How Stress Cause Hair Loss
Change in your hair texture and thickness over years is very common in a lot of people. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) indicates that for normal people, it is natural to shed from 50 to 100 hairs each day. Although it could be more in men than women, women could easily hide their shed. Because of their shed does not occur as men. Men experience hair loss as receding hairline or areal loss on the upper scalp. Their shed usually starts with M shape receding hairline and in time goes through baldness. Women, on the other hand, experience hair loss as thinning hair or loss at intervals mostly. In some cases, when they experience baldness, it could be a result of some medical disease. Of course, knowing all of these does not make hair loss easier. Especially you are the one whose hair gets thinner and sheds every day.
In the clinical literature, hair loss is known as alopecia. There are numerous kinds of alopecia. Both men and women might experience hair shedding at a certain point in their life span. Although different hair loss (alopecia) types could occur for disease-based, genetic, or allergic reasons, it could also reveal with stress. However, whether with stress or not, hair loss could be seen in anyone. It does not discriminate if you are rich, poor, famous, regular, men, or women. Statistics show that today more than 50 million men and 30 million women suffer from hair loss. As well as increased cosmetics such as biotin-based, keratin-based or medical products, the number of people who have hair transplants increased in past years. But it is not surprising to hear when hair transplant’s effectiveness is considered. A hair transplant is the only solution that offers you a permanent solution.
Types of Stress-Related Hair Loss
All types of hair loss do not stem from stress. In literature, there were three sorts of hair loss that are related to high-stress levels: telogen effluvium, alopecia areata, and trichotillomania. Let’s take a look at telogen effluvium.
In the process of hair growth, there are 4 cycles. Hair follicles follow these steps: Anagen (Growing Phase), Catagen (Transition Phase), Telogen (Resting Phase), and Exogen (New Hair Phase). All of these cycles complete in about 5 – 8 months. But in telogen effluvium (TE), a great amount of stress pushes thousands of hair follicles into a resting phase. In other words, the number of hair follicles in the growing hair area change. When it occurs, it results in shedding. In a few months, affected areas might fall out gradually when you brush, wash, or just laying your fingers around your head. But the thing is, people who are affected by telogen effluvium do not lose all of their hair. It is usually seen in patches, and they locate around the center of the upper head.
. But in some cases, which are likely to be considered as extreme, hairs in other parts of the body might get thinner. Beard, eyebrows, eyelashes, forearms, or even genital hairs could be given as an example of this kind of thinning. Dermatologists indicate that telogen effluvium is the second most common reason behind hair loss (the first one is male pattern alopecia). You can come across it at any age, either as women or men. Luckily, telogen effluvium is not a permanent condition. Its effect on hair follicles does not stay forever. TE may be the second most common type of hair loss seen by dermatologists. It can happen to men and women at any age. To refresh your hair, two of the best things you can do are eating healthy and taking care of yourself well, as well as voiding stressor factors.
Alopecia Areata and Stress
Another type of hair loss due to a high level of stress is alopecia areata (AA). Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition, which usually begins with sporadic patches in your head. It develops with attacks by your immune system to your hair follicles. Like telogen effluvium, it is not seen in only the scalp. It could be also seen in your body, so you would be unlikely to realize it. It occurs when specific types of T cells (NKG2D+ T cells) gather together and go through hair follicles. Then, this action harms hair follicles and they stop producing hair.
Hair might be lost in coin-shaped, round patches on the scalp (or in all scalp). Alopecia universalis is known as a more severe version of alopecia areata and once your current condition turns into alopecia universalis, you might lose hairs from your entire body. Like in telogen effluvium, the hair might grow again in a certain amount of time in alopecia areata as well. Statistics show that alopecia areata affects more than 6 million worldwide. There is no permanent cure that is effective enough. But experts say that some medications might be helpful for the body to regain its strength. Of course, it is essential to take care of yourself in this condition as well.
Trichotillomania and Stress
The final one is trichotillomania. It is also known as hair-pulling disorder. When you have trichotillomania, you feel a powerful urge to pull your hair out of your scalp, or sometimes other parts of your body. In some sources, it is indicated as an impulse control disorder. When you experience it, you might not realize that you have this condition. You might consider yourself as just get bored or distracted. In some cases, it could be intentional urges to get over stress and negative emotions. In other words, it could be a way of dealing with negative or unpleasant feelings like stress, tension, loneliness, depression, boredom, or frustration.
The most noticeable symptoms reveal in the scalp, eyebrows, and eyelashes. In addition to your possible current stress, once you realize it, it might be more stressful. It usually starts before puberty, or during puberty. And it could last a lifetime unless it is treated properly. To fix this condition, the best solution is, going to a dermatologist.
If you want to get more information, take a look at our website. You can find numerous information about hair loss, treatments, hair transplant, and before-after processes. You can also contact us with Whatsapp, telephone call, or email at https://www.tecnifue.com/.