While it may not cause physical pain, there is no denying the emotional and mental suffering that accompanies thinning hair. Each clump of hair may feel as if a part of the self-image is being peeled away.
To hear the American Academy of Dermatology tell it, the average person parts ways with 50 to 100 hairs every day. That’s the norm. So what happens when the hair count exceeds what’s typical? Obviously, we sound the alarm.
Aside from the normal hair wear and tear, it’s important to know what other factors can play a role in the shocking shedding that occurs in both men and women. Here are a few culprits that can bring on a major loss.
Stress
Although there are many widely known effects of stress, such as headache, tight muscles and anxiety, one of the lesser-known effects of stress is hair loss. Whether your stress has been emotional or physical, it could cause hair loss. This is referred to as temporary hair loss, or telogen effluvium. During a Fox News interview, a New York City doctor stated that a stressful event “can shock the hair cycle.” Often, this system shock is felt between three and six months after the initial trauma. When it comes to stress-based hair loss, though, many people regain natural hair growth over time.
Heredity
Conversely, some people may have inherited hair loss. For a long time, men were the focus of inherited hair loss treatments, but recently, female hair loss treatments have started to gain visibility. In both men and women, inherited hair loss is called androgenetic alopecia. However, some men and women see differences in the way they lose their hair. For example, while men experience patches of baldness, usually beginning on the top of the head, women often instead experience hair thinning. Additionally, many women keep their hairlines, while men experience a receding hairline. Strangely, though, sometimes these symptoms can be reversed, and men experience thinning with no receding hairline, while women experience receding hairlines without the hair thinning. To find out if you are at risk for inherited balding or thinning, pay close attention to the hair loss the men or women in your family experience.