Temporary Hair Loss
Some form of hair loss affects every single person in the world. From the day we are born until the day we die, we will all lose some hair. Some people just lose more and faster. Hair follicles all go through a cyclic activity of the growth stage called the anagen phase, hair is lost in the shedding phase (called the catagen phase), and the follicle rests for a while with no hair growth in the telogen phase.
The full cycle of all three of these stages can take years to fully complete. For most people, the average follicle will go through this cycle 10 to 20 times over the normal course of a lifetime. Most common hair loss happens when roughly 1% of the total amount of follicles on your head reach the shedding phase. A full head of hair will commonly lose upwards of 100 hairs per day. It is not normal if you are noticing that you’re shedding more than 100 hairs per day. This is an indication that something may be causing hair loss.
If you are noticing large amounts of hair on your pillow or in the shower, it might be time to consider the possibility of a higher level of hair loss. This also is the first indicator that the hair loss is not part of the natural anagen-catagen-telogen phase and may not just be a typical and temporary hair loss.
A person who knows that they have some family history of hair loss should also pay close attention to these indicators. Androgenic alopecia (also called pattern baldness) is the most common form of hair loss and is hereditary. Most people will have already lost 40% to 50% of their hair by the time they even realize that it is gone to a point where it is noticeable.
It is important to seek the advice of a professional sooner rather than later. Keeping the hair that you already have is easier and far more important than a hair transplant to replace the hair that you have lost.
A hair restoration specialist will also be able to assess whether your hair loss is only temporary and therefore put you on a plan to correct what is causing this temporary hair loss.
Some Causes Of Temporary Hair Loss Are:
Hypothyroidism – Treating the deficiency of the thyroid hormone will reverse this type of hair loss. Low iron can also cause hair loss and can be treated in the same way.
Hormonal changes in women – Women will sometimes experience a form of shock loss after pregnancy called telogen effluvium. This basically just means that an increased amount of follicles will enter into the catagen and telogen phase at the same time and cause noticeable hair loss but will start to grow back on its own as soon as the body evens itself out again.
Extreme stress – This can be caused by both emotional stress as well as extreme physical stress. Things like a death of a close family member or a divorce can cause hair loss. But typically the more common stressors are things like chemotherapy, high fever, or a horribly traumatic event.
Some hair loss is only temporary and can be reversed. But it is important to seek the advice of a professional and have a suitable hair restoration plan for your condition.
