Why hair falls out and what to do

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Maybe stress or a lack of vitamins is to blame. Or you may be seriously ill.

Hair loss is normal. Every day, each of us (of course, excluding bald ones) loses from 50 to 100 hairs. This is a pretty impressive bunch, but it shouldn't be alarming.

It's another matter when on your comb every time there is a clump of frightening size or, even worse, bald patches appear on your head. It is important to figure out where the attack came from. Lifehacker has collected the most common reasons.

1. You are lacking in protein

Lack of protein in the diet is a surefire way of Diet and hair loss: effects of nutrient deficiency and supplement use to ensure that hair becomes thin and brittle, slows down its growth and begins to fall out.

With a sedentary lifestyle, you should eat at least 1, 2 g of protein per kilogram of weight per day. If you go in for sports, this value rises to 1, 6-2 g.

What to do

Review your eating habits and, if necessary, add lean meat, dairy products and other protein foods to your diet.

2. Your body is low on iron

Iron deficiency is common. Diet and hair loss: effects of nutrient deficiency and supplement use are very common. He has a host of symptoms, including unmotivated fatigue, lethargy, brittle nails, and hair loss. You are definitely at risk if you are fond of vegetarianism or strive to limit the amount of meat in your diet.

What to do

If you observe at least a couple of signs of iron deficiency anemia, contact your therapist and take a blood test. Depending on the results of the study, the specialist will advise you to adjust the diet by adding iron-containing foods to it, or prescribe the necessary medications.

3. You have an imbalance of vitamins

A lack of vitamins B and D or an excess of vitamins A and E can lead to certain changes in the body. One of the symptoms of this is severe hair loss.

What to do

As in the previous case, the best solution is to visit a therapist. He will prescribe tests that will help determine the lack or excess of vital vitamins in your body, and then prescribe the necessary vitamin supplements or advise on how to adjust the diet.

4. You are too active in your hair

Love for curling irons, ironing, drying with a hot hair dryer, hot oil masks, as well as braiding tight braids is a common cause of hair problems. With constant use, all these treatments can damage both the hair itself, causing it to break off at the roots and hair follicles.

What to do

Avoid hair-traumatic procedures. Try to use conditioner after every wash.

5. You are experiencing prolonged stress

Finding out the relationship with the boss or a small scandal in the minibus will definitely not make your hair actively fall out. In this case, we are talking about chronic psychological overstrain.

Maybe you are experiencing the loss or illness of a loved one. Maybe a family member, coworker, or boss puts pressure on you every day. Unfortunately, there are plenty of options, and in any case, chronic stress does not lead to anything good. Hair loss is one of the most harmless symptoms.

What to do

Experts of the famous American Mayo Clinic assure Can stress cause hair loss? that it is enough to get rid of stress for the condition of the hair to return to normal. Find ways to reduce your emotional distress. Fortunately, them. If you cannot cope on your own, see a psychotherapist.

6. You have experienced a serious physical shock

A fracture, surgery, a car accident, and sometimes even a severe flu can backfire with hair loss. Physical stress causes The Relationship Between Stress and Hair Loss of the bulb to go into a shedding phase. Typically, this effect becomes noticeable 3–6 months after the injury.

What to do

Wait. Hair will be restored at the same time as the body.

7. You've lost too much weight

Physiologists regard sudden weight loss as one of the types of serious physical shock. And if a severe diet led to a decrease in body weight, then, most likely, your body also received less vitamins and nutrients with the corresponding consequences for the hair.

Hair loss along with noticeable weight loss can be a sign of an eating disorder such as bulimia or anorexia.

What to do

Normalize the diet, or (if losing weight has become a pleasant consequence of a healthy lifestyle) just wait a while for the body to get used to the new weight.

8. You recently became a mother

Hair loss in women in labor is very common. Up to 50% of women face it with Pregnancy And Hair Loss. During pregnancy, the body has increased levels of estrogen, which, among other things, has one curious feature: it accelerates hair growth and makes the hairs stick tightly in the hair follicles. It is for this reason that expectant mothers often have luxurious hair, which you can even take off in advertising.

However, after childbirth, estrogen levels drop. A freshly baked mom begins to lose not only the usual number of hairs, but also those that should have fallen out during pregnancy. And it looks threatening.

What to do

Just wait. Hair loss usually begins a month after giving birth and ends in 4–5 months. When your baby is six months old, you will have normal hair again.

9. Your hormones are changing

Pregnancy and childbirth are a special case of such a change. Also, menopause, age over 50 years, polycystic ovary syndrome, and even a banal refusal of birth control pills often lead to hair loss. Due to the sharp drop in the level of female hormones, 21 Reasons Why You’re Losing Your Hair androgen receptors on the scalp are activated. They cause hair follicles to shrink in size, the life of the hair is shortened, and the hair is thinning.

What to do

The problem is solved by normalizing hormonal levels. Talk to your therapist about this.

10. You have problems with the thyroid gland

If the glands produce too much (called hyperthyroidism) or too little (hypothyroidism) hormones, Hair Loss and Thyroid Disorders affect the condition of the hair follicles. Their life cycle is shortening, and they begin to drop out more actively than ever. This usually occurs several months after the onset of the disease.

In addition, some thyroid medications can also cause increased hair loss.

What to do

Treat the underlying disease. To do this, contact your therapist or endocrinologist. Doctors will prescribe a series of blood tests that will show you what is happening to your thyroid gland and how to improve the condition. Please note: solving the problem may even require surgery.

11. You are taking certain medications

In addition to thyroid medications, blood pressure medications, some antidepressants and even ibuprofen often lead to hair loss. 21 Reasons Why You’re Losing Your Hair.

What to do

Carefully read the instructions for the medication that you started taking shortly before your hair problems began. If hair loss is on the list of side effects, see your doctor. Perhaps he will find an alternative.

12. You are a man

Hair loss affects two out of three men over the age of 60. But for some, this unpleasant process affects much earlier.

The fault here is a combination of genes and male sex hormones. Most often, it looks like this: the first to form bald patches above the temples, the hairline begins to resemble the letter M. Further, the process progresses, affecting the area above the forehead and crown.

What to do

There are creams and pills that help, if not restore hair, then significantly slow down hair loss. Talk to your physician or dermatologist about this.

13. You have an autoimmune disease

Sometimes a malfunctioning immune system hair follicles begin to seem like foreign objects 21 Reasons Why You’re Losing Your Hair. And the immune system attacks them, causing focal hair loss (alopecia).

What to do

Unfortunately, often the matter is not limited to hair alone. Immunity can attack other organs and tissues as well. Therefore, if you notice that your hair has begun to fall out a lot, and even more so if it comes to the formation of bald patches, it is extremely important to contact a therapist as soon as possible. If necessary, he will give you a referral to highly specialized specialists.

14. You are undergoing chemotherapy

Medicines that can fight cancer are often aggressive towards the hair as well. The point is as follows. Chemotherapy is aimed at destroying rapidly dividing cells. This is how cancers behave. But hair cells also divide intensively and get hit.

What to do

Get treated and wait. After the chemotherapy is stopped, your hair will grow back and return to its normal state. True, they often come back with a different texture. For example, they begin to curl or acquire a different color.

15. You are taking steroids

This is often the sin of athletes who want to build muscle mass. Muscles may indeed grow in size. However, steroids have a serious hormonal effect on the body, hair follicles are damaged.

What to do

To stop hair loss, simply stop taking the drug.