If there is a hair fall, can we call him a hair loss problem? No, Before understanding the main cause of hair loss, we need to know what is hair loss.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), a healthy human head has an average of 100,000 hairs, and an average of 50-100 hairs fall out every day. Not only that, new hair grows on our heads constantly. That is, hair naturally cycles through periods of growth, rest, shedding, and regrowth. So we cannot call normal hair loss a hair loss problem.
However, if for some reason more than 100 hairs fall out every day, and normal hair growth is disrupted, and also new hair does not grow. That is, if the normal cycle of hair is disrupted, this condition is termed as hair loss problem or alopecia in medical terms. This condition can gradually cause baldness.
Symptoms of hair loss
Every day, while showering, I noticed some of my hair falling out, especially when shampooing. After waking up, a few hairs are also seen on the pillow. Even when I comb my hair, sometimes a few hairs fall on the neck, shoulders, or the floor. I wasn’t worried because I had enough hair on my head yet and didn’t see any signs of balding. Besides, I knew that naturally every day some hair falls out and new hair grows.
But I didn’t realize that I was losing more hair than normal and not growing new hair or very little. As a result, after a few years, I noticed that the patch of hair in the middle of my head was thinning and after that, I could notice small bald patches there.
Hair loss usually develops gradually. So it is very difficult to know if you are suffering from alopecia initially until the symptoms appear. However, if you realize that your hair is falling more than usual, take immediate action if you understand this one sign.
Some of the visible signs of alopecia are highlighted below:
Male-pattern baldness
Male pattern baldness is medically known as androgenic alopecia. Male-pattern baldness usually begins with thinning of the hair in an “M” or “U” shape from between the ears and forehead to the middle patch of the head. Then gradually it may become partially or completely bald.
Female-pattern baldness
Female pattern baldness is also called androgenic alopecia. Female pattern baldness usually results in gradual thinning of the scalp hair in women, which affects their hair density. The center of their head and the sides of the hairline tend to go bald.
Patchy hair loss
A patchy type of hair loss is medically known as alopecia areata. Usually begins with circular bald patches on one or more parts of the head that may overlap. It can also occur in hair on other parts of the body such as beard, mustache, eyebrows, and leg hair.
Traction Alopecia
Even if you braid tightly, wear cornrows, or tie your hair tightly, you may still experience hair loss. This is called traction alopecia. Frequent hand pulling of the hair can also cause traction alopecia.
Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia (FFA)
This is a condition that can cause hair loss on the front and sides of your scalp. FFA can also affect hair on other parts of your body, such as eyebrows, beards, and leg hair.
The main causes of hair loss
Hair loss is related to one or more factors. I will highlight the main causes identified through medical science in the light of my personal experience and knowledge. Explore the causes of your hair loss here. Understanding the main reasons why your hair is falling out is the first step to effectively dealing with the condition.
1. Hereditary Hair Loss
Hereditary hair loss is the most common cause of hair loss worldwide. In men, it is called male pattern baldness, and in women, female pattern baldness. The medical term for both is androgenic alopecia. The gene you inherit causes your hair follicles to shrink and eventually stop growing. This shrinkage usually begins in the latter part of life. But in many cases, it can also happen at a young age.
2. Age-related hair loss
Even if there is no genetic influence, as most people age, hair growth slows down. Hair follicles stop producing new hair also. As a result, the hair on the scalp becomes thinner and the hair starts losing its color.
3. Alopecia areata
When the body’s immune system attacks the hair follicles, hair starts to fall out from different parts of the body. And this disease is called alopecia areata. It’s an autoimmune condition that causes the hair on the head, beard, eyebrows, and even legs to fall out in coin-shaped circular patches.
4. Hormonal changes
Certain factors cause dramatic changes in the body’s hormone levels. For example: pregnancy, childbirth, thyroid problems, menopause, polycystic ovary syndrome, etc. can cause hair loss. People who take birth control pills may experience hair loss shortly after stopping the pill.
5. Chemotherapy or radiation therapy
Chemotherapy or radiation therapy is given to treat cancer or certain complex diseases. With such treatment, hair follicle cells die, resulting in hair fall. But this is temporary, hair usually regrows a few months after treatment ends.
6. Surgery
Surgery can sometimes keep your hair follicles in a resting state longer than usual. As a result, hair growth slows down and hair falls. This can be due to anesthesia, bleeding, side effects of certain medications, mental stress, etc.
7. Medications and Supplements
Some medications can cause hair loss as a side effect. For example, some cholesterol-lowering drugs, some blood pressure drugs, the antacid cimetidine, gout drugs, the acne drug isotretinoin, some cancer drugs, some antibiotics, and some supplements can cause hair loss. If you notice that your hair is falling out after starting a medication, discuss it with your doctor. He/she may suggest an alternative medicine.
8. Infections and Poisons
Bacterial, fungal, or other scalp infections can cause severe hair loss. Because they directly hit the hair follicles. Most scalp infections are curable with the appropriate antibiotics or antifungal medications. Also, slow toxic metals like arsenic, thallium, mercury, lithium, and warfarin enter your body through various means and make it toxic slowly. Being slowly poisoned can lead to hair loss.
Hair loss due to bad lifestyles
Good lifestyle habits will give you a healthy life. Bad habits, on the other hand, will definitely put your health at risk. There are certain habits in our daily lives that may increase hair fall. For example:
- Not taking care of hair and scalp.
- Using shampoos containing parabens and other harmful chemicals on the hair.
- Using hair dryers and heat styling tools.
- Tight hair buns or tight hairstyles.
- Not consuming nutritious, protein, and mineral-rich foods.
- Insufficient sleep and staying awake at night.
- Smoking and alcohol consumption.
- Not doing regular exercise and other physical activities.
- Living a life full of stress and anxiety.
Why did my hair fall?
From medical examinations, dermatologist opinions and advice, and my research and experience, I have come to understand that my hair loss is not due to any particular physical problem or illness. My bad lifestyle is the main reason for my hair loss at a young age.
Each of the topics I discussed under Bad Lifestyle had an impact on my life. I moved out of the family at the age of 16. From this time I was living a very uncontrolled and bad life. I think the most effective reason was poor diet which caused me to lack sufficient nutrients, vitamins, proteins, iron, and other essential minerals which resulted in hair loss. Among the more effective factors were night waking, daytime sleepiness and lack of sleep, smoking, lack of physical activity, hair and scalp carelessness and different hairstyles, use of harmful chemicals, etc.
Before I realized all this, my hair fell out and became very thin. Then I try to make drastic changes in my lifestyle. I developed nutritious eating habits and cut down on junk food. Also, I try to get enough sleep and do some physical exercise every day. I started taking care of my hair and scalp and tried to avoid smoking. After a long time like this, my hair fall is reduced. Still have a very thin hairs and signs of balding, but I think it is slowly recovering. And I am trying to recover it, I hope it is possible.
So I think from my personal experience, all types of hair loss other than physical illness, drug or treatment side-reactions, infections and poisons, hereditary and age-related hair loss are caused only by bad lifestyle. Hair loss caused by illness and related causes is temporary and re-emerges later. But hair loss caused by a bad lifestyle is impossible to recover unless you change your lifestyle. It takes a long time to honor lifestyle changes so be careful before most hair loss occurs. Live a healthy lifestyle for healthy and beautiful hair.