What Causes Hair Loss?

Hair loss has become a growing issue in the 21st century. Many emotional, medical and lifestyle-driven factors affect the growth and strength of hair. Hair loss is different from the normal shedding of hair. You must know that every day we shed somewhere around 50-100 hair strands as a part of the normal hair growth cycle. The hair growth cycle involves the shedding phase, where damaged hair strands fall on their own from the hair follicles.

After the hair naturally falls, new hair regrows from the follicle. However, when we talk about hair loss, then hair regrowth is halted until the cause is treated. This deadlock leads to baldness and can be permanent. There are many reasons behind hair loss, from hormonal changes to an unhealthy lifestyle. Today in this blog, we will discuss the hair loss causes that you were not aware of but were leading to thinning of hair and the formation of bald patches.

Hair Loss Due to Physical Stress

Hair problems can arise if you have faced some severe physical stress recently. It does not matter how small, but it can affect your hair growth cycle, which leads to hair strands falling out in a bunch. Accidents, illness, surgery, and pregnancy are a few physical shocks that your body can experience and react to. After childbirth, mothers can notice a lot of hair falling out, bald patches or thinning of hair for months. In some severe physical stress cases, you might lose up to 75% of the hair. This happens because while your body undergoes physical stress, it starts preserving nutrients for vital purposes and non-vital purposes like hair growth are compromised. However, as the body recovers from this stress and gets over the falling period, new hair starts growing, bringing things to normal.

Hair Loss Due to Emotional Stress

You might not be aware, but yes, emotional stress is also one of the major causes that lead to hair loss. If you have recently been through a heartbreaking event, lost someone you loved or are feeling emotionally unwell, then you might get temporary hair loss. The normal hair growth cycle gets interrupted due to stressful, emotional waves in the body and leads to hair fall. When you bring emotional stress under control by performing yoga, exercises and therapies to be happier, the growth cycle comes back to normal, and new hairs grow out from the follicles.

Unhealthy Diet and Lifestyle

An unhealthy diet and lifestyle can be the reason behind your unknown hair loss. A diet that does not contain proper nutrients can lead to a deficiency in the body. A deficiency of nutrients can make your hair thin, lead to breakage, halt regrowth, and disturb the normal hair cycle causing bald patches. A well-balanced diet containing all vitamins and minerals is a must for healthy hair. Lifestyle-related issues like smoking, insufficient sleep and using harsh chemicals on the hair are the biggest causes of hair loss that you might not identify.

Hair Infection

Hair loss can be a result of an underlying hair infection. These infections can enhance the progression of diseases, including androgenetic alopecia leading to bald patches and thinning of hair due to one or another reason. Underlying hair infection, scalp infection, reaction to any specific product and, above all, dandruff can make a lot of hair fall from the follicle. To stop hair fall it is very important to treat the underlying infection. Visit a hair loss doctor to get the right treatment against infection and resume the normal hair growth cycle.

Hormonal and Medical Conditions

Hormonal conditions like pregnancy, childbirth, menopause and thyroid problems can lead to temporary hair loss. Autoimmune disorders like diabetes and alopecia areata lead to permanent hair loss, which can be treated on time with proper guidance to restore hair loss. Medical conditions involving the consumption of medications like chemotherapy and radiation can also lead to bald patches and permanent receding of the hairline. Treating the condition will restore the hair; however, consulting a dermatologist becomes crucial in these situations.

Incorrect Hair Care

Incorrect hair care, does this cause hair loss? Using a dryer to dry out hair, a hair curler, a straighter, gel to style hair and chemicals all of these can lead to hair loss due to breakage, split ends or weakening of hair from roots. Hair-pulling styles like ponytails and hot oil treatments can make you bald permanently. Using harsh chemicals on the hair needs to stop for a proper hair growth cycle. You must use mild shampoos and protect the hair from harmful UV rays using hats to prevent burning and breakage. Consume a diet containing all the nutrients and follow a proper hair care routine; say a big no to regular hairstyling and make ponytails to keep them healthy and strong.

Genetical Composition

If none of the causes justifies your hair loss, then hair loss due to genetic composition can be the reason. You can inherit hair loss from your family members, and the phenomenon can arise as you age. The male-pattern baldness and female-pattern baldness are commonly seen conditions. The pattern of hair loss can also be predicted by looking at your parents; in females, the hair starts thinning, while in males, the hairline recedes, and bald patches appear. These hair loss issues need to be addressed on time before you lose hair permanently.

Now that you know the causes behind the hair loss issues, you must take steps accordingly to treat the cause. After you work on the cause, you will notice your hair will start to regrow, and the number of hair strands falling will reduce. You must not panic but work on the cause to resist your hair from falling. Causes like lack of sleep, improper diet, use of harsh chemicals and undue stress can be resolved by practising a healthier lifestyle.