lose body hair. Telogen effluvium hair loss the type of hair loss linked to stress typically affects your scalp and may appear as patchy hair loss. However, it can also cause you to shed more body hairor notice less hair on your body than you normally would.
If youre starting to lose your hair and arent sure whether its caused by stress or male pattern baldness, its best to talk to a healthcare professional.
Most dermatologists can diagnose telogen effluvium using one or several tests, including a hair pull test.
Recommended Reading: How To Deal With Stress And Depression While Pregnant
The Relation Between Stress And The Hair Cycle
There are approximately 100,000 hair follicles on the adult scalp . Each hair follicle is constantly cycling between growth and rest. The majority of these hair follicles are in the growth phase at any given time. When the hair follicle transitions to telogen, or the resting phase, the hair is shed. During an episode of telogen effluvium, a trigger causes a sudden, abnormal shift of hairs into the telogen phase all at once. One possible trigger for this sudden shift? Significant emotional stress.
What qualifies as significant emotional stress? Think major, negative life event . While a single bad day at work shouldnt meet this threshold, severe and prolonged stress secondary to the Covid-19 pandemic, for instance, could certainly qualify.
To test the relationship between substantial stress and hair loss, researchers giving birth can also trigger an episode.
Diffuse thinning
Temporary in nature
The other good news? The hair loss is temporary, and should return to itspre-effluvium density, although this process is generally slow. It can take months before the shedding stops, and then months to years for lost hair to grow back at the sluggish rate of ~½ inch per month.
In some circumstances, hair does not fully return to its normal density. For one, telogen effluvium can uncover other types of long-standing hair loss . Additionally, overall hair density is expected to slowly decrease with age, and in few , telogen effluvium can be chronic and lasts for multiple years.
Surgical And Physical Treatments
Medications and supplements also boost your bodily functions to grow hair and should take some time to actually produce results.
And these results might vary, as they promise a certain amount of success, unlike some surgical and physical treatments.
So lets take a look at these direct treatments that most consider as last resort, but experts and dermatologists agree should be considered as effective primary solutions:
Read Also: How To Relieve Mental Stress
Treating Stress Related Hair Loss
Stress related hair loss makes a bad situation even worse. Fortunately, most cases will pass and others will respond to treatment.
If you have stress related hair loss you may be at a loss on how to cope with the problem. Youre already stressed out and now here comes this additional burden which makes you feel worse.
This is especially a problem with alopecia areata . You are struggling to cope with various problems and suddenly you feel self-conscious because you fear people are starring at the bald spot on your head.
You May Like: What Vitamins Can You Take For Hair Loss
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.
Recommended Reading: How To Cure Stress Headache
Global Hair Loss In 2021
Approximately 30% of the world’s population suffers from hair loss, making it one of the most commonly found diseases on the planet. On average, every person will lose up to 100 hair follicles per day.
There is a large number of variables that can contribute to male pattern baldness. The factors which can cause baldness range from hormonal changes to other medical problems.
Hair loss is a disorder that most commonly affects men, although it is not uncommon to find these symptoms also present within women.
When it comes to hair loss, each and every individual’s experience will be different. Some people will suffer from progressive thinning of their hair, while others will experience abrupt thinning of their hair and patches of baldness all over their heads.
Because it is a natural occurrence, there is no need to be concerned about a few follicles dropping out here and there. However, there are a number of aggravating factors that can significantly contribute to hair loss.
These factors include diabetes, hair dye, chemicals, nutrition, mineral deficiency, medicines, stress, pollution, and heredity dispositions towards balding.
Other less mentioned causes can include wearing caps, headgears, or helmets might be to protect their heads.
Whilst there are many types of causes, we shall be concentrating on stress-induced hair loss something incredibly common amongst adults who face regular bouts of stress and pressure.
Why Is My Hair Thinning At Age 20
Few things can shake your social and emotional confidence like when you begin losing your hair at an early age. You worry if youll develop a see-through hairline like your Aunt Marge or go completely bald like your dad. Factors like female pattern baldness, certain medical conditions, stress or even how you style your hair could be the culprit of hair thinning at 20.
Although there are plenty of reasons you may lose hair at this early age, there is hope. Read on to find out more plus, what products you should use to combat thinning hair ASAP.
You May Like: Can Stress Cause Ms Relapse
Recommended Reading: How To Reduce Mental Stress
How Does Hair Grow
Your hair grows out of little pockets in your skin called follicles. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, you have around five million hair follicles on your body, with roughly 100,000 located on your scalp. Yea, lots of hair factories.
At the bottom of the follicle is your hair root, which consists of living cells that grow and form the base of the hair shaft. As the hair shaft continues to add cells at its base, the shaft passes a protective oil gland and eventually pokes out through the skin.
The hair shaft itself is technically dead cells at this point, which is why getting a haircut doesnt hurt, unlike the pain involved in getting a hair pulled out by its root.
The growth cycle of hair consists of three phases: anagen , catagen , and telogen . In simpler terms, your hair will grow, stop growing, then fall out. The overwhelming majority of hair follicles on your scalp are in the anagen phase, with only around 8% in the final telogen phase.
For the other parts of your body, the process is exactly the same, however the total cycle lasts only 30 to 45 days. This is why hair on your body will be much shorter than hair on the scalp, even if left unattended.
If youve experienced hair loss, your growth cycle has likely been disturbed. What caused this disturbance will dictate how quickly you can regrow your hair, and if youre able to at all.
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
Read Also: How To Fix Stress Acne
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Stress
First, it is important to understand what causes stress-related hair loss. A lot of the symptoms of stress-related hair loss are the side effects of the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is produced in the body in response to stressful situations. Stress can cause both emotional and physical symptoms, some of which may include:
- · Rapid heartbeat
Explore Your Hair Loss Treatment Options
It never hurts to do a little bit of research when exploring treatment options for hair loss. But at some point, youll probably want to talk with a healthcare professional so that you can get a professional opinion about how to combat hair loss.
We dont recommend cutting corners by exploring cheaper homeopathic and all-natural remedies as an alternative.
Drugs like finasteride and minoxidil are clinically proven to treat male pattern baldness and even reverse hair loss with a majority of men, and theyre approved by the FDA.
As great as hair loss medicine is, theres still a catch: you have to be committed. That means using the products exactly as directed and sticking to a treatment regimen for the long-term.
Recommended Reading: How To Feel Less Stressed Out
Can Ptsd Make Your Hair Fall Out
Those with PTSD will find that their stress hormones never return to normal levels and that their bodies choose to conserve energy and nutrients for essential functions of the body, preventing hair from regrowing once it is shed.
Those with PTSD suffer from being stuck in a fight-or-flight mode permanently, where loud noises or sudden changes in lighting can cause them to panic or become extremely distressed.
The effects of existing in fight-or-flight mode do not just affect their behaviour, but also the internal hormonal levels in the body. If the body is stuck in fight-or-flight, it will choose to preserve any nutrients for essential core functions of the body. As the hair is deemed non-essential, hair follicles do not get the nutrients they need to produce hair follicles. This means the hair will shed without being replaced, ultimately causing hair loss.
Donât Miss: Does Keytruda Cause Hair Loss
How To Help Your Hair Grow Back
As weve seen, certain conditions do not necessarily lead to baldness, so you can regrow your hair and strengthen your hair follicles after suffering from an upsetting episode of hair loss. To give your beautiful hair a boost, here are a few steps to follow:
- Try over-the-counter treatments minoxidil is the most common OTC medication that comes in the form of creams, foams and it prolongs the anagen phase.
- Home-made masks there are several herbs and oils famous for their hair-growing properties. Some of these are rosemary essential oil, castor oil, onion black seed oil, olive and coconut oil, aloe vera, etc. You can try making some masks for your scalp and hair to boost healthy hair growth. There is no need for complicated treatments in the case of oils, for example, you can use them to gently massage your scalp for several minutes, leave it for about half an hour and then continue your usual washing routine.
- Control your stress levels try taking at least one day off your week so that you can take care of yourself. Essential oils are commonly used for managing stress: they can be inhaled either directly or by using a humidifier, used on the skin, or incorporated in different products. You can also incorporate a healthy diet and some exercise into your daily routine. While these remedies act slowly, your future self will be very grateful.
You May Like: What Is The Least Stressful Nursing Job
When To Start Addressing Thinning Hair Hair
If hair loss seems to suddenly increase or has gradually increased in your 20s, its possible there is something else going on. And its time to take action and see your doctor when any of the following occur:
- You notice excessive hair loss, hair thinning or decreased hair density.
- You have areas that appear to be balding or are developing a receding hairline.
You can also consider using a hair serum. GRO Hair Serum contains powerful, vegan phyto-actives that increase the appearance of hair density while reducing signs of shedding without toxic chemicals or side effects. You can see peak results in about four months with consistent, daily use.
