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Stress and Hair Loss:
A Double Dose of Anxiety
| It's
difficult to be under stress and hair loss can make it even
worse. Find out how stress affects
hair loss and what you can do about it. |
 We
have all had days when stress makes us feel like pulling our hair
out, but can stress actually cause hair loss? The (perhaps
surprising) answer is yes, stress and hair loss are
linked.
Medical experts cite extreme stress as the cause of two different forms
of hair loss: telogen effluvium and alopecia
areata. To
understand how stress can affect your hair, it is helpful to know how
hair grows.
How Hair Grows
Hair grows from the hair follicles just under your skin's
surface. Your soft tresses are composed of the same protein
(keratin) that your nails are. The follicles produce live
keratin cells, but the hair you see is composed of dead keratin cells.
Each follicle has a life cycle of its own, which is divided into three
periods: anagen, catagen, and telogen. The anagen stage is
the growth stage and it can last from two to six years. The
catagen stage is a two or three week transitional period between the
growth stage and the resting stage. The telogen stage is the
resting period, which lasts eight to twelve weeks. At the end
of the resting period, your old hairs are shed and new hair replaces
them as the growth cycle starts.
The majority of your scalp follicles are growing hair at the same time,
but the rate of growth can be affected by your health, your age, and
your stress levels.
It is normal to lose some hair every day. The average adult
has over 100,000 strands of hair on their scalp and it is common to
lose around a 100 strands a day. Don't worry about some hair
loss, unless it is excessive or you begin to notice that your hair
looks noticeably thinner.
Stress and Hair Loss: How are they
related?
One-time Stressful Events
Chances are if you are suffering from telogen
effluvium hair loss you
will have some idea of the source of the stress. This
condition with the tongue-twisting name is directly linked to a serious
one-time stressful event such as surgery, injury, or sickness.
When the body experiences a stressful event such as injury, surgery, or
illness it responds by targeting all its energy to recovering from the
problem, rather than growing hair, nails, and so on. Many
hair follicles enter into a resting stage prematurely and hair from the
resting follicles begins to fall out at a noticeable rate two to three
months after the initial problem. You might notice big
handfuls in your brush or comb, or on the floor.
This type of stress related hair loss is certainly alarming, but there
is no cause for concern. You can't go bald from telogen
effluvium hair loss, although on some days it may seem like you
might. Experts assure us that hair lost from this form of
stress will return in six to nine months, likely just as
thick and
healthy as ever.
Chronic Stress
Hair loss from the stress of a one time
health problem does not
need treatment, but the stress-related hair loss caused by alopecia
areata
frequently does need treatment. Alopecia areata is believed
to be caused by chronic stress as well as genetic factors and is itself
quite stressful and distressful.
Alopecia areata is an inflammatory disease--your immune system on
overdrive. Hair growth is stopped when white cells (the
body's
disease fighters) mistakenly attack the hair
follicles. The affected hairs begin falling out
shortly after the growth stops. Round bald spots occur with
alopecia and some unfortunate patients may become entirely
bald. Medical treatments help some people, but not all
alopecia patients.
Will my Hair Ever Grow Back?
Fortunately, in both telogen effluvium and alopecia areata the hair
follicles are not damaged; they are simply dormant.
It is rare for telogen effluvium to lead to permanently thinner hair.
In alopecia areata, your hair may return on its own after a period of
several months. Sometimes hair re-grows in alopecia areata
only to fall out once more. It is not unusual for alopecia
areata patients to experience several cycles of hair loss and
re-growth. The returning hair maybe thinner, finer, and even
a different color than previously. While this cycle of hair
re-growth is frustrating, it is a sign that the hair follicles are
still working.
Stress and hair loss are linked. If you are suffering from
hair loss caused by stress you can take heart
that it is likely not a permanent condition. Remember that
stressing over the problem can just make matters worse.
Instead of fretting, take simple steps towards a healthier lifestyle
and you may find that stress-induced hair loss eases on its own.
"Treating
Stress-Related Hair Loss" may be your next step.
If you are under stress and your hair loss bothers you, this is a good
incentive to de-stress your life. You may find these articles helpful:
Aromatherapy
for Stress Relief
Thoughts
on Stress Free Living
Chronic Stress
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