Hair and Health
Bald spots or sudden hair loss. In some cases, your hair can tell you something about your health. Wondering what your hair condition says about your health? So keep reading!
What is Hair Loss?
Hair loss is a natural process that everyone faces. It is normal to lose an average of fifty to one hundred strands of hair per day. If you lose significantly more hair per day, it’s usually more. Hair loss usually starts on or around your head.
What are the Causes of Hair Loss?
Too much hair loss can have various causes.
Shock: Losing a lot of hair suddenly is usually related to a shock in your body system. Surgery, childbirth, fast diets, severe stress, and an underactive or fast thyroid gland can force your hair into a resting phase. After about two months, you will see the hair fall out, this is also called telogen effluvium. In this case, the hair can literally fall out in clumps. Usually, new hair starts to grow immediately after shedding.
Medications: Some medications can cause hair loss as a side effect. These include hormones, antidepressants, the birth control pill, cytostatics, chemotherapy, and medications for high blood pressure, gout, and arthritis. Your hair will normally grow back when the medication is discontinued, but some medications can cause permanent hair loss. Therefore, consult your doctor about possible side effects.
Aging: A bald spot in the hair and graying temples are signs of aging. These are also nothing to worry about, they don’t always have to be a sign of aging. If it turns gray before age 40, there’s a good chance it’s genetically determined. It may also be associated with anemia, vitamin B12 deficiency, thyroid disease or vitiligo.
Doing Hair Too Tight: Bald spots are caused by pulling hair too tightly into a ponytail or braids. Also, the weight of the hair extensions can pull the hair follicle too much, causing the hair to break or fall out. Sometimes people unconsciously but necessarily pull their hair. This is called trichotillomania. As soon as you change your hairstyle or stop pulling, your hair will grow back. Be careful, pulling your hair back too tight for a long time can cause permanent hair loss.
Care: Dry and lifeless hair? In most cases, you need to take better care of your hair. Therefore, do not blow dry your hair too often and/or too hot, do not bleach, do not expose it to sunlight and do not style it with aggressive cosmetics.
Nutrients: In some cases, it has to do with a lack of certain nutrients. Your hair needs protein, iron, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc and vitamin A to stay healthy. An extreme diet can cause a deficiency of these nutrients, resulting in dull and brittle hair. In extreme cases, even hair may fall out.
Hair root disease: Spot baldness can also be caused by alopecia areata, a hair root disease. When your immune system is impaired, for example due to an infection or disease, your immune system may produce substances that target the hair follicle. The hair follicle gets sick and falls out. The course of spot baldness is variable. Two-thirds of people recover spontaneously within a year. Hair loss is harmless in most cases. However, it can sometimes indicate the presence of underlying diseases.
Syphilis: In an advanced stage of syphilis, the hairy parts of your body are also affected. As a result, the hair follicles become infected, causing some small areas to become temporarily bald. You can recognize this from a pattern of baldness that moths eat.
When should you go to the doctor?
Do you suspect that your damaged hair condition is related to a situation? Then consult your doctor and try to find out what the underlying cause is. In this way, you can solve the problem in a targeted way.
