Common causes of hairloss
What causes hair loss?
Alopecia, the medical term for all forms of hair loss, is a condition affecting millions of people worldwide. Some common causes of hair loss vary from genetic factors to lifestyle choices. Addressing the issue and seeking appropriate treatments is essential to preventing further hair loss, and understanding the various causes of hair loss is crucial and time-sensitive.
Genetics, hormonal changes, medical conditions, stress and trauma, nutritional deficiencies, medications and treatments, autoimmune conditions, infections and scalp conditions, aging, chemical treatments and hair styling, and environmental factors can all cause hair loss of one kind or another.
A poor diet lacking essential nutrients can lead to alopecia. Ensuring a balanced diet with adequate nutrients can help maintain healthy hair follicles, and as a result, healthy hair.
Medications such as blood thinners, anti-depressants, sleep-aides, and blood pressure medications can lead to hair loss. Cancer-fighting drugs like chemotherapy are a very well-known cause of hair loss.
Autoimmune conditions can be linked to gene expression and triggered by environmental factors such as exposures to emf's, toxic metals, radiation, and hydrocarbons. Other environmental factors such as toxins and pollutants leading to oxidative stress negatively affect hair health.
Stress and trauma can also trigger telogen effluvium, a condition that shocks the follicles into the shedding phase of hair's natural growth cycle, which leads to an excessive and rapid diffused form of hair loss. TE can also be caused by pregnancy and the sudden shift in hormones associated with it. In time, this form of alopecia typically resolves on its own once the system regains balance. However, it can take from six months to a year for it to completely resolve. Often times, the condition is prolonged due to vitamin and mineral deficiencies that require a change in diet and lifestyle.
Illnesses accompanied by prolonged fever can also lead to telogen effluvium. Once again, a shock to the system can disrupt the normal hair cycle, causing premature shedding. It is good to remember the natural growth cycle will resume, which means those hairs that started growing at the same time will reach the end of their natural growth cycle at the same time. Therefore, shedding may occur once again in two to three years, whatever the growth cycle duration is. Don't be alarmed when this happens. It just indicates the cycle is back to normal.
