Take the Hairguard Quiz here: In today's video Is LOSING Hair Strands NORMAL? The Not So Simple Answer..., we go through the different conditions that cause hair loss. Find out which one you have and whether or not you should worry about it.
Reference Studies:
Full Transcript:
Have you noticed you’re losing lots of hair and started to worry you might be going bald? We all lose hair every day of our life, but there are limits to where normal hair loss stops and various pathologies of the scalp begin. We will tell you all about it in today’s video.
Hey guys Leon here and welcome to the Hairguard YouTube channel. On this channel we do tons of science backed videos, all about how you can combat hair loss and regrow healthy hair. If you want updating on any of the latest hair loss news, make sure to subscribe and hit that big bell underneath me, the notifications button.
So let’s get into it. Losing strands of hair – is it normal or should you be worried? And if it’s not normal, what could be to blame?
The hair cycle & normal hair loss
Now to understand why we lose any hair at all we need to go back to basics. So let’s revisit the hair cycle, which was first described about a hundred years ago.
Each hair on the scalp grows out of a structure hidden underneath the skin that is called the hair follicle.
Like everything else on our body, the follicle is a dynamic organ that is in constant change. But what is particular about follicles is that they are always cycling through 3 distinct stages, which together make up the hair cycle.
For most of the time follicles are in the anagen, or growth phase. This can last for up to 5 or 8 years, and during this time it is almost impossible for a hair to fall out, unless you pull on it really hard. The follicle then goes into a very brief regression stage called catagen, which lasts 2 to 3 weeks. It then enters into its last stage, the resting stage. This resting stage is called telogen, and it typically lasts 3 to 4 months. During telogen the hair follicle has shrank and receded towards the surface of the skin, giving rise to a so-called “club hair” that is easy to pull out. After this the follicles goes back into the growth or anagen phase, and the whole cycle repeats itself.
At any point in time around 80% to 90% of hairs on a man’s scalp are in anagen, and almost all the remaining ones are in telogen, except for maybe a 1 or 2 percent that are in catagen. Because the club hairs that we find in telogen are weakly attached to the follicle, they can fall off with such simple actions as combing or shampooing your hair, running your hand through your hair or even through simple friction like your head rubbing against your pillow while you’re sleeping. Now out of the 100 thousand or so follicles on our head, it is normal to lose around 50 to 100 telogen hairs a day as part of the normal hair cycle. But when you find yourself losing more, to the point where you can pull out entire clumps of hair, this means that your hair cycle has been disrupted. There are a few possible causes for this, which we will go through now.
Telogen effluvium
A common condition that can lead to whole clumps of hair falling out is telogen effluvium. The dictionary definition of effluvium is “an unpleasant or harmful discharge”. As the name implies, in telogen effluvium there is a sudden shift towards the telogen phase of the hair cycle, and the percentage of hairs on the scalp that are in telogen rise dramatically. The onset is very rapid, and within a matter of a few weeks there will be noticeable thinning on the head, and this will usually be diffuse, or generalized over a large area of the head.
Telogen effluvium is usually linked to a trigger event that took place 2 to 3 months prior to the onset of the hair loss. The most common trigger events are severe stress, high fever, surgery, injury, drug use, malnutrition, thyroid complications, as well as pregnancy in women. There is no medical treatment for telogen effluvium, and if you are diagnosed with this condition you should work towards a more healthy diet and lifestyle, and try to cut down on your levels of stress. On a positive note, in most people with telogen effluvium, hair loss will stop within approximately 6 months.
Alopecia areata
Alopecia areata is another condition characterized by an abrupt and massive transition of hairs to telogen and accompanying hair loss. But the feature that usually distinguishes alopecia areata from telogen effluvium is the pattern of hair loss.
-------------------------------
Disclaimer
This video is for educational purposes only and is not intended to treat, diagnose or cure any disease.
0 Comments