Crash Diets Are Dangerous
Crash diets and fad diets promise quick weight loss, but most do not work and can be dangerous. If you lose 15 pounds or more very quickly, you may lose a significant amount of hair within a matter of months. Inadequate protein and nutrients is one of the potential reasons for hair loss in women. Stick to a healthy, balanced eating plan. Fresh fruit, vegetables, lean meats, and complex carbs give your body the fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals you need to maintain a healthy body, including a full head of hair. Other dietary risk factors for hair loss? Excess vitamin A may set the stage for your luscious locks to fall out.
Thinning Hair In Women: Why It Happens And What Helps
- By Kelly Bilodeau, Executive Editor, Harvard Women’s Health Watch
Many people think of hair loss as a male problem, but it also affects at least a third of women. But unlike men, women typically experience thinning hair without going bald, and there can be a number of different underlying causes for the problem.
Some are associated with inflammation in the body. Some are female-pattern hair loss, says Dr. Deborah Scott, assistant professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School and co-director of the Hair Loss Clinic at Brigham and Womens Hospital. But the good news is that in many cases this hair loss can be stabilized with treatment, and it may be reversible. When its not, there are a number of new cosmetic approaches that can help.
Tip : Get Your Hair Cut
This may seem like an odd suggestion when youre battling thinning hair, but seriouslya hair cut can lessen the appearance of thinning hair. It is the perfect example of less is more. Longer hair is heavier, resulting in less volume and holding the locks down against the scalp. However, getting a shorter haircut complete with texture and layers can easily result in boosting your hairs body, giving the illusion of fuller, thicker hair.
Also Check: How To Stop Hereditary Hair Loss Naturally
Medications To Treat Hair Loss
Treatment depends on the underlying cause, says Dr. Scott. Sometimes simply addressing a medical condition prompting hair loss will be enough for the hair to regrow. In other instances, a woman might consider a medication like minoxidil , which helps with certain types of hair loss, or another treatment to replace or regrow lost hair.
A newer option being used to treat hair loss is platelet-rich plasma injections. For this treatment, the doctor draws your blood, divides it into its separate components, recombines the blood fluid with a high concentration of platelets , and introduces the resulting preparation back into the scalp.
The science on this isnt totally worked out. We still dont completely understand the mechanism behind PRP, but growth factors contained in platelets can stimulate regeneration of hair follicles and other tissues as well, says Dr. Scott.
In addition, low-level LED laser lights have been found to be helpful in regrowing hair in some cases. Its likely that even more treatments will be developed in the near future.
Balancing Our Hair Growth Hormones
Before we talk about hair growth hormones, it is important to understand the three phases that our hair goes through The Growth Phase, The Rest Phase, and The Shedding Phase. Everyones hair goes through these three phases.
Typically, the growth phase for each hair follicle lasts 2-6 years. This is followed by a rest phase that can last anywhere from 2-12 weeks. Finally, there is the shedding phase where the hair falls out. It is normal for everyone to lose 50 to 150 hairs per day. This is not noticeable, because all of our hairs are in different phases.
The problem comes in when the growth phase gets shorter. This means that we have less time for hair to grow before it falls out. And so we shed more than we can replace.
Did you know that estrogen and progesterone, along with thyroid hormone, are actually hair growth hormones? They actually stimulate hair follicles to go into the growing phase. When estrogen and progesterone levels are optimal, we enjoy a longer growth phase for each and every hair on our head. But as we get into perimenopause and menopause, the cycle shortens and we end of losing hair faster than we are growing it.
High levels of androgens, including DHT, can shrink your hair follicles as well as shorten the hair growth cycle, causing hair to grow out looking thinner and more brittle, as well as fall out faster. DHT can also cause it to take longer for your follicles to grow new hairs once old hairs fall out.
Recommended Reading: What Does Hair Loss Look Like
Medical Treatments To Arrest Hair Loss And Promote Regrowth
If your hair loss is severe or continues over 6 months, then seek help from your dermatologist or hair specialist. There are many FDA approved medications and treatments that control hair fall effectively. Medications such as Minoxidil, Finasteride and cyclical vitamin therapy for hair loss have proven benefits. In addition to this, hair loss treatment such as PRP hair treatment and meso-therapy give very good hair regrowth.
Post COVID-19 hair loss is usually caused by telogen effluvium and lasts for around 6 months. Except in cases where it becomes chronic telogen effluvium, where it lasts longer. Supportive care and lifestyle changes can be effective in controlling hair fall. Medical help can control the hair fall faster.
Are There Other Treatment Options For Fphl
Women want innovative treatments for FPHL. To meet this need, researchers continue to look for new ways to stimulate hair growth and stop hair breakage. Other treatments that you may find for FPHL include the following.
Lasers for at-home use: The FDA has approved laser combs, helmets, and other devices, which are available without a prescription, to treat hair loss at home. These devices emit a low level of laser light that may help stimulate new hair growth. A few studies show that this can be effective for treating FPHL.
As with minoxidil and prescription medicines, you must continue using an at-home laser device to see results. We still do not know whether these devices are safe for long-term use or if they can continue to produce new hair growth.
Platelet-rich plasma therapy:
It is believed the platelets help stimulate your cells to grow hair.
Researchers are just beginning to study this therapy as a treatment for hair loss. The early findings show promise, but more studies are needed to know whether this is a safe and effective treatment for FPHL.
Stem cells: Using stem cells to treat FPHL is still in the experimental stages. Like platelet-rich plasma therapy, more studies are needed to know whether stem cells are a safe and effective treatment for FPHL.
Hair loss shampoos: These shampoos tend to do one of the following.
-
Help your hair hold moisture, which makes hair look fuller and thicker
-
Lessen breakage, which can reduce thinning
Also Check: What Shampoo To Use For Hair Loss
What Questions Should I Ask My Healthcare Provider
- What is the cause of my hair loss?
- How many strands of hair am I losing per day?
- What type of hair loss do I have?
- Will my hair loss be permanent?
- Whats the best treatment for me?
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Hair loss may cause you distress whether it happens because of genetics, a disease, or even stress. Know that there are some treatments you can try, and expert dermatologists are there to help you. Your hair loss may be able to be reversed. See your healthcare provider as soon as you notice something wrong because the sooner you start treatment, the better.
How Thinning Hair Occurs In Women Vs Men
A healthy scalp has around 80 percent of its hair follicles in the growing stage while the other 20 percent is in the resting stage. Hair thinning and loss occur when that vital growing state either slows down considerably or stops.
What causes hair to thin out for women? Just like our bodies change with age, most women notice some hair thinning as they get older. This is quite natural. Its said that by the age of 50, half of women will complain of hair loss. If a womans thinning hair is related to female-patterned hair loss, then the thinning is believed to be 90 percent genetic and 10 percent hormonal. Youll probably be surprised to learn that female-pattern baldness affects about 30 million American women. You cant change your genetics, but thankfully, you can work on the hormonal aspect .
Thinning hair in women typically occurs slowly all over the entire scalp without a recession of the hair line . If a woman has female-pattern hair loss, it can lead to extreme hair thinning but rarely leads to baldness.
What about thinning hair in men? For men, hair thinning can start as early as puberty and progress for many years to come after that. The thinning usually begins above the temples and travels around the perimeter and top of the head. Ultimately, this can result in a ring of hair often referred to as a horseshoe remaining along the bottom of the scalp. For a lot of men, hair thinning continues until there is no hair left resulting in a completely bald scalp.
Also Check: Does Myrbetriq Cause Hair Loss
What Is The Relationship Between Hair Loss In Women And Menopause
During menopause, you might see one of two things happen with your hair. You might start growing hair where you didnt before. Or, you might see the hair you have start to thin. One cause may be changing levels of hormones during menopause. Estrogen and progesterone levels fall, meaning that the effects of the androgens, male hormones, are increased.
During and after menopause, hair might become finer because hair follicles shrink. Hair grows more slowly and falls out more easily in these cases.
Your healthcare provider will do a thorough examination and take a detailed history to help you deal with changes in hair growth. You may be directed to have your iron levels or thyroid hormone levels tested. Your medications might be changed if what you take is found to affect hair loss or growth.
Hormone Healing Tip : Control Hair Loss Hormones
One of the best ways to determine if you favor the conversion of testosterone to DHT is with a hormone metabolite test. This test will measure the amount of testosterone that you produce, and also how much of that is going down the pathway to DHT.
Symptoms that indicate women may be producing too much DHT include oily skin, acne, dark hairs on their chin and face, and excessive hair loss. Conditions like PCOS, where women produce excess testosterone can be a cause in that case, making diet and lifestyle choices to balance testosterone, cortisol and insulin can be helpful in reducing DHT.
But many women have normal levels of testosterone, but they favor the metabolic pathway that leaves them with too much DHT. In this case, we are not looking to reduce the total amount of testosterone, but rather prevent testosterone from converting into dihydrotestosterone. There are some herbs that are very helpful in blocking the 5 alpha reductase enzyme and therefore, blocking excessive DHT production. These include Saw Palmetto, Pygeum and Nettles. .
Don’t Miss: Can Hair Loss From Stress Be Reversed
Can Hair Turn Grey Overnight
Stress can cause the life cycles of different hair follicles to synchronize and enter their shedding phase together. This results in hundreds of older, more pigmented hairs falling out at the same time, to produce a rapid, noticeable thinning.
What remains are the finer, less pigmented hairs in the earlier stages of their current life cycle which suddenly become more noticeable.
This phenomenon, known as telogen effluvium, can cause someone to look noticeably greyer within a short period of time the source of tales about someone turning grey from shock overnight.
Here are 10 tips for improving your thinning or graying hair.
Be Gentle With Your Hair
At this time when your hair is at its weakest, you need to be gentle to prevent excessive shedding. During hair wash, massage your scalp in gentle circular motion. Wash in a downward direction instead of piling your hair up in order to reduce tangles. Consider having a haircut. Trimming away the dry ends of your hair may reduce tangles and pulling while combing your hair. Avoid ingredients like sulfates, parabens, alcohols and artificial fragrance in your hair products. Also, stay away from heat styling and chemical hair treatments such as perming and re-bonding.
You May Like: What Can I Take For Hair Loss
And Here’s What You Can Do To Fix It:
Ok, so now you know what triggering the hair loss, here’s how to deal with it…
Recognise the problem
Hair loss doesn’t happen fast, our strands grow in cycles, which means it can take up to 3 months for hair to fall out after a trigger has caused it. “If you notice excessive daily hair shedding for longer than 3 months, see a trichologist or your GP, there could be an underlying factor that needs to be addressed”, Anabel advises. “Very importantly, try not to panic. Telogen effluvium is almost always self-eliminating and hair will start to grow back as usual once any internal imbalance is put right”.
Change up your diet
1) Get More Protein
“Hair is made of protein, making adequate daily intake of protein rich foods essential. Include at least a palm sized portion of protein at breakfast and lunch .” Anabel recommends.
2) Complex carbohydrates are essential
“They provide our hair with the energy it needs to grow. Snack on a healthy carbohydrates if longer than four hours is left between meals as energy available to hair cells drops after this amount of time.”
That being said, Anabel explained that if you are losing your hair because of something other than diet, like stress or an illness, changing what you eat will not remedy it.
Take a supplement
Anabel recommends looking out for the following ingredients: Iron, Vitamin C, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3, Copper, Zinc, Selenium, and the essential amino acids, L-Lysine and L-Methionine.
Head message = more than self-care
Hair Loss In Black Women: Tips From An Expert
Almost half of black women experience some form of hair loss. However, few doctors are familiar with black hairstyling practices, leaving many women to sort through unhelpful or even harmful advice on their own.
Dermatologist Crystal Aguh, one of just a small group of dermatologists across the country specializing in hair loss, offers these tips to help women protect their hair and recognize common warning signs of hair loss.
Also Check: What Causes Flaky Scalp And Hair Loss