Unfortunately, this matter is somewhat complex. That is, that there is not one single reason for hair loss. In order to help people, I find myself giving them Cosmetology 101 on How hair grows. From that point, like a detective, I make inquiries about their regular grooming and hairstyling habits, their health, their diet, and, of course, stress and/or changes in their life. From there we draw our conclusions and sometimes they heed the recommendations and take action.
The best way to explain the way hair grows is to think of the hair follicles as tiny trees or plants and there being an underground supply that nourishes those hair follicles. Hair growth is completely dependent on what is happening below the surface (scalp).
Like growing seasons, hair follicles have similar cycles. Any interruption in those "seasons" or cycles often results either temporarily or permanently in hair loss or hair thinning.
Although most of the emphasis on baldness is geared toward men, women are also at great risk and also llikey to lose their hair or have thinning hair. Most of the time, this noticeably hair loss in women occurs in their 50s or older, but I have also seen it occur in much younger females. Hair thinning or loss happens for many different reasons.
There are three hair cycles: anagen, catagen and telogen. At any given time, about 90% of the hair on our heads is in the ANAGEN (growth) cycle. that means that most of our hair is "growing". This cycle lasts from two to eight years. The CATAGEN phase is one in which the follicle shrinks. The catagen phase is a short transition stage that occurs at the end of the anagen phase. It signals the end of the active growth of a hair. This phase lasts for about 2–3 weeks while the hair converts to a club hair. This process cuts the hair off from its blood supply and from the cells that produce new hair. Fifty to one-hundred club hairs are shed daily from a normal scalp During the TELOGEN phase, the hair rests. Typically, a hair is in the anagen phase for two to four years, then enters the telogen phase, rests for about two to four months, and then falls out and is replaced by a new, growing hair. The average person naturally loses about 100 hairs a day.When hairs are coming out of the TELOGEN phase, new hair pushes out the old hair that has been resting and has been getting less nutrients. When the body is subjected to extreme stress, as much as 70 percent of hair can prematurely enter the telogen phase and begin to fall, causing a noticeable loss of hair.
To recap: The hair grows, stops growing, rests, and new hairs push out the "resting" hairs. Extreme stress can force many more hairs than normal to begin to fall out.
Most women know or notice when there is an increase of hair loss. Some signs would be excessive hair on the pillow, more hairs than usual on the comb or brush. You most likely will notice thinning on the top third to one half of the scalp. This is unlike men whose hair loss is generally noticed in receding hairline on the forehead or the crown. Women may also notice a part that is becoming increasingly wider and they may notice more of the scalp is showing when the hair is pulled back.
When women seek medical attention for hair loss, usually their doctor will do blood work to rule out any diseases whose symptoms may be hair loss like thyroid or autoimmune disease. Before seeking medicall attention, you might just consider your heredity. Did other females in the family have thinning hair at your age? Does male pattern baldness run in your family?
Another way for doctors to detect reasons for your hair loss is to examine the scalp with a magnifier. If there is a pattern of varying sized follicles, this might indicate what is called androgenetic alopecia or genetical hairloss. Even women suffer from what is usually called "male pattern baldness", but because of their hormonal makeup they usually do not go totally bald.
This condition which affects millions of women each year, is the most common type of hair loss in women. It has been reported to affect 50% of women. It usually affects older women but can also occur in teenagers.
Usually, when a hair follicle is shed, it is replaced by one of the same size. However in women with female pattern hair loss, the new hair is finer and thinner. Follicles shrink and eventually they quit growing. If the hair follicles are uniform in size, or if the hair loss is sudden it is usually caused by something other than heredity like a medical condition.
Something else that most people don't think of as causing hair loss is braiding or hairstyles that cause stress on the hair follicle. This type of hair loss is called traction alopecia.
So many things in women can bring on hair loss like pregnancy, thyroid disease, anemia, autoimmune disease, and skin conditions like psoriasis and seborrhea. Other reasons can include extreme stress, surgery or other physical trauma, dramatic weight loss and too much Vitamin A. It can take as much as a few weeks up to several months for hair loss to occur after one of these experiences.
Menopause is thought to be one of the main causes of hair loss, but some doctors think that menopause and hair loss just happen at about the same time with no direct link.
To recap: The hair grows, stops growing, rests, and new hairs push out the "resting" hairs. Extreme stress can force many more hairs than normal to begin to fall out.
Most women know or notice when there is an increase of hair loss. Some signs would be excessive hair on the pillow, more hairs than usual on the comb or brush. You most likely will notice thinning on the top third to one half of the scalp. This is unlike men whose hair loss is generally noticed in receding hairline on the forehead or the crown. Women may also notice a part that is becoming increasingly wider and they may notice more of the scalp is showing when the hair is pulled back.
When women seek medical attention for hair loss, usually their doctor will do blood work to rule out any diseases whose symptoms may be hair loss like thyroid or autoimmune disease. Before seeking medicall attention, you might just consider your heredity. Did other females in the family have thinning hair at your age? Does male pattern baldness run in your family?
Another way for doctors to detect reasons for your hair loss is to examine the scalp with a magnifier. If there is a pattern of varying sized follicles, this might indicate what is called androgenetic alopecia or genetical hairloss. Even women suffer from what is usually called "male pattern baldness", but because of their hormonal makeup they usually do not go totally bald.
This condition which affects millions of women each year, is the most common type of hair loss in women. It has been reported to affect 50% of women. It usually affects older women but can also occur in teenagers.
Usually, when a hair follicle is shed, it is replaced by one of the same size. However in women with female pattern hair loss, the new hair is finer and thinner. Follicles shrink and eventually they quit growing. If the hair follicles are uniform in size, or if the hair loss is sudden it is usually caused by something other than heredity like a medical condition.
Something else that most people don't think of as causing hair loss is braiding or hairstyles that cause stress on the hair follicle. This type of hair loss is called traction alopecia.
So many things in women can bring on hair loss like pregnancy, thyroid disease, anemia, autoimmune disease, and skin conditions like psoriasis and seborrhea. Other reasons can include extreme stress, surgery or other physical trauma, dramatic weight loss and too much Vitamin A. It can take as much as a few weeks up to several months for hair loss to occur after one of these experiences.
Menopause is thought to be one of the main causes of hair loss, but some doctors think that menopause and hair loss just happen at about the same time with no direct link.
