If Your Hairs Suddenly Feeling Thinner Heres What Could Be Going On
While it’s odd to think of yourself shedding hair in the summertime, it’s a reality for many of usespecially those who live in a place that experiences big temperature swings this time of year.
What’s going on? “When you have a major environmental change, so like right now when the temperature’s going from the 50s to the 90s in a day, that sudden change can shift more of your hair into what’s called the telogen phase,” says Adam Friedman, MD, an associate professor of dermatology at George Washington University.
Friedman explains that this telogen hair phase is also known as the “death” phase, and it’s completely normal. In fact, around 20% of your hair is in this death phase at any given time. That means it has stopped growing, and will soon fall out. “A healthy woman loses 150 to 175 hairs a day, while men lose a little less,” Friedman says. Meanwhile, you’re always making new hair.
But when the seasons transition and the weather goes through violent temperature swings, those shifts can place mild stress on your body. “That stress can force some of your hair from the growth or anagen phase into that telogen phase,” Friedman explains.
First of all, your hair won’t fall out immediately or all at once. It will take a couple months for the phase shift to result in hair loss. So while your body may have felt the temperature-induced stress in April and May, you may not notice your increased rate of hair loss until July or August, Friedman says.
Your Hair Is Coming Out In Clumps
Another clear sign of thinning hair is the way it starts to fall out, specifically if it is starting to fall out in clumps. you may notice that as you run your fingers through your hair, clumps, instead of strands, are coming out. additionally, you may notice this in the shower or when you brush your hair.
Your Hair Is Just One All
You know how wearing all one color is considered slimming? Same goes for your hair. If you’ve only got one hue going on, your locks could appear extra thin. The solution: add varied tones. “Highlighting definitely adds depth to your strands,” explains Nick Penna, owner and lead stylist of SalonCapri. “Instead of single-toned hair, it creates dimension, giving the illusion of fuller-locks.” Scared of winding up with chunky ’90s highlights? Don’t worry, there are lots of ways to make highlights and lowlights look totally natural, including balayage and beyond.
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Hair Loss Trigger: Alopecia Areata
Alopecia areata causes hair to fall out in big patches. The culprit is your own immune system, which attacks healthy hair follicles by mistake. In most cases, the damage isnât permanent. The missing locks should grow back in 6 months to a year. Some people lose all the hair on their scalp and body, but thatâs rare.
My Hair Is Thinning Will It Grow Back
Losing hair is a natural process that happens to everyone, every day. We all lose an average of 80 hair strands a day, but our hair is continually growing in cycles to replenish itself. However, if you have been noticing an unusual amount of hair loss, you might be worried you are going bald.
Many men will notice their hair thinning when they are still in their 20s or 30s. Some of the most common signs of balding include a receding hairline, more hair appearing in the sink and shower, and a sudden change in how your hair reacts to brushing.
Don’t panic. Hair thinning and baldness are two different things, and both have multiple treatment options.
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Cosmetic Options For Hair Loss
When medical treatments fall short, women can also consider cosmetic options to make up for lost hair, such as wearing a wig. At the other end of the spectrum is hair transplantation, a surgical procedure that moves active follicles from the back of the scalp to areas where the hair is thinning. Once transplanted, the hair grows normally.
Hair transplantation is typically performed as an outpatient surgical procedure. In appropriate patients, it can be extremely successful, but it wont work for everyone, says Dr. Scott. One drawback is the expense: it can cost thousands of dollars and is not covered by insurance. The procedure also requires recovery time. And it may not be appropriate for women who have diffuse thinning across the whole scalp. Its more effective in treating smaller, more defined areas of balding.
Intense Emotional Or Physical Stress
When you’re experiencing something stressful or traumaticnot your average day-to-day stress, but something big and life-altering like a divorce, a death in the family, a significant job change, or a big moveyou may experience a temporary halt in hair growth as your body puts its resources toward getting you through said big event.
“Hairs dont all grow at the same rate,” Dr. Schlosser explains. “Some are growing, some are resting, and some are actively being shed. When you have these conditions, your body halts hair growth, and then things get restarted and all these hairs that have been halted start to get pushed out at the same time.” The same thing can happen with physical stress and trauma, like having a big operation, being hospitalized, or even losing a significant amount of weight very quickly.
Usually this type of hair shedding is temporary. But if it bothers you, check in with a dermatologist to learn more about styling changes and products you can use to make your hair look and feel fuller.
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Scalp Pain Sensitivity Burning And Hair Loss
Throughout the time Ive suffered with hair loss Ive had several episodes of scalp pain, sensitivity and a burning sensation. Trying to touch my head, lying down on a pillow or even moving my hair slightly would cause excruciating severe pain to my scalp. I had no idea what caused this and why it was sporadic, it would last for while then just disappear, last episode I had was this past July. Apparently there is a correlation between hair loss, telogen effluvium and scalp pain, also called trichodynia.
This is what I found about it on Wikipedia:
Trichodynia is a condition where the patient experiences a painful sensation on their scalp. The pain sometimes is described as burning. Trichodynia often is associated with hair loss, but some studies show it has no connection to hair loss. Often there is an underlying psycho-somatic cause, such as stress, depression or anxiety.
Only a few studies have been conducted on this condition. A theory behind the condition is that nerves innervating scalp hair follicles send pain messages back to the brain when the follicle no longer has a hair in it, in a similar way to phantom limb pain. Another theory is that people who have this condition have super-sensitive nerves in their scalp.
A possible treatment is to halt hair loss in the patient, however it is important to understand and address any underlying psychologic comorbity
I also wanted to share this article I found about it:
Ready To Get Your Hair Back
Youre a special, unique individual, and the underlying factors that are contributing to your hair thinning are unlike anyone elses. In order to suggest treatments that may work, our provider performs a thorough evaluation and talks to you in-depth about your health, your life, and your goals.
If youre ready to find out how we might help, book an appointment at our office in Rockville, Maryland.
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Your Cut Is Too Blunt
“For ladies with shoulder-length hair or longer, cuts that lack any kind of layering can definitely make hair appear thinner,” says Scrivo. On top of cutting layers through, she advises adding face-framing pieces, whether it’s a side-swept bang or a few traditional layers.
Bonus: If you want to make your hair look thicker in no time, be sure to check out our tips for getting full, voluminous hair.
Hair Loss Treatments For Your 20s
The good news is that if you spot hair loss in your 20s, theres a very good chance that you have caught it in the very early stages.
The even better news is that hair loss prevention and treatments work best when used early. Here are some of the treatment plans available that can prevent further hair loss, promote a healthy hair growth cycle and can even help with hair regrowth.
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Finasteride : This oral treatment is very effective at treating male pattern baldness. It works by reducing the androgens that lead to male pattern baldness. Through hims, you can also get finasteride as a topical finasteride spray.
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: While biotin vitamins are not a hair loss treatment, biotin is an essential building block for new hair. May help your body grow healthy hair with an extra biotin boost.
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Hair Thickening Shampoo: Saw palmetto shampoos can ensure that your scalp is clean and healthy to help that hair grow.
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Other Treatments: If you think your hair loss might have a cause other than male pattern hair loss, see your healthcare provider. Your medical provider can run tests to ensure that nothing else is going on, like a thyroid problem.
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Is There A Correlation Between Vitamin D And Hair Loss
One small study found that patients with alopecia areata, which is an autoimmune condition that causes patchy hair loss, had lower levels of vitamin D compared to those without alopecia areata. While the research is still developing, we are seeing more evidence that there is a correlation between hair loss and vitamin d deficiency, even in those without an underlying condition. If you believe your hair loss may be due to a vitamin d deficiency, consult with your doctor or contact us for a hair consultation.
Can Coronavirus Cause Hair Loss
Although not officially listed as a symptom of Coronavirus, a wave of women have come forward with claims of hair loss as a result of having the virus.
‘Patients who have suffered prolonged and heavy onset of coronavirus about 2-4 months prior are now reporting severe hair loss,’ says hair loss and growth expert Laura Sagen.
‘Hair loss is not on the list of the official symptoms, so at first its easy to become alarmed around potentially one more symptom to start looking out for. Notably, it occurs after the onset of the disease rather than prior. This can be a result of severe stress that patients who suffered a severe or prolonged form of coronavirus, otherwise known as telogen effluvium stress-related hair loss.’
With more and more women experiencing dramatic hair loss on top of other symptoms it seems to be more than mere coincidence.
But, as any women that have suffered from hair loss themselves could tell you, the sterile medical explanation of hair loss rarely correlates to the human experience of being a woman that’s losing their hair.
We spoke to six women about their personal experiences and how they’re giving female hair loss the finger, one day at a time…
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Hair Loss Trigger: Thyroid Problems
This butterfly-shaped gland at the front of your neck pumps out chemicals that keep your body humming along. If it makes too much or too little thyroid hormone, your hair growth cycle might take a hit. But thinner locks are rarely the only sign of a thyroid problem. You might lose or gain weight, become sensitive to cold or heat, or notice changes in your heart rate.
Your Diet Is Lacking Nutrients
Sometimes, your appearance is a result of what’s going on inside your body. So if your hair looks particularly fried but you don’t practice any outwardly damaging habits like coloring and heat styling, it could be your diet. âWhat you put in your body comes out in your hair skin, and nails,â Polko suggests.
Andrea Grange, RD, IdealFit partner dietitian nutritionist, explains that hair is made up of protein that requires good nutrition like the rest of the body. âProtein is very important to healthy hair,â says Grange. When you see hair fall out and thin, itâs a sign youâre not getting an adequate amount of nutrition. To make sure you have the right amount, she says to incorporate the following vitamins and minerals into your diet:
– Zinc: â plays an important role in making the proteins that make up your hair,â she says. âYour body can’t make zinc so it’s important to get it from your diet.â Foods like spinach, lean red meat, oysters, beans, and nuts are your best bets.
– Vitamin A: âVitamin A is needed for cell growth, including hair cells,â she says. You can find vitamin A in carrots, sweet potatoes, red bell peppers, and spinach.
– Protein: âHair follicles are made up of mostly protein so getting adequate protein will provide the nutrients that your body needs to create and grow your hair healthy and strong,â she says. Adequate protein can be obtained via cottage cheese, meat, nuts, beans, tofu, and nut butter.
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Causes For Hair Loss In Young People
Hair loss can happen for all sorts of reasons, for example, it can be related to diet, exercise, illness, stress, disease, or hereditary causes.
For younger women, thinning hair is usually a result of poor nutrition, stress, disease, or changes in medications, like birth control.
Crash diets, weight loss, and low iron levels are all reasons why you may notice hair falling out or changes to hair growth. Make sure you are eating healthy foods for hair growth and exercising regularly to help yourself avoid this. A poor diet is the easiest thing to change when it comes to preventing hair loss.
Diseases more common to women, such as thyroid disease and lupus, are also culprits that contribute to hair loss. If you notice other symptoms besides thinning hair, consult with a doctor to find out what the issue could be.
Oral contraceptives can also contribute to hair loss. The hormones in birth control that suppress ovulation can sometimes cause thinning hair and hair loss. This is more likely to happen if you have androgenetic alopecia, but a hair loss cure is possible if you switch birth control or go off of it all together.
Thinning hair and hair loss in younger men is usually a result of androgenetic alopecia, but it can also be brought on by poor nutrition and stress.
Men have more DHT than women in their body. Since hair loss is a result of the hair follicles sensitivity to DHT, thinning hair and hair loss often begins at an earlier stage for most men than women.