Common Causes Of Hair Loss
Have you noticed your hair is thinning, your hairline is receding, or an excessive amount of hair falls out while brushing or showering? If yes, you’re likely suffering from hair loss, also called alopecia.
While some hair loss is normal, excessive hair loss can cause feelings of self-consciousness. If you’re concerned about hair loss, you need to visit a dermatologist who will determine the cause and explore possible treatments.
But to help you narrow down the possible causes of your hair loss, we’ve listed the most common causes below.
Heredity
Genetics can play a significant role in determining whether or not an individual will experience hair loss over time. The condition, known as androgenetic alopecia, is inherited from one’s parents and is the leading cause of hair loss in both men and women.
Essentially, androgenetic alopecia is caused by a combination of genetic and hormonal factors that cause hair follicles to shrink over time, causing male-pattern baldness or female-pattern baldness. Seek treatment early to learn how you can slow down or even reverse hair loss caused by genetics.
Hormonal Changes
Hormones play a crucial role in regulating our bodily functions, including hair growth. When certain hormones, such as testosterone or estrogen, are imbalanced, it can lead to hair loss. Hormonal imbalance can happen due to some reasons like pregnancy, childbirth, menopause or hormonal imbalances in thyroid glands.
Understanding the underlying causes of hormonal changes and their effects on hair growth is essential for developing effective treatments for hair loss. Thus, visit a dermatologist for early intervention and proper treatment to manage hair loss.
Stress
Loss of a loved one, divorce, financial problems or other stressful life events can disrupt the normal hair growth cycle. Such stress can cause telogen effluvium, the specific type of hair loss often associated with stress. Telogen effluvium occurs when there is a shift in the hair growth cycle, causing more hairs to enter the resting phase and fall out prematurely.
While telogen effluvium can be uncomfortable, reducing stress levels can help prevent and treat this condition. If you’re experiencing this kind of hair loss, consider stress management techniques, like exercise, meditation, and deep breathing exercises to promote better hair health and prevent hair loss.
Alopecia Areata
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss on the scalp, face, and other body parts. The immune system attacks the hair follicles, which results in hair falling out in small patches on the scalp. In more severe cases, alopecia areata can lead to complete hair loss, including eyebrow and eyelash hair.
Treatment for alopecia areata may include medications to stimulate hair growth and options such as hair transplants or scalp micro pigmentation for those who experience more extensive hair loss.
Chemotherapy and Radiation
Chemotherapy drugs attack rapidly dividing cells to prevent cancer cells from spreading or forming tumors. However, since hair follicles also develop rapidly, chemotherapy often affects them. When these healthy cells are damaged, it can lead to hair loss.
Also, while radiation therapy can effectively eliminate cancer cells, the treatment can cause hair loss. This therapy causes hair loss by damaging the hair follicles responsible for hair growth. As a result, hair may fall out completely or become thinner and more brittle.
Hair loss is usually a temporary side effect of these cancer treatment methods, and hair growth typically resumes within a few months after treatment ends.
If you’re experiencing hair loss not caused by chemotherapy, you need to find a reputable dermatologist who will diagnose the underlying cause and recommend the potential treatment options for the hair loss. At East Carolina Dermatology and Skin Surgery, PLLC, we’re ready to help you if your hair is falling out. Contact us today for quality medical or cosmetic dermatologist services.