Why is My Hair Falling Out?
In this article today, I would share with you some of my own experiences with hair loss, why does it happen, and what could be done to reduce the condition. I always wondered as to why is my hair falling out in the shower and all round the house, and so rapidly? Since I had no wish to carry a bald look, I was desperate to find out the causes, so that I can keep things from getting worse. Then after some extensive research, I did manage to learn about factors which cause hair loss.
Causes of Hair Loss
We shed about 50-100 strands of hair a day. This could be known as normal hair loss, which does not cause any significant problems, given the fact that there are about 100,000 hair in the scalp. However, when the rate at which hair sheds, exceeds that of the growth, there is a reason to worry about, as the eventual repercussion could be baldness.
Well, there are some specific types of hair loss, and each of these types have different causes. In my case, I was suffering from the condition known as traction alopecia. Thankfully, it is not a permanent hair-loss condition. The reason I developed this condition was my liking for fancy hairstyles; those which involved pulling the hair too tightly. This condition could have cost me permanent hair loss, if I had not stopped styling my hair before there was scarring alopecia, and permanent damage to the root.
Apart from the above one, there are other conditions as well. One of them is pattern baldness, clinically known as androgenetic alopecia. In this condition, hair strands do not remain thick and become more vulnerable to damage. The main cause of this condition is heredity.
Then there is another hair loss condition known as sicatricial alopecia. This is a permanent hair loss condition, wherein, inflammation causes the hair follicles to suffer scarring and extreme damage. Now, what causes this inflammation is still not ascertained.
Alopecia areata is a condition, the causes of which is also unknown. When a person is affected by this condition, he does experience growth of hair. However, he may lose it again and regrow it, for a number of times. This condition is classified as an autoimmune disease, and has some linkage with heredity factors.
Hair falling out in clumps is this hair loss condition wherein, the hair roots go into a state of shock, which make them take a resting session for a month of two. After this period, the roots end their hibernation and new hair begins to grow. This condition is known as telogen effluvium, and it is triggered when the body is hit by certain kinds of physical or emotional stress. Common examples include high fever, extreme weight loss, nutritional deficiencies, stress in the family, etc.
Some other causes of hair fall may include:
- Medication side effects
- Inadequate nutrition
- Treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, etc.
- Hormone imbalances
- Infection of the scalp
- Trichotillomania (an irresistible urge to pullout your own hair)
- Diseases such as diabetes, and lupus.
It is to be known that temporary and permanent hair loss, have no cure. However, there are methods which help in a hair regrowth, and hide hair loss. The treatment involves the use of medication (which depends upon the type and severity of hair loss), surgical procedures (for covering loss grounds), and use of wigs or hairpieces (for cases which do not respond to other hair fall treatment methods).
As far as the prevention goes, a balanced-diet is a must, and so does the avoidance of hairstyles which involve a lot of pulling, twisting or rubbing of the hair. Also, it is important to go for the right hair care products. Take care!
