20 causes of hair loss

 

 

Did you know that hair grows in three different modes? Thanks
to this, in place of hair loss, new grow quickly, and you don’t even
notice the loss. But if some factor influences the rhythm and synchronism
of this process, then in a day,

There are many factors that cause hair loss. . In this article, we will tell you
about 20 of the most common ones.

What
is hair loss?

Before sounding the
alarm, make sure that your hair is falling out more than the physiological
norm. Every day you lose from 30 to 100 hairs, and they fall out evenly,
from all areas of the head. This is completely normal and baldness does
not occur because the hair regenerates itself quickly. But if self-healing
is delayed or does not occur at all, then the hair density decreases.

Loss of more than 1000
hairs a day is already a pathology called “alopecia”. If hair
falls out in a limited area, it is alopecia aerate or alopecia aerate. Hair
loss in all areas is called diffuse or total baldness. In Greek, “aloe”
means “fox”. It would seem, what the fox has to do with it. But
the Greeks, apparently, noticed the resemblance of a bald man to an animal, for
which it is quite natural to shed and grow a new fur coat several times a year.

Sometimes the hair
does not fall out, but simply becomes thinner, the hair thins, and it may seem
to you that the hair has become smaller. But thinning hair can be the
onset of baldness.

Interesting
facts about hair

On the head grows, on
average, 50 – 150 thousand hairs. Moreover, the red-haired have the least
of them – about 80 thousand. Blondes are more fortunate. At least 140
thousand hairs grow on their head. Brown-haired and brunettes are content
with the “golden mean”. Their hair contains 100 – 110 thousand
hairs. The owners of light brown hair are considered “record
holders”. The number of hair follicles they have is about 200
thousand.

There are areas on
your head with thicker hair – this is the crown. But on the back of the
head and temples – there is less hair. To protect the back of the head and
sides from baldness, nature has made sure that the forehead, temples and crown
of the zone receive more blood.

Understanding
the reasons

To understand the
mechanism of hair loss, let’s remember how they grow normally. Each hair
follicle or sac at the roots can create 25 to 30 hairs throughout a person’s
life. Each hair grows at its own pace, while there is a certain
cyclicality. Women who have been epilated know how difficult it is to get
rid of unwanted hair. Several sessions are required to remove the rest of
the dormant hair groups. This mechanism is laid down by nature to prevent
the simultaneous loss of a large amount of hair.

The following stages of hair life are distinguished:

·        
Anlagen is an active growth
that lasts from 2 to 6 years.

·        
Cartagena is a transitional
period in which growth slows down, but the follicles or papillae nourishing the
hair are still working. The duration of this phase is up to 20 days.

·        
Telligent – the hair stops
growing completely. The resting phase lasts from 3 to 4 months.

In healthy people, at
any time, almost 90% of the hair on the head is in the phase of active growth –
antigen. Only 2% of the hairline is in an intermediate state, and up to
15% of the hair is ready to fall out of the bulb. An external or internal
damaging factor violates this ratio in favor of those who fall out.

1.
Problems with the thyroid gland

The hormones of the thyroid gland, thyroxin and
triiodothyronine, which normally stimulate, accelerate and activate all the
cells in the body. Sensory nerve endings or receptors for thyroxin are
found, including on the hair follicles. With a deficiency of hormones,
there is no stimulus for hair growth, so the bulbs are in no hurry to create
new hair

 

But if you have an excess of these hormones, this is also not a reason for joy. From thyroid
hormones, only the first time the hair will become thick. Long-term action
of thyroxin depletes the “strategic reserves” of the bulb. If
the balance of hormones is not restored in time, hair will begin to fall out.

2.
Pregnancy and childbirth

From the first
trimester of pregnancy, the hormonal background changes in the female body. The
level of almost all hormones increases.

Each trimester of
pregnancy, as well as the postpartum period, passes under the banner of some
kind of hormone. Basically, these are hair-friendly hormones.

First
half of pregnancy

From the first
trimester, chorionic gonadotropin is formed in the body. It triggers
changes in the endocrine organs of a woman and stimulates the renewal of all
cells, due to an increase in the level of thyroid hormones. The latter
accelerate cell division and metabolism in the hair follicle, and the condition
of the hair begins to improve. But if a woman has a latent thyroid
insufficiency, the entire portion of the hormones will go to the fetus, and the
hair may fall out.

Second
half of pregnancy

After 20 weeks, the
placenta actively secretes progesterone and estrogen. The condition of the
hair largely depends on their ratio. Estrogen stimulates hair growth, so
the number of bulbs in the growing phase increases by 10%. Progesterone,
on the other hand, dries out the skin and hair, which can cause breakage. Hair
during this period of pregnancy falls out more often not due to hormonal
changes, but due to nutritional deficiencies.

Postpartum
period

After giving birth, the situation changes
dramatically. The pituitary gland secretes the hormone prolactin, which
stimulates the mammary gland. Because of it, the
number of bulbs “at rest” is at least doubled. Thus, a woman
loses, on average, not 100 hairs a day, but up to 300 hairs. This becomes
noticeable a few months after giving birth. But this condition lasts no
more than 6 months. Do not be afraid to be left without hair, because when
the hormonal background stabilizes, growth will also return to normal.

3.
Medicines

Any medication can cause hair loss, but there are
drugs that disrupt hair growth faster and more noticeably. Everyone knows
that chemotherapy makes people go bald. This is because chemotherapy drugs
inhibit the growth of not only tumor cells, but also cells of all tissues in
the body. The hair follicle is distinguished by very active cell division,
because a day you need to start growing about 30 hairs to replace those that
have fallen out. Therefore, the overwhelming effect of chemistry quickly
appears on the scalp. In addition to inhibiting new hair growth,
chemotherapy acts directly on the hair as a toxin, increasing hair loss. The following drugs can also cause hair loss:

·        
contraceptives – usually after a
woman stops taking them;

·        
anti-inflammatory drugs –
hormonal and non-steroidal;

·        
cardiovascular drugs – drugs that
lower blood pressure;

·        
thyreostatics – drugs that
suppress the secretion of thyroid hormones;

·        
anticoagulants – inhibiting blood
clotting;

·        
ant allergic agents –
blockers of histamine H2 receptors;

·        
Drugs used in psychiatry –
anticonvulsants, antiparkinsonian drugs, antidepressants and
antipsychotics.

·        
Drugs for the treatment of infections – antibiotics, ant herpetic, antifungal and antiphrastic.

The hair follicles
contain the cytochrome P450 enzyme system. It is with its help that the
liver processes toxic foods and medicines. The enzymes in this system
oxidize drugs, making them more soluble in water, to facilitate excretion from
the body. But the fact is that many drugs suppress this system and
contribute to the manifestation of side effects, especially with prolonged use. Due
to the presence of cytochrome P450 enzymes, the hair partially takes on the
side or toxic effects of many drugs, which is manifested by hair loss.

4.
Fast weight loss

If you are a fan of strict diets and quick ways to lose weight, you should know
that depriving yourself of protein products, you can cause serious disruptions
in the body. Cells are built from protein, metabolism is controlled by
protein enzymes and hormones. Hair is 80% protein – keratin. To build
new cells of the bulb, a building material is needed – protein. With
prolonged absence of protein, you can quickly go bald or lose hair constantly
“in portions”.

Typically, hair begins
to fall out a few months after starting the diet, but you need to eat normally
for a few more months to recover.

Also, a protein deficiency occurs if you abuse alcohol. Alcohol disrupts the absorption of proteins
in the digestive tract, complicates the function of the liver, the main organ
that synthesizes proteins. In addition, large doses of alcohol cause a
pronounced spasm of all vessels, including those feeding the hair follicle.

5.
Infections

Any scalp infection
can cause inflammation in the hair follicles. Usually, infections
affecting the hair are manifested by baldness in a limited area or several
areas with baldness are found on the head. Alopecia following infection
may be temporary or irreversible. It all depends on the nature of the
inflammation. If there was no deep damage, then wait for the growth of new
hair in place of the lost one. But when the inflammation proceeds very
violently, the body has no choice but to repair all the damaged areas with scar
tissue. If a scar forms at the site of the bulbs, the hair will no longer
grow.

Hair loss can be caused by:

·        
fungi that cause trichophytosis and favas;

·        
bacteria, especially
staphylococci, causative agents of tuberculosis and
syphilis;

·        
Chickenpox and herpes
zoster viruses, which belong to the herpes virus family.

It is important to
know that any serious infectious disease that has caused a general depletion of
the body can lead to weakening of hair and hair loss. The body temporarily
“saves” on protein intended for hair formation.

6.
Its nervous

You may have noticed
more than once that people who work hard and rest little have hair problems. They
may fade or become thinner.

It turns out that if
your good mood does not leave you, then enough substances are formed in the
brain that support the correct regulation of blood flow in the bulbs. But
if we are often nervous or work hard, the central nervous system is in constant
tension, releasing more and more adrenaline and other hormones that cause spasm
of the muscles of the bulb and constriction of the vessels feeding it.

7.
You have a lot of DHT

In the stronger sex, a
bald spot can be a sign of a good male hormonal background. The male
hormones testosterone and dihydrotestosterone also have their “sites”
of action on the hair follicles. Dihydrotestosterone is the active form of
testosterone, which is produced in tissues by the enzyme 5-alpha reductase.

DHT acts on hair as follows:

·        
Shrinks the muscle that surrounds the hair follicle. Because of this, the bulb becomes smaller, and the hole
through which the hair breaks out is narrowed. With prolonged exposure,
the hair becomes thinner, and the rod is eventually squeezed out of the bulb.

·        
Decreases blood circulation in the skin. The muscle layer of small capillaries is also subjected to spasm,
as a result, the hair root does not receive nutrition and oxygen, gradually
weakens and collapses.

·        
Accelerates the hair growth cycle. Both free testosterone and dihydrotestosterone act on the DNA of
the hair papilla. But dihydrotestosterone is 5 times stronger on the hair
and makes it go through all phases of the life cycle faster and fall out ahead
of time.

But there are two good
news. The first is that hormones do not destroy the bulb itself, which
means that with proper treatment it can be “woken up”. Second, a
high testosterone level does not mean that you will go bald. It all
depends on the level of the enzyme that converts testosterone to its active
form.

8.
Family matters

Up to 45 years of age,
about a third of men are at risk of losing hair on their heads. Hereditary
baldness is associated with a malfunction in one of the regulatory genes. The
function of genes that stimulate the collection of the hair matrix, or affect
the sensitivity of receptors to substances that affect hair growth, may be impaired.

Previously, it was
believed that the gene for “hair loss” is passed on the maternal line
through the X chromosome. But many genes have now been identified that can
be passed from father to son or daughter through common, non-sex chromosomes. A
“broken” gene does not always cause baldness, and additional factors
are needed for “bad” heredity to manifest itself.

The activity of the hair loss gene can be influenced by:

·        
taking medications;

·        
hormonal changes;

·        
Harmful effects of the
environment.

9.
Nutrient Deficiency

If your hair is dull,
thin, and falls out easily, it is possible that it is simply lacking in
nutrients. Even if you regularly make cosmetic masks or use expensive
shampoo, it does not mean that you are delivering the necessary components to
your hair faster.

The necessary trace elements and vitamins are
needed not only and not so much for the head locally, but for the metabolism
throughout the body.

Iron

Hair loss is sometimes the first and only sign of iron
deficiency. Iron deficiency can occur in any woman, because every month a
significant amount of this trace element is lost with the blood. In
addition, if you have already given birth to two or three children, then your
body has exhausted the “deposits” of iron that were spent on building
the child’s body. If you are a vegetarian, then perhaps
your hair has become less “iron” due to the lack of meat products,
from which the body absorbs iron more easily than from plant foods. Lovers
of coffee and tea should also be wary of iron deficiency, because the caffeine
contained in these drinks interferes with the absorption of iron in the
intestines.

Zinc
and copper

People with baldness
usually have low zinc levels in their blood. A trace mineral is needed to
create new hair fiber, so zinc deficiency can lead to hair loss throughout the
body. But zinc is harmful to hair even when there is a lot of it. It
is able to increase the level of testosterone, which, at very high levels, does
not act on the DNA of the bulb. To avoid an excess of zinc, it is
recommended to take it together with copper. These two trace elements work
in conjunction, but at the same time compete with each other for the right to
be absorbed in the intestines. Copper also refers to bulbs in two ways. On
the one hand, it is involved in the creation of hair, but in excess it makes
the hair thin and brittle, shortens its growth phase.

Vitamin
B1

Thiamin or vitamin B1
is a substance that activates the enzymes necessary to start the mitochondria
of the bulbs – intracellular “energy stations”. In the hair
follicles, the metabolism is very active, so the delivery of “fuel”
to the mitochondria must occur constantly. With a deficiency of B
vitamins, the activity of the enzymes necessary for hair growth is
significantly reduced.

Biotin

Biotin is necessary for cells in the skin and in the
bulb to actively divide, and the hair is strengthened by keratin. This
vitamin nourishes the hair and restores its deep layers. Experimental data
report that deficiency of biotin or vitamin H causes scalp dermatitis and hair
loss. You can find a link to the study in the list of references. A
deficiency of this vitamin is indicated by red spots around the nose and mouth.

L-lysine

Lysine is an amino acid, without
which the hair is deprived of not only keratin, but also calcium, from which
the hair matrix is ​​formed. Due to this matrix, the hair retains its
ability to grow. In addition, the lack of L-lysine enhances the
sensitivity of the hair follicle receptors to dihydrotestosterone.

10.
Vitamin intoxication

If you like to take
dietary supplements, vitamin and mineral complexes, then it is important not to
overdo it and take into account the daily norm of vitamins. Be aware that
an excess of certain vitamins is much more dangerous than a deficiency.

Fat-soluble vitamins
easily penetrate and accumulate in tissues. For example, vitamin A, when
stored in hair, can make it brittle and cause hair loss.

11.
Hair manipulation

Women love to change
their hairstyles and dye their hair. Typically, a new hairstyle needs to
be fixed with a hot hair dryer, tongs or curling iron, and then sprinkle
generously with varnish or apply styling gel. So it turns out that going
to a hairdresser for our hair is a “triple” blow – physical, chemical
and mechanical. Frequent brushing or brushing is also not very helpful. You
can scratch the skin hard and damage the outer layer of the hair – the cuticle. This
will break the hair in the middle.

Some hairstyles,
especially ponytails, can weaken hair. The scalp of girls with a tightly
gathered bundle is strongly stretched. As a result, blood circulation is
impaired, hair becomes brittle at the roots or falls out.

12.
Age

The most luxuriant
hair happens at the age of 15 – 18 years, because under the influence of
hormones, the cells of the hair follicle divide faster. Up to 30 years
old, in the absence of health problems, the hair is full of beauty. But
then the amount of hair may decrease.

You will notice that
the hair is less thick, although it does not fall out much. All this is a
physiological norm, which is associated with a change in hormonal levels. The
bulbs become sensitive to hormones that put them to sleep. But the process
is slow, so changes will become apparent by the age of 50, and sometimes much
later, if you have good genetics.

13.
Seborrhea

Seborrhea alopecia is
more common in adolescents when hormonal levels are disturbed. Moreover,
the problem is equally observed in boys and girls. If there are a lot of
androgens or male sex hormones in the body, then the production of sebum
increases, it becomes of poor quality and sticks to the hair. If the
lubricant is not removed from the skin in time, it is used by propionobacteria
that colonize the scalp.

Because of these bacteria, seborrheic dermatitis
develops – an inflammation of the scalp. The inflammation is manifested by
itching, redness and severe flaking of the skin, which we call dandruff. Seborrhea dermatitis differs from common
dandruff in that, due to inflammation in the follicles, cells die and hair
begins to fall out.

14.
Low blood – anemia

Pale skin, weakness, palpitations, and hair loss –
this combination can indicate anemia or a
deficiency of red blood cells – erythrocytes. They
carry oxygen from the lungs to the tissues. The hair follicle is very
sensitive to oxygen deficiency, which means that your hair with anemia can not
only stop growing, but fall out. There are two main causes of anemia –
bleeding and a deficiency in substances that make up red blood cells, such as
iron, protein, vitamin B12 and folic acid.

You can find out about the presence of anemia only by
passing a general blood test. Additional analyzes of
the levels of trace elements and vitamins help determine the type of anemia –
B12-deficiency, iron deficiency or folate deficiency. The blood should be
examined if during menstruation a woman loses a lot of blood or hemorrhoids
often bleed, and blood is constantly excreted in the feces. Often latent
bleeding occurs with gastric and duodenal ulcers.

15.
Polycystic ovary

Polycystic disease is
characterized by the formation of multiple cysts from ovarian tissue. Cysts
secrete hormones, but not female, but male – testosterone and and roost endian. Hormones
change the type of hair growth. Hair begins to grow where women should not
have it – on the stomach, chest and face.

But since the sensitivity of the bulbs to hormones on
the head is higher, the hair here receives too much of the male sex hormones,
especially dehydrate testosterone. It gradually reduces the size of the
bulbs, which is why the thick hair on the head gradually turns into villus and
falls off. If, along with baldness, your menstrual period is disturbed,
you should be tested for hormones and an ultrasound of the ovaries.

16.
Bad ecology

Air and soil pollution are perhaps the most important
factors that weaken hair. If the soil contains a lot of heavy metals or
the air is saturated with carcinogens, food grown in this land and saturated
with gases from the air will contain them in large quantities. The first
signal of chronic intoxication may be hair loss. As mentioned above, the
hair has a “detox” system, just like the liver. Thanks to the
enzyme system, hair is able to process all harmful substances and facilitate
their removal from the body. But the excess of toxins leads to the fact that toxic components
accumulate in the hair and cause their gradual death.

The hair of the inhabitants of megalopolises is adversely affected
by:

·        
dry and hot air outside or
from an air conditioner;

·        
hard water;

·        
bleach in swimming pools;

·        
Sun rays.

These risk factors act
directly on the hair, dry it out and can contribute to scalp inflammation. To
prevent the adverse effects of environmental factors on the scalp and hair, it
is recommended to use a humidifier, drink plenty of fluids and wash your hair
thoroughly after visiting the pool. And to protect hair from burning out
and scalp from ultraviolet radiation, it is recommended to wear caps.

17.
Irradiation

After a dose of
harmful radiation, you can get radiation sickness. The consequences of
ionizing radiation can be felt not only by people who live or work near objects
that create radiation, but also by disaster liquidators. Moreover, the
consequences may not appear immediately, but as the accumulation of radioactive
elements, which themselves are not removed from the body.

The most severe
changes occur after exposure to alpha radiation. Radioactive substances
enter the body through air, food or water, sometimes even through damaged skin. Absorbed
into the blood, radioelements begin to irradiate the body from the inside. A
person goes bald because radiation suppresses the division and growth of bulb
cells. It is important that with radiation sickness, hair falls out not
only on the head, but also on all parts of the body.

Hair can also fall out
if radiation or X-ray therapy is prescribed to treat a malignant tumor. But
unlike alpha radiation, X-rays act locally. This means that your hair can
only fall out if your head is irradiated.

18.
Diabetes mellitus

Hair with diabetes can fall
out even in people under the age of 30, and not only on the head, but throughout
the body. Diabetes mellitus disrupts the nutrition of all tissues in the
body. Hair follicles are also constantly deficient in glucose – the main
energy substrate, so cell division in them slows down dramatically.

Diabetes mellitus is
characterized by a high level of adrenaline in the blood, which is known to
cause vasospasm. It also contracts the muscle around the hair, making the
hair thinner. Excess glucose damages small blood vessels. As a
result, the microcirculation of the scalp is impaired.

19.
Lupus

Lupus hair falls out in half of patients. Lupus
is an autoimmune disease that affects all organs that
contain collagen or connective tissue protein. The vessels are affected
first of all. Due to inflammation of small vessels and the formation of
scar tissue, the lumen of the arteries that feed the hair roots is sharply
narrowed. Inflamed arteries stop supplying blood to the bulbs and hair
falls out.

Hair can also fall out
due to side effects of drugs that are prescribed to treat lupus. In case
of severe prolapse, you need to consult a doctor. He will select the right
dose or replace the drug.

20.
Trichotillomania

There is a mental illness, trichotillomania, in which a person pulls out his own hair,
especially on the head and eyebrows. Eyelashes, beard and other areas of
the body with abundant vegetation also fall under the “alarming
hand”. Unlike neuroses, trichotillomania is practically impossible to
control.

An
attack of plucking, despite the pain, occurs when a person’s attention is
occupied by something, and he himself does not notice himself pulling out hair. For
this reason, many deny that they have such an inclination. The skin of the
bald areas is intact, but usually several lesions with baldness can be found. If
you notice something like that in your loved one, know that only a psychiatrist deals
with the treatment of this condition.