The Causes of Hair Loss | Hairloss-411

The Causes of Hair Loss, the 411: Overview

Hair loss stems from a multitude of factors. Most of the lucky people out there will only have to worry about hair loss from age. Of course, that age could be very young. Unfortunately the other people will have outside factors that contribute to their hair loss. But before we talk about this, you should know that hair loss is normal in people. Did you know that you lose anywhere from 50 to 100 hairs a day, just in the course of the normal process of hair growth? You normally lose .1% of your hair everyday. For those of us with a full head of hair and a little slow in math, that means that you have 100,000 hairs on your head right now. So if you see a few hairs that have fallen off your head, no problem!

The Causes of Hair Loss, the 411: The Phases of Hair Growth

I talked about the normal process of scalp hair growth. Like your body, it has growth phases and a rest phase. A scalp hair goes through a growth phase for 2-3 years. Then it goes through a rest phase for 3-4 months. After the end of this rest phase, the hair falls out. A new hair will grow from the same place after it falls out from where it fell out.

Of course there are a lot of factors that may interrupt the above phases:

The Causes of Hair Loss, the 411: Genetics and Age

It’s normal for hair to start thinning. There will be a time when the rate of hair falling out exceeds the rate of regrowth of hair. It could be a gradual thinning of hair, or clumps of hair falling out. Genetics has a lot to do with when your hair will start to thin. The term for male-pattern baldness and female-pattern baldness is called androgenetic alopecia. That is when during the course of the process of hair re-growth, each time it grows and re-grows, the root of the hair grows shallower and shallower on the scalp. It falls out easier and faster as it grows shallower on the scalp. Heredity on both sides of your family likely plays a role in androgenetic alopecia; how fast and what pattern of baldness and the extent of the baldness you will have in your life. Normally androgenetic alopecia is a permanent form of hair loss where you will not start to grow hair from certain regions of your scalp once it falls out.

There is another type of hair loss that scientists believe that genetics plays a part in termed alopecia areata. It is classified as an autoimmune disease. This type of hair loss is where something enviromental or viral triggers hair loss. It usually is a hairless spot on the head, very rarely it could be total hair loss on the body. Hair loss and regrowth may happen multiple times. If there is a family history of alopecia areata in your family, you may be predisposed to having the same condition.

The Causes of Hair Loss, the 411: Medical Treatments and Medical Conditions

Radiation therapy and chemotherapy can cause severe rapid hair loss. But if you are going through such a regimen right now, I think, for most people, that hair loss isn’t the first thing you are worrying about. If the level of radiation therapy is high, then there is a chance that you will have permanent hair loss. With chemotherapy, people may have thinning hair or dramatic hair loss during the treatments, but it’s usually not permanent.

Hormones imbalances or changes can also cause hair loss. Anything that causes a hormone imbalance can cause hair loss, things like hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, overproduction of testosterone, menopause, child birth, and changes to hormone therapy, plus a list of things too long, can cause hair loss. Even stopping birth control pills can cause hair loss. The good news is that if your condition is controlled, you will probably start to regrow hair.

The Causes of Hair Loss, the 411: Health Plays a Role

Looking physically good takes a lot of effort, but what good is it if you look fit and bald? Remember that hair, like the rest of your body requires good nutrition. Some of these radical diets that people are using to lose weight really fast may cause hair loss. Not to mention some of them may cause permanent physical damage. Protein and iron deficiency can cause hair loss. Dehydration can cause hair loss. Vitamin B2, B6, Biotin, Inositol deficiency may cause hair loss. Vitamin E deficiency may cause hair loss. Excessive vitamin A consumption may cause hair loss. Try to have a moderate diet and stay healthy to keep your body and hair healthy.

The Causes of Hair Loss, the 411: Trauma

Severe emotions, heavy stress, and physical trauma can be the cause of hair loss. Telogen effluvium is disorder where you could lose a lot of hair because of a sudden severe emotional, very stressful, and/or physically or physiologically traumatic event happens to you. This could be anything from you losing a beloved family member, fever, chronic illness, surgery, accidents, drugs, or something so traumatic happens to you that your resting phase of hair growth is interrupted. The good news is that when you recover from whatever caused the trauma, your hair will probably grow back normally again.

The Causes of Hair Loss, the 411: Overdoing The Hairdo

Believe it or not, overdoing hairstyling or hairdos that pull your hair too much may cause something called traction alopecia. Some people will stretch the hair on the scalp so tight that they may cause damage to the roots and cause scarring to the tissues. If you don’t stop before scarring occurs, your hair loss may be permanent! Traction alopecia may not be permanent if there is not too much damage to the roots and scalp.

Also, be careful when using chemicals on your hair. Chemicals used to relax hair, bleach hair, dying hair, straightening hair and put permanent waves in hair may damage your hair and scalp if overused or used incorrectly. Even overly excessive brushing of the hair may cause damage.

The Causes of Hair Loss, the 411: There Are Many Other Things, But…

The list of causes to hair loss is a lot longer than what I’ve outlined here. You may be suffering from hair loss from some other condition, like other drug interactions or possibly even a mental disorder, this is not a complete guide, by far. But hopefully we’ve given you a quick overview of the things that can cause hair loss. Of course, to narrow down to the one that covers your specific problem, please consult your medical professional.