Why Hair Loss Is So Common: Causes and Reasons

Woman Hair Blonde Braid

Seeing strands of hair on your comb can affect your confidence levels because our hair is a prominent feature that affects how we‘re perceived.

It’s a common problem for both men and women in the United States. If you’re suffering from hair fall but aren’t sure about the reasons, we’ve listed down some significant causes here:

Genetics

According to research, 95% of the men suffer from male pattern baldness, scientifically known as androgenetic alopecia. Your genes trigger it, and although there isn’t a definite answer to how it’s inherited, it’s hereditary.

If a close relative of yours is balding, there are high chances that you’ll experience it too. Doctors and scientists cannot comprehend how hormonal changes lead to shrinkage of hair follicles or why balding occurs.

Whenever we think of genetic hair loss, the male pattern baldness is the first thing that comes to mind. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, it usually begins with a thinning hairline above the crown and temples for them.

It’s essential to note that women are also susceptible to this kind of hair loss. Women’s hair loss is concentrated at the crown of their head. Depending on your family history, hair fall can begin as early as in our teenage. You might notice your hair getting thinner, finer, and shorter!

Emotional or physical stress

If you experience stress, anxiety, or have undergone a traumatic, life-altering event like a death in your family, divorce, a job change, hair fall can be expected. Your body will focus on getting you through this process, which causes a temporary halt in hair growth, leading to hair fall. There are two types of hair loss that are connected with high-stress levels:

  • Trichotillomania. This is when you have an irresistible urge to pluck out hair from your scalp, eyebrows, or other body parts. Hair plucking is a way of dealing with negative emotions or uncomfortable feelings, such as stress, loneliness, tension, and frustration.
  • Telogen effluvium. This is when high-stress levels push hair follicles into a resting phase. The affected hairs then fall out suddenly with washing or combing.

But don’t worry,  hair loss due to stress isn’t permanent. Once your stress is under control, your hair can grow back.

Childbirth

During your life, you will see your hair go through three life stages.

At first, it will grow incredibly well; this is known as the growth phase. In the transitional phase, the growth stops, but your hair doesn’t fall. Lastly, you experience hair fall in the resting stage.

The overflow of hormones during pregnancy are responsible for these hair transitions. This causes a woman’s hair to go back into a rapid growth mode with almost no hair fall.

Once the woman delivers, her estrogen levels go back to normal, which causes her hair to resume its regular growth cycles, leading to hair fall. This type of hair loss is known as telogen effluvium. It occurs months after a stress event such as childbirth. Post-delivery, mild shedding is common for some women.

Another hair loss related to childbirth is postpartum hair loss. This is temporary and can be treated with volumizing shampoos and conditioners.

Autoimmune Diseases

An autoimmune disorder occurs when your body’s immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissue; one example is Alopecia areata. When a person has alopecia areata, the cells in their immune system attack their hair follicles, causing hair fall. The more hair follicles are attacked by the immune system, the more hair loss you experience. The amount of hair loss varies; some may lose hair on certain spots, whereas others experience intense hair fall.

Hair growth is also a possibility for people with alopecia areata, but there’s no guarantee that it won’t fall off again. According to the ADD, dermatologists can prescribe treatments like corticosteroid injection to stimulate hair growth.

Thyroid disease, sickle-cell anemia, or rheumatoid arthritis also causes hair loss. Lupus causes scarring of the hair follicle, which results in permanent hair loss. These diseases require a diagnosis from an experienced health care provider. If you think your hair loss is associated with an underlying issue like an autoimmune condition, it’s crucial to set up an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible.

Medications

Although medications are prescribed for faster and effective healing, certain drugs can cause hair loss as well by interfering with the normal cycle of your hair growth. Medications can lead to two types of hair loss—anagen effluvium and telogen effluvium (similar to stress).

The anagen phase lasts for two to six years, during which hair growth increases. The telogen phase lasts about three months.

Drugs prescribed to manage high blood pressure, depression, cancer, and arthritis are commonly linked to hair loss issues.

Old Wives’ Tales

Now that we’ve seen some scientific reasons, there are several old wives’ tales about hair fall as well:

  • Wearing a baseball cap
  • Swimming in saltwater or a chlorinated pool
  • Excessive use of Sunscreen
  • Hairdryers lead to permanent hair loss.

Looking for a permanent solution?

While there might be several reasons linked to hair fall, you don’t have to spend all your life dealing with bald spots and a receding hairline. A scalp micropigmentation (SMP) process will give you the illusion of natural, thicker, and a head full of hair!

The SMP treatment uses pigments to tattoo your scalp’s epidermal layer to replicate the natural hair follicles’ look. This is a non-invasive, pain-free procedure that’ll last several years before you need a touchup.

At Delaware Scalp Micropigmentation, we offer top quality hair loss treatments such as scalp Micropigmentation services to Delaware’s men and women. Our experts are certified and are familiar with specialized techniques and tools to make your experience easy-breezy and unforgettable!

To learn more about our hair loss treatment services, call 302-292-0380, or visit our website.

Comments are closed.