Many people may struggle with hair loss at some point in their lives. Thin hair can be challenging and cause embarrassment, but it is possible to deal with this issue. The first step in choosing an effective treatment for hair loss is determining what is causing it.
Hormonal shifts, scalp infections, drugs, and genetics play a role in hair thinning, affecting many people. Several factors, including stress, an unhealthy diet, and an unhealthy way of life, can bring on hair thinning.
This article will go through the causes and treatment options for thinning hair and how to manage it.
Causes of Thinning Hair and Treatment
1. Hereditary Hair Loss
This is the most prevalent cause of hair loss in both sexes. Male-pattern baldness is a condition unique to men. Women experience a typical kind of hair loss known as female pattern baldness. Regardless of whether it develops in a male or woman, the medical term is androgenic alopecia.
A confluence of genetic and hormonal factors causes hereditary hair loss. Driven by an increased sensitivity of hair follicles to dihydrotestosterone (DHT).
Because of its binding with hair follicle receptors, DHT causes hair follicles to atrophy and stop generating hair. As they shrink, the hair follicles lose their ability to nurture a new hair shaft.
Consult a doctor specializing in hair restoration procedures, including hair transplants and scalp micro pigmentation. Even though it may take a few months for the hair transplant results or similar treatment to become visible, we recommend the procedure.
2. Alopecia Areata
Alopecia areata is a disorder that causes bald spots to appear on the scalp or elsewhere on the body. These spots could join, drawing more attention to themselves.
Alopecia areata occurs when immune system cells cluster around and destroy hair follicles. When a hair follicle is attacked in this way, the hair linked to it will fall out. As the immune system targets more hair follicles, more hair loss will occur.
Alopecia areata can affect anyone at any time. There is no racial or ethnic group that is immune to this; it affects both men and women. Although it can manifest at any age, most cases occur in the person’s twenties and thirties.
Alopecia Areata can be treated with several medications, including topical and oral corticosteroids and immunotherapy. Sometimes hair will grow back without any intervention at all. A dermatologist is an ideal person to ask for advice on treatment options.
You can also consider wearing human hair wigs to cover up your balding spots, as any treatment option can take months.
3. Stress
While some degree of stress is inevitable, excessive amounts of stress for prolonged periods of time can harm physical and mental health. Loss of hair, also known as alopecia, is a frequent reaction to long emotional or physical strain.
Both mental and emotional strain can lead to hair loss, which can devastate a person’s sense of self-worth and confidence. The body stops allocating resources toward activities like hair growth when it’s under stress. The hair may thin and fall out altogether as a result.
Hair goes through a multi-step process, beginning at the follicle, continuing until it reaches its entire length, and then breaking off to start the process again. Hair grows, falls out, and is replaced in the hair growth cycle. New hair is produced, and the old hair is shed during growth.
Stress can disrupt this cycle, resulting in a shorter development period and less hair production. The hair may weaken and eventually fall out as a result. On top of that, hair thinning can cause additional stress, which can be challenging to deal with.
Stress-related hair loss can be treated by eliminating the source of stress and learning to live with it. Other options include trying to get adequate sleep, exercising or going to a yoga class.
4. Protein Deficiency
Every cell, tissue, and organ relies on protein to function correctly. The human body is mostly water and protein. Protein, the most essential macronutrient, has multiple functions in these processes.
Amino acid bonds are the building blocks of proteins. The proteins our bodies produce aren’t enough, so we need to get more of the ones vital to survival from the food we eat.
Hair loss can sometimes be brought on by a lack of protein in the diet. Protein deficiency can occur in those with aberrant eating habits or who follow crash diets that severely limit their protein intake.
When this occurs, the resting phase is activated for growing hairs, which helps the body conserve protein. Usually, around the second or third month, you may notice more hair falling out than usual.
Other issues with your hair, such as thinning or breakage, may result from a lack of protein in your diet. Breakage and split end result from hair that has gotten very dry and brittle. You risk hair loss if you don’t get enough protein in your diet.
It is possible to correct protein deficiency by eating more protein. Meat, eggs, and dairy products are excellent protein sources, so eating more at each meal and as a snack will help to fix your protein deficiency.
5. Post Childbirth
Hair thinning or loss is expected in the postpartum period, typically starting around the third month after giving birth and continuing for up to six months. It’s natural during pregnancy and won’t last forever. In most cases, hair will regrow to its total thickness.
The hormone surge during pregnancy is the principal culprit in causing postpartum alopecia. Hair follicles are influenced by the increased levels of estrogen and progesterone that occur at this time.
Hormones prolong the growth phase of hair follicles, which causes hair to thicken and lengthen. Reduced production of these hormones after giving birth causes hair follicles to enter the resting phase before their natural time.
As a result, there will be significant hair loss, and new hair growth will slow down. The good news is that you don’t need to take any action to stop the excessive shedding.
Final Words
Hair loss can be frustrating and upsetting, but there are various reasons that it happens and ways to remedy it. Treatment options for hair loss range from modifying one’s daily routine to visiting a specialist.
A consultation with your doctor should help you figure out a few things. However, in the meantime, you should educate yourself and take preventative actions to keep your hair healthy.