Hair loss and Causes

The "hair System" has these characteristics:
• a very thin nylon mesh base.
• can be attached with attachment tapes
• are virtually undetectable to the touch
• resists "wash through" of hairs to the underside of the hair system
• excellent breathability

Certain medications can cause hair loss. Talk with your doctor about your medicines and ask about the possibility of them causing your hair to fall out. You may be able to change to another medication that has less of a risk of causing hair loss.

Causes

There are a number of myths out there about hair loss. Here are a few of them:

- Wearing a hat will cause hair loss. While it may be true that a lot of bald men may wear a hat to cover their thinning hair, a hat in no way caused their hair to fall out. If wearing a hat caused baldness, everyone in the national baseball league would be bald!

- Hair loss in females means that you are not a proper woman with two X chromosomes. This is crazy because hair loss has nothing to do with chromosomes but has everything to do with hormones.

- Hair loss in women is a sign of an overactive brain. There is absolutely no scientific evidence to back this statement up.

Stress
Yes, stress can definitely cause a person to lose their hair! However, it is important to note that the type of stress we are referring to in this article is not the everyday stress experience that most of us go through. In terms of hair loss, the type of stress that causes this condition is the result of sudden emotional shock or a very disastrous physical accident.

This type of hair loss is known as “telogen effluvium”. When an extremely stressful incident occurs, what happens is that the hair follicles that are actively growing are suddenly shifted forward into the “regression phase”. Soon after, the follicles then begin the “resting phase” and when the growth cycle of a hair follicle reaches this resting place, it falls out rather easily.

How soon after a stressful event does person's hair begin to fall out?

When a person goes through a physiological or an emotional event, hair does not begin to fall out anywhere from a few weeks to a few months after the event. But once it has begun, hair loss continues at a fast pace.

And because it takes some time for their hair to start shedding after the stressful event, the person is usually not aware that it is related to that past experience. It never occurs to them that the hair loss they are experiencing is not because of a new “sickness” or anything of the sort, it is simply the aftermath side effect of the stress they went through a few weeks or a few months ago.

What are some examples of severe stressful situations that would cause hair loss?

As we stated earlier, “stress” in terms of hair loss does not mean the standard stress most people experience from work, financial, relationships, etc. Instead, occurrences such as going through the sudden death of a loved one would be an example of a stressful situation that could result in hair loss. Getting a divorce would be another example. Having to take care of someone close to you who has a terminal disease may also fall into this category.



And of course, physical experiences that cause a lot of damage to a person's body will also produce stress at such high levels that hair loss is an eventual side effect. For example, a heart attack or a major surgery may cause a person's hair to fall out. Sickness that keeps a person in a long period of deterioration, such as the flu or malaria, may cause hair loss. And also, accidents such as vehicle crashes or any other similar situation where the body undergoes sudden physical damage, may cause hair loss


Nutrition habits
Unfortunately, hair loss due to nutritional deficiencies is extremely rare. In fact, there is really only one possible cause of hair loss that may result from nutrition and it is anemia. When a person is anemic, they experience a reduction in red blood cells and become very low in iron.


Thyroid problems are a common cause of hair loss. An overactive thyroid or an under active thyroid gland can cause hair loss. Fortunately, hair loss can easily be reversed by proper treatment of the thyroid disease.

Diabetes is a big cause of hair loss in a lot of people. Diabetes is a hormone related disorder that will often lead to thinning hair or hair loss. The hair loss will normally begin at the onset of diabetes and gradually gets worse as the disease progresses. Therefore, if one has noticed an increased amount of hair loss, one should see their doctor. Get tested for diabetes. Early detection can decrease the damage done to your body.



Head Injuries & Physical Trauma to the Scalp
Permanent hair loss can be a direct result of a severe physical injury to a person's scalp. Although in some cases the hair might grow back, the majority of head trauma victims will have a total loss of hair for the rest of their life. Some possible head trauma examples would be chemical burns from acid or other highly flammable substances, severe cutting and damage from a blunt object, and over-exposure to cold temperatures such as freezing from liquid nitrogen or from frostbite.

At times, physical damage that causes hair loss may not come in the form of a severe injury as described above. For example, if a person wears a tight fitting helmet or other headgear that causes continuous pressure, this can lead to permanent hair loss.

Surgical operations that went wrong can cause permanent hair loss, such as cosmetic surgeries like scalp reduction or a face lift. They may even have suffered from an incorrect hair replacement surgery as well.


Hair Loss in Women Who Have Gave Birth

Some women experience a temporary loss of hair soon after giving birth. The term for this condition is called “telogen effluvium”. What happens here is that during the 2nd and 3rd trimester, the hair follicles that a woman has stays in the “growing phase” longer than it should have. So instead of the hair going through the normal regeneration cycle and shedding like it's supposed to, the hair follicles remain active and do not fall to the wayside which results in extremely thick hair.

Many women enjoy this temporary burst of luxurious hair growth. Unfortunately, this hair growth is not permanent. Within 12 weeks after giving birth, the woman's hair follicles will go back into their normal growth cycle. This means that all of this extra thick hair that should have been shedding for the last few months, as everyone's hair sheds normally, will now begin to fall out at a rapid pace, and usually does so all at once. This condition is temporary and is merely the result of a woman's body bouncing back to its original state as it was before becoming pregnant.



Prevention
First and most importantly eat a healthy balanced diet. Your hair needs nutrition to grow and be healthy. Try to eat a diet rich in vitamins and minerals. If this is not possible, take a good multi-vitamin everyday that can provide you with the required daily allowance of vitamins and minerals.

Get plenty of exercise and plenty of sleep. Exercise increases the blood flow to every part of your body, including your scalp. Increased blood flow can nourish the hair follicles and keep them strong and healthy. Your whole body, including your scalp and hair needs rest to rejuvenate, so try to get at least eight hours of restful sleep each night.

Avoid hair treatments that can damage your hair. Frequent dyeing, hot curling irons, blow dryers, perms and frequent brushing or combing can all do damage to your hair and result in hair loss. Be gentle on your hair, using a soft bristled brush and letting it air dry whenever possible. Avoid vigorous combing when your hair is wet. It is more prone to breakage at this time.

If you notice excessive hair loss, see your doctor right away. Hair loss can be a sign of an underlying disease that needs treatment. Autoimmune diseases such as lupus can cause hair loss. Also disorders of the endocrine system, such as diabetes may cause you to lose your hair. Any type of hormone imbalance can be a big factor in hair loss also. It is important to find the cause of your hair loss and get treatment to prevent further hair loss and damage to other body organs.