Hair fall out is a stressing issue for men and women. This article discusses about the causes and treatment by answering the question “Is Hair Loss Normal?”.
What is Hair Fall?
Millions of Americans are struggling with hair loss. It is estimated that one out of every 9 women and one out of every 6 men suffer from hair loss in the US.
Hair Loss is the loss of hair from the scalp after it has grown. It comes in three forms:
- Baldness or thinning of hair
- Female pattern baldness (also known as Androgenic Alopecia)
- Scaliness
Hair Loss Causes
Hair loss can be caused by a number of factors such as, but not limited to the following reasons:
Top 6 Hair Fall Out Causes
1. Genetics
The most common genetic cause for hair loss is Androgenetic Alopecia, also known as male pattern baldness. Androgenetic Alopecia affects about 50% of men in the United States and 30% of women, with an onset in the mid-fifties years.
Sometimes diseases passes from parent to child, so if you have a family history of hair fall, then you may want to look into treatments aimed at controlling the disease.
2. Hormonal Imbalances
Hormonal imbalances can cause thinning hair, increased hair fall, and other issues such as acne or periods becoming irregular.
Testosterone and estrogen hormones are found in male and female bodies, but produced in different values in respect to the gender. Testosterone is a male hormone that plays a very important role in the hair growth cycle.
Low testosterone level leads to baldness in men, in addition to causing low libido, low energy, weight gain and loss of muscle mass.
When we are young, our brains produce a natural level of estrogen, a female hormone, which triggers the hair follicles and helps us grow hair. As we age, our hormonal production slowly declines, triggering older people to experience hair loss.
Your diet can have an impact on which hormones you produce as well.
If you eat too much sugar or carbohydrates (bread, pasta), your insulin levels will spike and decrease testosterone. This will cause your testosterone levels to drop and leave you with less testosterone, which can lead to increased male pattern baldness.
Hair loss is also caused by the natural perimenopause in women, and hormonal imbalances will only exacerbate it. As such, make sure you get your estrogen levels checked before you start an intense regimen of hair re-growth products!
3. Diet or Nutritional Deficiencies
According to the Mayo Clinic, poor diet and lack of sleep are just as much a contributor as genetics in hair fall!
Poor diet can definitely cause hair loss, especially if you’re also on medications that are known to interact with certain foods (or if you’re not getting enough nutrients at all).
For example, some people might experience weight gain or difficulty sleeping when taking certain diabetes medications, which could lead to additional stress levels that could make your hair fall out.
The best way to prevent hair fall is to eat health foods and to avoid foods that lead to nutritional deficiencies in our bodies. This includes white flour, processed food, refined sugar, and MSG.
When the body doesn’t get the proper vitamins and minerals it can’t produce the proteins required for maintaining healthy hair and scalp.
4. Lifestyle and Habits
There are a few lifestyle choices that can do damage to your hair, such as using an electric shaver or other devices. You should also be careful about the type and amount of shampoo you use.
If you are experiencing hair loss, you should look into your lifestyle and make necessary changes in your daily routine so that the shedding stops.
Here are few lifestyle tips that will improve the health of your hair:
1. Stop Dyeing Your Hair
The chemicals in permanent dyes are toxic, and hair dyes contain carcinogens that can cause cancer.
2. Quit Smoking
Quitting smoking is probably the single best thing you can do for your health.
3. Exercise
Exercise boosts your mood, reduces stress and improves the flow of blood which delivers nutrients to your hair through your scalp.
4. Drink Fruit Juice
Juicing at least three times a week (for a variety of reasons). The enzymes in fruits and vegetables act as anti-oxidants that cleanse the body naturally; more important though is that juicing increases absorption of nutrients from dietary sources.
5. Reduce Stress
Hair loss and stress goes hand in hand. How? When you are stressed, your endocrine system malfunctions (your adrenal gland secretes too much adrenaline) and cortisol levels increase.
Cortisol is a hormone that stimulates the production of DHT (Dihydrotestosterone – hormone that stimulates the development of male characteristics) found in both men and women.
The more cortisol you have in your body, the more DHT building up, which causes hair loss.
If DHT is not enough, there is also estrogen that is released with stress, causing some women to develop male pattern baldness. In order for the hair to grow back, you need to relax your scalp muscles, so that the blood flow is restored to the area where new hair will be produced.
5. Medications
Hair loss can happen for many reasons, but one of the most common causes are medications and hormonal changes.
Medications that can cause hair loss include antidepressants, birth control pills, chemotherapeutic agents, or anti-Parkinson drugs.
Some medications that are commonly prescribed to people with Alopecia are also known to cause hair fall such as anti-psychotic medications.
Hair loss due to medications is a common side effect. These medications often cause hair loss in the crown area, which can be quite noticeable. This is usually temporary and should not cause any permanent damage.
Make sure you are taking a drug that’s not associated with hair fall before you take anything else. If you are experiencing this as a result of medication, speak with your doctor about what options exist for you.
6. Medical Condition
Here are the top illnesses that cause hair fall:
1. Alopecia Areata
Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune disorder (one in which the immune system attacks healthy cells in the body). When this occurs, there is a strong chance that you will lose your hair due to the inflammation of the scalp and inflammation of the follicles inside them.
It usually takes years before the affected areas start to look balding and then they may undergo complete loss of hair within months or years after losing it slowly over time.
2. Cancer
Chemotherapy can cause hair fall. If you have had cancer then it is likely that your hair may suffer some damage as a consequence from chemotherapy and other medications.
Your hair loss could be caused by the treatment you are undergoing, resulting in a temporary thinning of hair, or permanent hair loss.
It is important to find out from your doctor what type of cancer you have, the treatment for it and how this may affect your hair.
Why Hair Fall Out in Chemotherapy?
Hair loss is common in chemotherapy cancer patients and usually seen only on top of head, from the front side. It’s a normal side effect of treatment and will go away after treatment is completed.
Hair fall during chemotherapy can be related to many factors like the type of chemotherapy, and how long it has been since the last time a patient had chemotherapy.
Your doctor will provide important information about how to handle this issue.
3. Thyroid
When a person has sudden hair fall, it is sometimes due to something called thyroid disease, which is when the thyroid gland produces too little hormonal hormone thyroxine.
The thyroid gland produces hormones that control your metabolism, and a disrupted or unbalanced production can lead to this medical problem. High thyroid levels can cause hair shedding, which is why women taking thyroid medication tend to have more hair.
4. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a syndrome of the ovaries and hormones, in which the hormonal balance is altered because of a genetic variation or due to excessive insulin production.
The issue of hair fall from PCOS is a common problem in women that has been well-researched by scientists.
5. Anemia
Anemia is a blood loss condition. Anemia may cause hair loss, but in a minority of cases. Anemia is caused by iron deficiency, which results in hair fall, paleness and fatigue.
6. Radiation or Chemical Exposure
Chemical exposure, radiation causes DNA damage and mutations in the hair follicle and then you can get folliculitis (hair follicle becomes inflamed), which leads to long-term health issue or permanent damage to the hair follicle.
A lot of people have had hair loss due to adverse reactions to radiation, cancer treatment and chemotherapy. It is a very common side effect.
The sudden effects can last for many months or years after the event. This side effect is caused by a combination of direct exposure from radiation and an indirect toxic reaction to the drugs used during therapy.
7. Aging
The typical cause of hair shedding is the aging process. It is estimated that 85% of women will experience significant hair thinning by the age of 60 while 80% of men will be bald by the same age.
As we age, our hair follicles produce less and less of our natural keratin protein which causes it to weaken and break off. Therefore, it’s important that you watch your diet and to take a good care of your physical and mental health.
Table Summary of The Main Hair Fall Out Causes:
Top Hair Loss Causes | Genetics, Hormonal Imbalances, Diet or Nutritional Deficiencies, Lifestyle and Habits, Medications, Medical Condition, Radiation or Chemical Exposure, Aging. |
Hair Fall Out Diagnosis
The best way to begin the process of diagnosing whether or not hair shedding is a normal occurrence for you is to visit your dermatologist.
They will ask some questions about your general health history and lifestyle to help determine whether or not there are any underlying health issues that may be responsible for the hair fall.
Hair fall diagnosis will include:
- Thorough medical history review
- Physical scalp examination
- Blood sample taking
- Scalp biopsy, where sample of the skin is taken and examined
- Hair pulling to decide on the level of hair loss severity
- Examining the hair’s health under the microscope
Hair Fall Treatment
Hair loss treatment has become more available, affordable, faster and simpler due to the advancement in technology and medicine. While most of the treatments may treat or slow down the hair loss, however, not all cases are curable.
Best Hair Fall Treatment Options
After the diagnosis of your hair’s health by your dermatologist, the course of treatment is then advised. Here are the best hair fall treatment for men and women:
1. Medication
The most popular hair loss medication is Rogaine (Minoxidil). If you are suffering from hair loss, you might be wondering what is the best choice for you to treat your condition and get back some of your hair.
The main reason people suffer from hair loss is because of aging and genetics, so there’s not much that can be done to stop it. But there are ways that one can reduce the symptoms of hair loss by using the appropriate medications.
Rogaine is an over the counter topical form of Minoxidil which promotes hair growth in both men and women. Minoxidil works by increasing the diameter of hair follicles and producing more hair.
After few months the results are usually noticeable, but it might take a year before full benefit can be seen. Scalp irritation is one of the most side effects reported by the people who used Rogaine.
2. Hair Transplant
Hair transplant is a surgical procedure to restore hair loss. The process of hair growth involves three stages:
- First Stage: Removal of the damaged hair follicle.
- Second Stage: Transplant the follicles into the bald area.
- Third Stage: Grafting in long hairs.
The procedure Hair transplantation is performed as an outpatient surgery under local anesthesia. Your doctor will numbed your scalp with a topical cream or lotion, and then use tiny needles to remove damaged hair follicles from your head during the first step.
While you are under anesthesia, he will extract about 350 hairs from each side of your head and inject them into donor areas. You will experience a mild pain during this step.
3. Laser Treatment
Laser treatment is used for the treatment of hair loss and for the improvement of hair growth. The laser light specifically targets the follicles. It is a safe and non-invasive medical procedure that can be performed by your doctor or through a few visits to the laser center.
Laser treatment is ideal for people with age-related hair loss, but can also treat baldness in men. It is also beneficial in treating Alopecia Areata, scarring from burns, skin discoloration and other conditions where there are not enough hairs present to cover the area.
It’s important to now that laser treatment is not recommended for women who are pregnant or planning on getting pregnant because it could harm developing fetus.
Which Vitamin Deficiency Causes Hair Fall?
Folic acid deficiency can cause hair loss, but this is rare. It is more common that a lack of iron will exacerbate hair loss, which is why iron supplements are recommended for women after the menopause if they experience thinning or brittle hair.
Folic acid is a vitamin that helps with the prevention of hair loss. Some studies have shown that folic acid can help protect against hair loss by slowing down hair graying and hair thinning.
One of the most important aspects of hair growth is getting enough iron in your body. Iron is found in red meat, organ meats and fish.
When you don’t have enough iron, the amount of oxygen available decreases which can prevent new cells from forming. It’s a supply-and-demand issue; so it’s essential to get an adequate amount every day.
Luckily, there are many ways to increase your iron levels naturally without taking supplements!
Now we have learned all about hair loss causes, diagnosis and treatment… so, the big question is:
Is Hair Loss Normal?
Yes, it’s normal. The majority of people lose hair during the aging process. The rate varies depending on genetics and diet.
There are many causes of hair loss that can lead to thinning or balding, however, there is no reason that losing hair becomes permanent unless due to genetics, medical issue or after an injury or trauma.
If you notice any unusual hair loss, please consult with a doctor immediately.
Hair Fall Out Keto
Hair loss keto is a diet recommended for those who are trying to lose weight. It restricts your food intake and eliminates most carbohydrates from the diet. This includes sugar, pasta, bread, cake, and many more high-carb foods.
By cutting this out of your diet due to hair loss keto, the body will release ketones into the bloodstream which can prevent hair loss associated with aging.
Hair Fall Best Shampoo
Few number of hair loss shampoo is proven to be effective, but some contain ingredients that can help. According to WebMD, you need to avoid shampoos that contains sulfur, caffeine, herbs and advertised with “hair thickening effect” in its ingredients.
Speak with your dermatologist in regards to the keto and to recommend the best hair loss shampoo in respect to your condition.
Hair Fall Near Me
Finding a Hair Fall Clinic Near Me
The simplest way to look for a hair loss dermatologist clinic near you is to utilize Google Maps or Apple Maps mobile application or through your desktop computer and to tryout these search phrases:
“hair fall clinic near me” or “hair loss clinic near me“
Then sort the search results by distance to ensure finding the closest clinic to your location. Finally, check the customers reviews in order to select a clinic with the highest positive rating.
Final Thoughts
Hair loss is normal, there are many causes and available treatments. Hair loss can be a serious issue though. Most hair loss is temporary and will resolve on its own. Sometimes, however, hair loss may be due to genetic, trauma or medical causes that require further hair loss cure.
The most important thing to look for when trying to determine the cause of your hair loss is if there has been any change in how you look and feel. If you notice changes in the texture or color of your hair, for example, then it may be due to a medical condition.
Dietary supplements rarely provide any benefit and in some cases may lead to other symptoms. A doctor can assist you with hair loss diagnosis and treatment options that are specific to your medical condition.
If your hair is falling out faster than it can grow, then you should first consider going to a dermatologist to diagnose and advise on the best hair loss treatment.
The best way to prevent hair loss is to follow a balanced diet, enjoy a healthy lifestyle, drink enough water, avoid stress, sleep well, avoid harmful substances, and exercise regularly!
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