How To Stop And Reduce Hair Fall – 5 Things That Worked For Me

How To Stop And Reduce Hair Fall – 14 Things That Worked For Me

Who hasn’t had a hair loss scare? All of us, at some point, start to fear that we might be losing too much hair. While most of the time it’s just a false alarm, and our hair’s routine shedding, in some cases, it is more than that. But what could be causing the unexpected hair loss?

If you have been experiencing hair fall, and have reason to believe that it’s not just your shedding cycle, the first thing to do would be to find out what’s causing the problem. But first, let’s dismiss some common myths concerning hair fall, discuss how hair growth works, and why hair fall occurs

1. Myths Concerning Hair Fall

.

Myth 1- Only Men Are Affected By Balding

Let me make this very clear: Experiencing hair loss doesn’t indicate that there is something wrong with one of your ‘X’ chromosomes. It is actually pretty common for women to experience hair fall. In fact, 40% of women are affected by hair loss at some point in their lives.

Myth 2- Washing Your Hair Too Often Is The Problem

The next time someone gives you this little piece of unwanted advice, please feel free to laugh at them. Granted, washing your hair more than thrice a week is a bit excessive, but it does not cause hair loss.

Myth 3- Brushing = Balding

No, brushing does NOT make you bald. I mean, unless you are yanking the hair right out of your skull with a brush, this isn’t a thing. However, brushing your hair when it is wet is a big no-no as this causes breakage.

Myth 4- Coloring And Hair Treatments Will Lead To Hair Loss

What’s the point of having hair if you can’t have fun with it? As long as you go about it the right way and avoid over processing, you’re good. However, there are certain hair treatments that list hair fall as a possible side effect, so it is always a good idea to do your research before you opt for an extreme treatment.

Myth 5- Shaving Your Head Will Fix The Problem

Shave your head if you please. But if you’re expecting your hair to be thicker when it grows, you will be disappointed.

While the little things do matter, hair fall is often the result of a bigger problem. To understand why you are losing hair, you need to first understand how hair growth works. I’m not going to give you a biology lesson, but here’s a little bit of information that can help you understand the problem better:

2. Hair Growth – The Stages

Have you ever wondered why your hair does not grow past one point no matter how much you try? This is because, contrary to popular belief, your hair has a life cycle of 3-5 years after which it falls out to let a new hair grow in its place.

Stage 1: Anagen

This is the phase when the hair grows out from the follicles, and the shaft is continuously constructed, increasing the length of your hair. This phase can last for 2-6 years.

Stage 2: Catagen

In this phase, your hair prepares to go into resting. This stage can last for about 2 weeks.

Stage 3: Telogen

The last phase is the resting phase wherein the hair stops growing and eventually falls out to let a new hair replace it. This phase lasts for about 5-6 weeks.

10-20% of your hair is always in resting at any given time. Hair loss occurs when your hair falls out without completing this 3 stage cycle. The hair loss becomes permanent when the follicle stops producing hair, leading to balding. There are two types of hair fall that can lead to balding; keep reading to find out what they are.

3. Patterns Of Hair Fall – Types Of Hair Loss

Pattern 1: Telogen Effluvium

If you have been experiencing loss of hair from all over your scalp and body, it is likely that you have Telogen Effluvium.

Telogen Effluvium occurs when more than 20% of your follicles suddenly go into the telogen phase, decreasing the number of follicles that are actively growing hair. This results in the loss of volume and, eventually, balding.

Pattern 2: Androgenic Alopecia

This condition is more commonly known as female pattern baldness and is hormonal. Hair starts to fall off when the male sex hormone testosterone is converted into dihydrotestosterone and starts to attack the hair follicles, rendering them useless and curbing hair growth.

Female pattern baldness is strikingly different from the male pattern baldness. The primary symptoms of female pattern baldness include the following:

·         Hair thinning in female pattern baldness is observed mainly on the top and the crown area. Balding starts with the widening of the center hair part.

·         The front hairline remains unaffected in most patients.

·         The hair loss may be acute, but it does not lead to complete or near total baldness, as it does in men

·         More hair loss observed during showers and while brushing your hair.

4. What Causes Hair Fall?

Causes of hair fall vary from person to person. While in some cases external factors might be responsible, issues such as some serious medical conditions, lack of nutrition and heredity are also leading causes of baldness in most patients. Check out some of the top factors that might cause premature hair loss in women.

a. Hereditary Factors

Baldness is often passed down through genes. If your parents have a hair loss problem, it is likely that you will as well. While this is more evident in men, women too suffer from genetically inherited alopecia.

b. Hormonal Changes

Hormonal changes in the body increase the sensitivity of hair follicles, weaken hair roots, and cause excess hair fall. Menopause, ovarian cyst, hypothyroid, hyperthyroid, etc., bring about changes in your body’s hormonal balance, which eventually leads to hair loss.

c. Pregnancy

I

Most women, during, and post pregnancy, experience frequent dehydration, fatigue, and hormonal imbalance. This causes increased sensitivity in the hair follicles. It also creates unfavorable scalp conditions. All of these factors together lead to chronic hair fall.

d. Physical And Mental Stress

Persistent illness, drastic and excessive weight loss, and extreme physical labor can cause the body to get dehydrated and exhausted. This can make the hair follicles undernourished and weak, and cause rapid hair loss.

e. Scalp Infection

Fungal, bacterial, and viral infections like seborrhea dermatitis and psoriasis in the scalp can weaken the roots and damage hair follicles, thereby causing thinning, breakage, and hair fall.

f. Alopecia Areata

This is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system mistakes hair for a foreign contaminant and starts attacking the hair follicles, causing hair loss. There is no cure for this condition and 10% of the people who have it suffer from permanent hair loss.

i. Medication And Treatments

Certain medical conditions call for treatments and surgeries that help to cure the ailment. While these treat your condition, the side effects of the treatments can often damage the hair follicles and cause rapid hair fall. Treatments like chemotherapy to treat cancer, steroids, and medication for typhoid, heart diseases, depression, etc. are known to be responsible for extreme hair fall to the extent of causing baldness. Here’s a list of drugs that list hair loss as a possible side effect:

1.   Anticoagulants

2.   Diet pills

3.   Birth control pills

4.   Thyroid medicines

5.    Aspirin and other types of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

6.   Aleve or ibuprofen

7.   Gemfibrozil, clofibrate, and other cholesterol medicines

8.   Ulcer medications such as ranitidine, famotidine, etc.

j. Thyroid Disorders

Thyroid disorders and anti-thyroid medication almost always lead to hair loss. The hair looks sparse and the hair loss is evenly distributed all over the scalp. Successful treatment often leads to the hair growing back, but in some cases the hair loss is permanent.

k. Overprocessing And Styling

While everyone wants their hair to look on point all the time, going overboard with chemical hair treatments and hot styling tools can lead to hair fall.

l. Iron Deficiency, Anemia, And Blood Loss

Deficiency of red blood cells in the body, sudden loss of blood, and insufficient iron levels in the body cause not only fatigue, weakness, and headaches, but also hair loss.