Stress and Hair Loss
Many of my clients ask this question on a daily basis, “Does stress really thin your hair out?” Well, ladies and gentlemen the answer to this question is a firm “yes.” It’s no myth. Here’s why…
Telogen Effluvium: Sudden stress related hair loss which appears as thinning throughout the whole scalp
Telogen Effluvium occurs when sudden, severe, or prolonged stress causes an increase in the shedding of the hair. In Telogen Effluvium, a sudden or stressful event can cause the hair follicles to prematurely stop growing and enter into a resting phase. The hair will then stay in the resting phase for about 3 months after which time a large amount of hair will be shed. Often the person involved will have recovered from the event before the hair loss occurs. In most cases the hair loss is temporary and the hair soon recovers. However, in some cases the hair loss continues until the underlying cause is fixed or the stress source is resolved. Telogen Effluvium appears to affect more women than men due to hormonal fluctuations.
Temporary hair loss can be caused by:
Child Birth
Pregnancy Termination’s
Starting or Stopping Birth Control Pills
Dieting Drug
Lack of sleep
Severe Emotional Stress
Blood pressure medications
Thyroid imbalance
Anemia
Special note: Hair loss after Child Birth:
It is quite common for some women to experience some hair loss approximately 3 months after childbirth. This hair loss is triggered by the sudden changes in hormone levels.
Some statistics suggest a 30% of mothers lose hair during childbirth and others suggest a figure closer to 60%. Fortunately in most cases the hair will return to normal 9-12 month after the child’s birth.
Many women will notice that their hair is thicker and healthier during pregnancy; this is due to the increased levels of hormones estrogen and progesterone which cause more hairs than normal to remain in the growth phase. When the child is born, however, many of the hair follicles that had delayed entering the resting phase suddenly enter the resting phase due to the rapid drop in hormone levels. This resting phase causes massive hair shedding.
So, get to know your body and create balance in your life because beautiful hair grows from the INSIDE OUT.
