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When to Be Concerned About Temporary Hair Loss

Hair Growth Cycle

It is completely normal for everyone to lose hair on a daily basis as the hair follicles go through their normal growth cycle that is made up of three stages: the anagen phase (growth phase), catagen phase (shedding phase), and telogen phase (resting phase). But when should you be concerned about temporary hair loss?

A full hair growth cycle will in most cases take years to complete. Every hair follicle goes through the complete cycle at least 10 to 20 times throughout a normal human lifespan. In most cases, roughly 1% or less of the hair follicles that are located on the scalp are in their shedding phase, which happens when the new telogen (growth) phase starts.

The average number of hairs lost every day that is considered a normal amount is somewhere between 60 and 100 hairs. If you are noticing that you are losing more than 100 hairs per day, it may indicate an abnormal shift in your hair growth cycle. Each hair follicle is an independent unit. It is not working in coordination with the neighbouring follicles, but is responding to the same growth pattern signals that the other follicles are responding to.

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What Is Androgenetic Alopecia?

Most people will be able to recognize a drastic change in their usual hair growth cycle by seeing more hairs on their pillow or in the shower. Hair loss caused by a normal hair growth cycle is only temporary, and the hair that falls out is replaced by new growth from hair follicles that transition from the telogen (resting) phase into the anagen (growth) phase.

If you do start to notice an unusually large number of fallen hairs beginning to show up while grooming or on your pillow or clothing, then the “temporary” nature of this hair loss may be questionable, and you should seek professional advice.

This advanced hair loss can be especially stressful for men or women who have relatives who are also suffering from hair loss. Androgenetic alopecia (male/female pattern baldness) is a hereditary and genetic form of hair loss. A patient who knows that they have a family history of androgenetic alopecia may begin to worry about the daily loss of significant and noticeable hair. While a patient who has male/female pattern hair loss in their family is at a higher level of risk for androgenetic alopecia, a patient cannot immediately be certain that the observed hair loss is an initial sign of pattern hair loss. In fact, most patients do not even start to notice hair shedding until they have already lost enough hair that they notice their hair thinning on the top of the scalp.

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When to Be Concerned About Temporary Hair Loss

Hair Restoration Treatment

Androgenetic alopecia is known to be linked to genetics. However, the patterns of genetic inheritance have not been completely determined. A patient may be a carrier of the gene or genes that are linked to androgenetic alopecia, but that doesn’t guarantee that they too will suffer from hair loss. If a patient is losing hair directly from the top of the scalp at a significant rate, chances are that it is directly caused by androgenetic alopecia.

A patient who is losing a significant amount of hair on the top of the scalp does not have to wait for confirmation of substantial permanent hair loss before they seek the advice of a specialist or begin hair restoration treatment. If you are experiencing any type of significant hair loss, you should make a consultation with a hair restoration specialist. They will be able to diagnose the cause of hair loss and also recommend a hair restoration treatment plan to slow or restore hair loss at any stage.

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