5 Possible Reasons Why Your Hair is Falling Out
Ever felt like your hair is thinning out way too fast? Or falling out all of a sudden?
Over the course of five years, the hair loss market has skyrocketed because of hair loss in both men and women.
According to an article from Medihair it has grown by an average of 6.72% per year. Making the year of 2022 with a market size of USD 52.37 Billion. Statistics show that while 26% is due to hair thinning, 43.8% shows no sign of symptoms. Meaning, they have no idea why their hair is falling out.
Chart from https://medihair.com/en/
For more statistics checkout the Hair Loss Statistics 2024 (Hair Loss Statistics 2024 (Types, Treatments...)Types, Treatments...)
There are plenty of underlying causes why your hair is falling out, but here are 5 possible reasons:
1. Stress
If you are stressed while reading this article, you are more likely to contribute to your own hair loss. Not only stress related illnesses is the number one killer in the US, but it is also a contributor to hair loss.
Researchers have found that chronic and emotional stress leads to hair loss and thinning. To understand how stress contributes to hair loss, you must first understand the cycle of our hair growth. There are four stages:
Anagen: this stage is the “growth stage” or “active phase”, where your hair is growing rapidly and it lasts between 2-7 years!
Catagen: This is where the active growth ends. Lasts about two - three weeks
Telogen: The resting phase, this is where your hair remains in the hair follicle for a few months but is no longer actively growing
Exogen: where your hair shaft completely falls off and the hair growth cycle repeats (well depending on your hair follicles)
Stress can be from a stressful event, underlying illness, day-to-day responsibilities and even work environment.
The increase of stress can have an impact on the hair follicles, by disrupting the cycle, how? The increasing of the hair follicles in the telogen stage causes the hair to shed a lot of hair.
2. Hormones
Our bodies produce a stress hormone called “Cortisol”, the role of the hormone cortisol is to help our body manage stress, it helps maintain blood sugar levels by converting protein into glucose and it helps regulate your metabolism.
And when your body produces too much cortisol, it will lead to many outcomes, and one of them is the disruption of your hair growth, such as hair shedding, patchy hair, and even balding!
Hormonal imbalance can cause hair loss, this also leads to other medical conditions such as menopause and PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome). Women who have PCOS experience irregular periods, mood swings and surprisingly hair loss; and this is all due to hormonal imbalance.
If you are experiencing some of these symptoms, it is best to consult with your doctor or physician.
3. Androgenetic alopecia (AGA)
Pronounced an·draa·juh·neh·tuhk | a·luh·pee·shuh
This is a medical term for male or female pattern baldness or in other words hereditary alopecia. You will see patterns of hair loss in men by the temples and the crown of their hair, while women gradually thinning out from the center of their hairs.
This is commonly caused by genetics, according to an article by Vegamour, ‘most people with AGA will see some thinning by age 40, but men are more likely to experience it earlier, while women may experience symptoms with the onset of menopause.’ Although this commonly occurs in men, AGA occurs anytime after puberty.
4. Aging
This is a very common symptom of hair loss, age. Over time your follicles (the tiny hole where your hair sprouts out of your skin) shrinks as you age, producing finer and shorter hair.
While your follicle will eventually stop growing new hair, if it remains it is possible to grow new hair with the right care and right products.
As mentioned before, some hormones cause conditions like menopause, this is common in women in their 50’s. When you have menopause you develop a drop in your estrogen that leads to hair thinning.
5. Hair care
Last but not least, hair care. This is essential when maintaining a healthy hair, scalp and follicles. Having the right products and routine can definitely produce more healthy, luscious and full hair.
The same can be said in the opposite – when you have the wrong products this will be evidence of patchy and complete hair loss.
I had a cousin who dyed her hair almost every month with a new hair color, while it was pretty and a cool trend to have the latest color on your hair; however, she ended up with her hair falling out. Literal hair falling as she stroked it softly.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Hair care does not just mean buying products and finding the right hair massage, but also taking care of your overall health, diet and stress management. It is as simple as eating the right fruits and nutritious foods that will increase the right hormones to produce healthier and long lasting follicles. Exercising as well not only boosts confidence but also produces sweat and oils that are essential for your hair when properly taken care of.
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Some images are generated from: https://www.istockphoto.com/