9 REASON FOR HAIR LOSS

Most people lose between 50 and 100 strands of hair per day, if your noticing hair laying around your bathroom sink and floors, you may be losing more than normal. So what can you do to prevent it and what are some of the causes?

Crash Dieting

Our diet and nutrition play an important role in our ability to grow and maintain hair.  Iron, zinc biotin

and protein are crucial to maintain and grow hair.

“Nutrients that allow the hair to grow are sensed by stem cells [in the hair follicle],” Anthony Oro, MD, PhD, professor of dermatology at Stanford School of Medicine, tells Yahoo Health. “These stem cells are surrounded by little fat cells that monitor the energy and metabolism of your body. If the nutrients are not there, they shut down [hair] production.”

You don’t wear hats in the sun

We all know that the sun’s UV rays accelerate skin aging, but did you that the sun also damages the hair.  UV rays damage the structure of the hair and makes the hair more fragile.  This fragile hair is more likely to break off and fall out.  This can lead to hair loss.  Make sure to protect you hair by using a hair sunscreen that blocks UVA and UVB rays or a much simpler solution is to wear a solid, wide-brimmed hat every time you step outside.  Yes, even on cloudy days.

 Genetics

According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD),  the most common cause of hair loss is hereditary thinning or baldness.  This affects about 80 million Americans.  For women, the first sign is often the top or bang area is thinning or you may also notice a part that’s getting wider.  There are treatments available through your dermatologist and many shampoos on the market that treat hair loss such as Nioxin.  Your dermatologist can do a thorough exam and plan a treatment option that is best for you.

You’re under a lot of stress or recently experienced a traumatic event

Loss of a loved one, divorce, job loss are all examples of emotional and physical trauma that can speed up hair’s growth cycle and increase the shedding phase.  This will cause hair to fall our faster, but it doesn’t happen right away.  “If you have a stressful event now,” says Oro, “the hair follicle environment will sense it, note it, and you’ll see the effects one to three months later.”  Once your life returns to normal, your hair should return to it’s normal growth cycle.

Hormone Levels

Only your doctor can run test to see what is happening hormonally with the body.  Insufficient and an excessive of hormone levels can lead to hair loss.  The amount of Estrogen, usually brought on by menopause,  also play a significant role in hair loss.  According to the AAD hair loss can usually be halted or reversed, by treating the health problem.

Your ponytail is too tight

Yes, hairstyles that are too tight and yank on your hard can lead to a type of hair loss that’s called Traction Alopecia.  Braids, ponytails, cornrows are all examples of styles that pull to tightly on the hair.  Try to avoid or limit how often you wear them..

There’s an autoimmune disease at play

“If someone is losing their hair and it’s associated with itching or burning, that can be a sign of autoimmune hair loss,” Oro says. “Often just by ing and doing a scalp exam the dermatologist can tell or we can take a little piece of skin, look at it under a microscope, and you can make a diagnosis.”  Alopecia Areata  is an immune system disease the mistakes hair follicles for a foreign entity and start to attack them, causing hair loss.   According to Oro,  this tends to happen to people in their 50’s and 60’s.  People with a family history of Type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis are also more likely to be diagnosed with it.

You’ve lost a lot of weight

According to the AAD, you may notice some hair loss within three to six months after losing the weight. As long as your body, including your hair, is getting the nutrients it needs, your body will adjust and your hair will eventually.

You’re getting too much vitamin A

This little bit of info took  me by surprise.  Exceeding recommended doses of  supplements, such as vitamin A can lead to hair loss, according to the AAD, as well as other health concerns.  Dizziness, nausea, headaches and orange-tinted skin are just a few of those concerns. The recommended dose of vitamin A for most adults ages 19-50 are 700 micrograms for women and 900 micrograms for men.  However,  the good news is that stopping vitamin A supplements can reverse the problem.



As always if you are experiencing hair loss, consult your physician!