Losing hair is not a death sentence. However, some react to it like its an apocalypse that just pretty much puts a period in their life. The reality is you don’t have to break out in hives the moment you lose a strand or two. What is important is that you get the facts straight so you don’t lose hair over all the unnecessary stress.
Your Hair at a Glance
Your hair is actually a very interesting part of your body that holds a lot of unique characteristics. One that most people don’t know is the fact that most of the structure that you see is actually dead. The length of your hair that grows out of your scalp is actually made up of dead cells, and the only part that thrives is the one hidden behind your scalp, or the roots.
Aside from bone marrow, it is also one of the fastest growing tissue in the body. It can grow anywhere in the body with the exception of the eyelids, lips, hands, palm of the hands, the soles of the feet and the mucus membranes. At any given time about 90% of the hairs on your scalp are growing, while the other 10% are resting. The latter explains why you experience falling hairs.
When Does Ordinary Hair Fall Differ From Excessive Hair Loss?
Daily hair loss is a normal phenomenon that stems from the hair’s resting phase. You lose around 50-100 hairs a day, most of the time, without you knowing it! So if you see a few strands on your brush, It doesn’t mean you’re going bald. Balding only begins to be apparent when you lose 50% of the hairs on your scalp.
Ordinary hair fall is actually a normal process that allows your hair to bring in a new and healthy strand in its place. A single hair has a lifespan of five years, so you expect to be losing a number every day since each strand grow at different paces.
What is also important is that you also need to be keen when something already goes awry – like in the instance of excessive hair loss.
Hair usually show signs of deterioration before you finally notice thinning on certain areas of the scalp, or it could come in a diffuse manner. In cases where a person could be affected by androgenetic alopecia (male/female pattern baldness), thyroid conditions, or certain medications and therapy, what happens on the inside is that the hair follicle gradually shrinks. This makes it unable to grow new hair, eventually this leads to hair shedding, and ultimately results in baldness.
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Not everybody is at risk, so that’s a sigh of relief. However, for those who are genetically predisposed, this can be a real challenge. Meanwhile, for people who lose their hair due to medications or certain therapeutic treatment, they may lose it temporarily but they eventually grow it back.
How Do You Respond to Hair Loss?
In dealing with the usual hair fall
Your normal hair loss, as mentioned earlier, should not be a cause for concern. However, you can keep it to a minimum by ensuring that you nourish and care for your hair well. Giving it the right vitamins and minerals will strengthen the structure making them less prone to breakage. On the outside, you should avoid stressing it out by poor hairstyle choices and excessive product use. When you learn to keep the balance, then you significantly lessen hair fall.
In overcoming pattern baldness
If your DNA is already coded with hair loss, it doesn’t mean that you are a lost cause. When you treat it early, you will be able to hold on to those strands better and protect the remaining ones from succumbing to your genetic predisposition.
There is a range of treatments available for such cases. You can go for maintenance medications, but it should be taken with a doctor’s advise and supervision. You may also try laser therapy to help initiate hair growth, or you could take a drastic step towards hair transplant surgery, just as long as you avoid unappealing comb-overs.
In having to content with temporary hair loss due to medications and treatment
Thyroid disease and chemotherapy are among the reasons why a person can lose excessive amounts of hair to the point of balding, albeit being temporary. For thyroid disorders, the hair will be characteristically thin and a person will also experience thinning on the scalp. When you get the proper treatment, you can reduce the reaction significantly. However, realistically speaking, your hair will not be as voluminous as you would wish it to be. Celebrities like Wendy Williams share this struggle, but she deals with it stylishly by wearing wigs.
Chemotherapy, on the other hand, will cause a person to experience severe hair thinning and hair fall. Once the entire course of treatment is finished, a person will eventually grow their hair back, although the quality may not be the same prior to chemo.
Hair shedding shouldn’t be an end all and be all that would have you settling for a life of being hairless. The earlier you detect it, and when you know the exact causes, you can prevent the possibility of going bald. The best course of action is to act quickly. When there is significant amount of hair already falling off, go to your doctor right away.
It is only when a prompt diagnosis is made that you reduce your chances of a full blown hair exodus from your scalp. Be keen on the signs, and act accordingly.
If you have more questions, or if you see that you already need professional advise with your hair fall problem, come talk to us. Let’s talk and see what can be done. Send us your questions or book your consultation here.
