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.
How Will A Healthcare Provider Diagnose Hair Loss In Women What Tests Are Done
The tests performed to diagnose hair loss in women can be simple or complicated:
- Gently pulling on your hair to see how many hairs come out.
- Blood tests. These check for vitamin and mineral levels and hormone levels .
- Scalp examination under a microscope and trichoscopy.
- Scalp biopsy to remove and examine a very small piece of scalp skin.
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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How Can I Reduce Stress And Avoid Stress Hair Loss
The good news is, stress hair loss doesnt have to be permanent. Finding healthy outlets to reduce your overall stress levels can put your hair follicles in a better condition for growing new hair and improve your overall health to boot.
Of course, theres no singular way to reduce stress each person must find his or her own methods and techniques. Think of an activity that makes you feel calm and happy, and set aside time for that as often as possible. Need a few ideas? Heres some suggestions:
- Exercise, whether taking a fitness class, playing sports, or working out at the gym
- Practicing yoga or meditation
- Engaging in creative activities like writing, painting, or crafting
- Reading books or listening to soothing music
- Getting a massage
- Taking a hot bath or shower
One stress reduction technique to highlight here is massage, because the benefits go much deeper than just relaxation. Think about the tight muscles in your neck, shoulders, and even your scalp. Have you ever been to the salon and received a relaxing head massage along with your shampoo?
Not only will scalp massage relax you and relieve stress, it encourages those tense scalp muscles to loosen up as well. Looser muscles means more blood flow to the scalp, whichguess whatfeeds the hair follicles and helps with hair growth! And you dont need to book a professional scalp massage to receive the benefits. Performing a short massage on your own scalp can be just as relaxing.
Will My Hair Ever Grow Back
Fortunately, in both telogen effluvium and alopecia areata the hair follicles are not damaged they are simply dormant.
It is rare for telogen effluvium to lead to permanently thinner hair.
In alopecia areata, your hair may return on its own after a period of several months. Sometimes hair re-grows in alopecia areata only to fall out once more. It is not unusual for alopecia areata patients to experience several cycles of hair loss and re-growth. The returning hair maybe thinner, finer, and even a different color than previously. While this cycle of hair re-growth is frustrating, it is a sign that the hair follicles are still working.
Stress and hair loss are linked. If you are suffering from hair loss caused by stress you can take heart that it is likely not a permanent condition. Remember that stressing over the problem can just make matters worse. Instead of fretting, take simple steps towards a healthier lifestyle and you may find that stress-induced hair loss eases on its own.
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How To Recognize Sudden Hair Loss
The average person loses between 40 and 80 hairs per day. If you lose over 100 hairs per day, you have alopecia, the scientific name for hair loss. If this hair loss has happened suddenly and rapidly, it is sudden hair loss. Your hair falls out at an alarming rate. You find it everywhere: in the shower, on your pillowcase, while styling your hair, on your brush and you have the impression that it is falling out in clumps. This is caused by an imbalance in your life or a disruptive change.
You Have Female Or Malepattern Baldness
You might already know about malepattern baldness, a type of hair loss caused by a combo of genes and male sex hormones that usually makes the hair on a mans head recede at the temples, leaving an Mshaped hairline.
But hormone-related hairloss for femalesor femalepattern baldnessis also a thing, according to the US National Institute of Health. This type of hair loss occurs when the hair follicle shrinks so much over time that it doesnt grow new hair. In women, the symptoms of femalepattern baldness includes a widening of the center hair part, and, sometimes, coarser hair on the face.
The only FDAapproved treatment for female and malepattern hair is minoxidil , but if that doesnt work, your doctor may prescribe oral medications such as finasteride that can halt hair loss or even cause some to grow surgery to transplant or graft hair is also an option.
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Does Covid Cause Hair Loss
While hair loss and COVID-19 may seem like two completely unrelated concerns, the number of patients struggling with thinning hair after their infection continues to increase. These patients report everything from increased strand fallout to losing clumps of hair by the handful.
It is important to note, not every person who has had COVID will experience hair loss afterwards. With that said, enough patients have reported thinning hair that experts are noting a correlation between the virus and hair loss.
This has left many people to wonder what it is about this virus that causes hair to fall out. Is hair loss unique to COVID-19, or does it occur with other viral infections?
Myths Associated With Stress Hair Loss
Misunderstanding your hair problems can be dangerous, so lets dispel the most common myths about stress hair loss.
- It appears immediately. Stress hair loss takes anywhere from 6-12 weeks to appear, based on hair growth cycles. Your hair goes into a resting stage to protect itself when under stressful situations, as most studies suggest. Once your hair cycle returns to normal, it pushes the hair out to grow new strands. It is possible for hair loss to appear up to three months after that stressful event.
- Minor stress can cause hair loss. A stressful event can be physical like surgery or trauma. It can be emotional, like a divorce or loss of a job. Stress can also be hormonal, like switching birth control or recently having a baby. Anxiety hair loss doesnt usually happen because you are stressed about your morning commute.
- Any hair loss is stress-related. Stress does not equate balding. Just because you see your hairbrush covered in day-old hair or you are sweeping up more hair than usual these days does not mean it is stress-related. It may be damaged hair breaking off. Make sure you are not damaging your hair if you want to maintain thickness.
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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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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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Focus On Good Nutrition
Hair needs good nutrition to grow and be healthy, especially protein and key vitamins and minerals. Whether through diet or supplements, be sure to get enough of the following:
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Protein
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Get good quality sleep, 7 to 8 hours per night
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Talk with your doctor or therapist about other ways to manage your stress levels
Can Depression Cause Hair Loss This Is What We Know
Can depression cause hair loss? This is what you need to know.
Unfortunately, depression is exceedingly common and is known as the most common illness worldwide. Around 280 million people worldwide have depression. The World Health Organization reports that roughly 5% of the adult population and 5.7% of the elder population suffer from depression.
This illness can cause a depressed mood, irritability, loss of interest in activities, feelings of low self-worth, exhaustion, and physical pain. But can it also cause other physical symptoms like hair loss?
Our hair is inarguably linked to our identity, especially for women. In a 2005 study, researchers found 40% of women who experienced hair loss had marital problems as a result, and 63% reported career-related problems because of hair loss. Severe hair loss is known to cause “intense emotional suffering”.
So, it’s undeniable there is a link between psychological distress and hair loss. But which comes first, the chicken or the egg?
Can depression cause hair loss? Or can hair loss cause depression?
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What Is Stress Hair Loss And How To Treat It
While losing 100 to 150 strands of hair per day is normal, some women lose much more. This is often known as stress hair loss, which can be a huge problem. If you want to know if stress can cause hair loss and subsequently how to regain hair loss from stress, read on. Luckily, there are measures you can take to prevent and treat hair falling out from stress.
Is Stress Causing Your Hair Loss
Too much stress on the body can result in hair loss, a condition known as telogen effluvium. Find out how to reduce stress to regain your healthier, fuller head of hair.
When you’re under stress, you may notice a lot of physical symptoms feeling anxious or exhausted, having trouble concentrating, and even getting sick with a headache or upset stomach. Stress can also be a cause of hair loss. When stress has you pulling out your hair, as the expression goes, you could be literally doing just that.
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Telogen Effluvium: Understanding This Cause of Hair Loss
Telogen effluvium is the term for hair loss that occurs temporarily as a result of some trauma, stress, or shock to your body. Telogen hairs are one type of hair, characterized by the end of the hair being shaped like a bulb, and effluvium means to flow out.
Some hair loss is normal, but telogen effluvium results in excessive hair loss due to a disruption in the natural growth and rest cycle of hair. Generally, between 80 and 90 percent of hair follicles on the scalp are actively growing, with the other 10 to 20 percent in the resting phase. Many events can disrupt this balance and result in temporary hair loss, typically seen as hair that falls out in clumps when you brush, wash, or style your locks.
Stress is known to be a trigger for telogen effluvium and risk factors that can cause this type of stress include:
Stopping Telogen Effluvium
Reduce Stress to Reduce Hair Loss
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Hair Falling Out From Stress Lets Talk
Hair loss can happen to anyone and for a number of reasons, so its important to talk to a doctor if you are seeing handfuls of hair in the shower unexpectedly. However, if you need a pick-me-up after a few stressful weeks or months in your life, you can reverse hair loss from stress at home with the help of hair care products and the right vitamins and supplements. So while there is no magical pill for knowing how to stop hair loss from stress, reading up on what causes hair loss and practicing self-care are two of the first steps. And youve already begun them both!
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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What Questions Might Your Healthcare Provider Ask To Diagnose And Categorize Your Hair Loss
Your healthcare provider might ask about your habits:
- What kinds of hair products do you use?
- What kinds of hair styles do you wear?
- What types of food do you eat ?
- Do you have a habit of pulling your hair out ?
They might ask about your history:
- Has anyone in your immediate family experienced hair loss?
- Is there anything stressful going on in your life?
- What medications and supplements do you take every day?
- Has hair loss ever happened to you before?
- What foods are in your diet?
And, they might ask about your observations:
- How long have you been losing hair?
- Have you been shedding more?
- Have you noticed hair loss in places other than your scalp, like your eyebrows? Leg and arm hair?
- Does anything worsen your hair loss?
- Does anything improve your hair loss?
- Have you noticed hair loss occasionally or has it been going on continuously?
- Have you noticed if your hair growth has changed?
- Has your hair been breaking more often?
Questions To Ask Your Doctor
- How much hair do I need to lose before calling my doctor?
- If one of my parents has alopecia areata, is there a genetics test I can take to determine if I will get it?
- If my hair loss has lasted more than a year, what are the chances it will return?
- Do certain diseases put people at risk for developing alopecia areata?
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What Are The Causes Of Sudden Hair Loss
VASCULAR CAUSE: poor blood flow to the hair bulb means the hair does not get the essential elements it needs to grow.NUTRITIONAL CAUSE: a deficiency in the nutrients essential to hair growth.INFLAMMATORY CAUSE: Psychological or physical stress or certain disorders will result in an imbalance that will be conveyed as stress at cell level. At the scalp level, cells subject to this stress will release neurotransmitters, including substance P. These neurotransmitters will trigger an acute inflammatory cascade. Hair goes into the telogen phase prematurely. This triggers sudden, rapid hair loss.IS IT POSSIBLE TO SLOW DOWN THIS HAIR LOSS?
In order to slow down sudden hair loss, you must treat these three causes. Each can be responsible for sudden hair loss, alone or in combination with one another.
