Hair Falling Out

Hair loss
Photo: Bigstock
Q: Why is my hair falling out? I’m a 25-year-old woman and I’m already losing a lot of hair. Why? I’m finding a lot of hair in my brush!
 
A: You’ll be surprised by how many women ask this question. But don’t panic yet, you probably don’t have a problem on your hands. Firstly, when the seasons change, or hair tends to fall out in bunches.
 
This is because of the fact that our ancestors relied heavily on their bodily hair to provide heat and coverage during cold times, etc. This isn’t applicable to modern humans anymore, but our hair is still following those biological instructions. Also, each hair has a life cycle between 3-7 years. It may be that you’ve got a large amount of hair on your head that’s on the same cycle period, and thus falling out in droves. But it grows back, so don’t let it bother you.
 
There are certain reasons for losing hair that are less simple:
 
Bad diet: If you don’t eat a healthy, balanced diet, your hair might fall out. Especially when you’re not eating. Have a look at pictures of people who suffer of eating disorders such as bulimia or anorexia. The hair on their heads falls out in droves, just because their body is taking huge strain.
 
A lot of the energy “saved” from having less hair on their heads, is invested in growing lots of small, fluffy hair, (called lanugo), all over the person’s body. This is a last ditch attempt in trying to keep the body warm to “recover” from the stress that it’s going through. The body doesn’t have enough energy to regulate its own temperature.
 
Stress or sickness: If you’re really stressed or sick, your hair will fall out. If this is the case, forget about your hair loss and concentrate on getting better. If you’re super stressed, consider finding a another job, moving to another city, leaving your abusive relationship. Whatever is causing the stress, do your best to sort that out. Your body will recover soon enough.
 
If you’ve had a huge physical or emotional shock: I’ve seen mothers become gray coupled with immense hair loss within a week of losing a child. The effects of emotional shock, loss or heartache are almost always clearly seen in the hair. If this is the case, just concentrate on getting better.
 
If you’ve recently had an operation or have been involved in a car accident or something like that, it is very normal that your hair will fall out. There is also evidence that the anesthesia that they administer before/during surgery can cause hair loss. In most cases this does grow back to a large extent.
 
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See also:
 
How many hairs we lose per day
 
The hair growth cycles
 
Anesthesia and hair loss