Are you upset with your hair loss? These may be the reasons

Has your hair loss become a constantly worrying problem to you? A person loses around 100 hairs a day – quite natural. But the problem comes when these hairs are not being replenished. In the case of permanent hair loss, hair follicles are destroyed and replaced with scar tissues. This prevents the regrowth/replacement of lost hair. Every problem’s solution lies in the root cause of that problem. Let’s see why hair loss occurs.

Hereditary

Due to genetic inheritance, men may develop bald spots on their head during their mid-40s and women may experience thinning of their hair during the same timeline. This cause is not curable as it is genetic.

Hormonal changes

This happens to both men and women. If women undergo physical changes due to hormones, it is called menopause. Women tend to lose hair during pregnancy, childbirth, menopause and thyroid problems. Men tend to lose hair during old age. Diseases like alopecia areata (patchy hair loss), ringworm (causes scalp infections), trichotillomania (causes a person to involuntarily pull off his or her hair) also cause permanent hair loss.

Some specific treatments

The treatments given for some diseases like cancer, arthritis, depression, heart problems, gout and high blood pressure (BP) cause permanent hair loss. If a person is lucky enough to survive those diseases, hair transplanting can be done. Chemo therapy for cancer treatment is a common cause in this category. The X-Rays used to treat cancer damage hair follicles and cause a permanent loss of hair. The hair follicles become deprived of nutrition and cannot nourish the growth of new hair.

Emotional trauma

When a person is under a lot of emotional stress due to sudden shocking events or due to work pressure, it can cause hair to fall. If the stress is for a short duration, the hair fall is temporary, and hair regrows later on. If there is prolonged emotional stress (for years on end), then the hair follicle gets damaged and hair does not grow back.

Certain hair styles and hair treatments

Certain hairstyles like pigtails or cornrows in which a lot of heat is applied to the hair can damage your hair and cause your hair to fall. Hot oil hair treatments can cause inflammation of hair follicles and ultimately, permanent hair loss. Use of below quality gels and chemicals for hair treatments like hair straightening and colouring have become common. These gels may be manufactured using some chemicals where their after effects have not been researched yet.

Insufficient nutrition

A deficiency of certain nutrients like Zinc, Iron, Copper, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, and Biotin can cause your hair follicles to become malnourished and lead to permanent hair fall.

In the case of kids, hair fall may be due to some more specific reasons:

Tinea Capitis

This is a fungal infection that occurs in circular patches on the scalp. The hair breaks off near the surface of the scalp giving the appearance of many black dots on the scalp. The fungus destroys many hair follicles over time and causes patches of baldness (white patches of baldness). This infection is also nicknamed ‘scalp ringworm’ due to the circular patches of baldness caused. This infection is contagious. So, the patient should not share his or her pillows, comb, shampoo, hair oil or hair clip with others.

Alopecia Areata

This is a rare type of disorder. In this disorder, WBCs in the body attack hair follicles and malnourish (destroy) them. This leads to permanent hair loss. A hair transplant is the only known remedy to this disorder.

Read this article to get tips on how to maintain a stronger hair.