Dermatologist and skin specialist
MBBS with 15+ Years of Experience in Dermatology
FIND YOUR HAIR FALL REASONS
Hair is rightly referred to as the ‘crowning glory’. A head full of hair is desired by both men and women. Hair fall is a common problem with multiple factors contributing to it. Hair fall/ hair thinning leads to low self-esteem and self-image. Often youngsters feel low in confidence, they start avoiding social interaction and use camouflaging methods to hide hair loss. All this proves that loss of hair affects them mentally and emotionally.
Hair problems like excess hair fall and damaged/lustre less hair is often quite disturbing. These issues can be commonly identified when one notices more hair fall after hair wash, after combing, hair on the pillow after you wake up, hair clogging the drain, when the scalp starts to show and the hair follicles are unable to cover the scalp. Problems of detoriation in hair quality are identified as difficulty in hair combing, when hair tangle in the teeth of you comb, become frizzier after a wash, don’t grow properly and when multiple short hair follicles appear which don’t grow. These are common symptoms and can be spotted in day-to-day life.
A simple test that helps to determine hair fall is the “Hair pull test”. This is performed by grabbing 20-40 hair strands about an inch above your scalp between the thumb and forefinger and pulling the hair hard enough, and then sliding your fingers gently along the hair shaft to the tip. We count the number of hair strands that fall out. Upto six strands are normal. Greater than six require medical attention. It’s important to consider that this test helps to identify that you have hair fall and doesn’t help in diagnosing the cause of hair fall.
WHAT IS HAIR FALL?
Hair loss or hair thinning is a hair problem characterized by loss of more than 100-150 strands a day. The amount of hair fall can range to mild, moderate or severe depending on the amount of hair fall. There are various factors that trigger hair fall. Nutritional deficiency like anemia, vitamin deficiency are common causes. It can also occur due to metabolic conditions like thyroid disorders, stress, malignancy and secondary to certain medications. Chronic medical illness like typhoid, infection with COVID-19 and post-partum. Sudden weight loss is often associated with hair fall. Besides this poor hair hygiene, severe dandruff, scalp psoriasis are other triggers. In any person who complains of hair fall it is always advisable to find the underlying cause for appropriate treatment.
SYMPTOMS OF HAIRFALL ONE MUST WATCH OUT!
GRADUAL HAIR THINNING ON TOP OF THE HEAD /PATTERNED HAIR LOSS:
Common pattern of hair thinning in men and women. In men it resembles the letter M on their receding hairline while for women there is thinning on the top of their head with widening of the parting line with intact forehead hairline.
CIRCULAR OR PATCHY BALD SPOTS/ ALOPECIA AREATA:
These are circular, coin-sized, bald spots with smooth shiny skin which usually appear on the scalp but sometimes appear on beards, eyebrow and other body parts.
SUDDEN HAIR LOSS/ ACUTE TELOGEN EFFLUVIUM:
Shock or trauma (emotional or physical) can cause a sudden shift of hair from growing to falling phase causing a large number to telogen hair follicles which shed together. Common symptom is hair thinning in a short period without any bald spot. Hair fall is severe and noticed while combing, after hair wash and hair are noticed clogging the drain.
It is easy to understand when someone is witnessing hair fall. It’s equally important to know some common tips which can help overcome this problem. Being aware of the causes for hair fall can help us treat the problem in a better way. Below mentioned are some answers to the question, “What are the causes of hair fall?
WHAT ARE THE REASONS FOR HAIR FALL?
A] Common causes of hair fall
1. Stress:
Even though emotional stress is less likely to cause hair loss in comparison to physical stress, it can still happen in cases like divorce, ageing parents or death of a loved ones. A hair fall tip to combat stress and anxiety with yoga, meditation and talk therapy would be helpful.2. Eating habits:
Vitamin deficiency tops the list of the causes of hair fall. Low levels of vitamin B and lack of essential nutrients are common reasons for hair fall. It happens when the diet is not wholesome and there is a lack of nutrients in the diet. One of the tips for this hair fall problem would be to stay away from foods that cause hair loss and instead indulge in nutritious foods like lean proteins and plentiful fruits and vegetables.3. Lack of Proteins:
Protein deficiency is a common cause of hair fall. If there isn’t enough protein in your diet, there is more protein breakdown in the body. This depletes the hair to necessary protein they require to grow and stops the inflow of keratin to hair. Hair growth tip is to consume more protein and essential fats.4. Chemical led Products/Wrong Products:
Using incorrect hair products is one of the common reasons for hair fall. It’s always good to use products which maintain hair health and reduce hair fall. For example, using an anti-dandruff shampoo and conditioner for dry or damaged hair would not help you solve the problem. Rather, use a shampoo which is formulated to help you resolve hair fall problem in a targeted manner. Pantene hair fall control shampoo and conditioner are your go-to products as they are imbued with Pro-Vitamin B5 and fermented rice water, both of which work wonders to help control hair fall.5. Heredity:
An important cause as genetic variability can trigger hair fall. Patterned hair loss is inherited in both men and women. Multiple genes have been identified which trigger hair fall. This is the common reason why we say that hair fall runs in families.6. Dramatic Weight Loss:
Sudden weight loss is a kind of trauma even when the weight loss is planned. Whether the weight loss is planned when one intentionally reduces diet to when its unplanned and one practises unhealthy eating habits which trigger hair fall. A hair fall tip is to eat a balanced diet with adequate as these are the building blocks for the hair. So eat a balanced diet and stay well hydrated.B] Hair fall reasons in women
1. Birth control:
While we know pregnancy hormones can be one of the common causes of hair fall but so can switching to or going off birth control pills. It may be more likely to happen if you have a family history of hair loss. A change in the hormonal balance during menopause can have a similar effect. Some hair growth tips for such situations would be to consult a doctor and/or switch to a different birth control.2. Pregnancy:
Pregnancy can lead estrogen levels to rise. During this phase, hair feels thicker & more lustrous due to the excess estrogen in the body. However, about 3-4 months after pregnancy is done, hormone levels start to normalize. This dip in estrogen may be one of the biggest hair fall reasons causing hair fall post pregnancy.3. PCOS and PCOD:
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome also leads to major physical changes in the body. PCOS is a lifestyle condition that brings a lot of changes to a female body, one of them being massive hair loss. If you are experiencing tremendous hair fall it is always advised to take a medical consultation.4. Thyroid:
Our body consists of hormones T3 and T4 that are produced by the thyroid gland. When the production is affected in some way, this has a domino effect of affecting other processes in the body. One of the key body parts that gets affected is the development of hair at the roots i.e., your hair growth cycle. Your hair starts to fall out and doesn’t get replaced with new hair strands. It could happen from your scalp to eyebrows, body hair too. But the most common and visible place of Hair Fall is your scalp.5. Menopause:
During menopause, the production of estrogen and progesterone are lowered. These are the hormones responsible for hair to grow faster and stay longer on your head. So, when there is a decrease in the usual production of these hormones, hair tends to thin down and fall, causing hairfall.6. Smoking:
Smoking causes blood vessels to shrink and block blood circulation reach to the hair follicles due to the toxic chemicals present in cigarettes. Due to this, important nutrients are unable to reach your hair which results in hair fall.Now that we are aware of the reasons for hair loss, most of us might wonder if there are any preventative steps we can take, to ensure that hair fall is reigned in before it gets out of hand. Here are a few.
HAIR FALL TREATMENTS
One way to deal with hair fall is to opt for hair loss treatments:
a. Medication
Evaluation to find if there is any nutritional deficiency like anemia, thyroid disorder or PCOS is important when someone presents with hair fall. Certain blood investigations may be required to confirm this. Treating any medical condition if any exists is an essential part of the treatment. Timely consultation with your dermatologist will help you in this regard. However, even if you do not have such serious conditions, under an expert’s supervision you can still opt for nutritional supplements in order to prevent hair fall.b. Medical Procedures
Apart from the medications, there are a number of other medical procedures that you can choose from such as laser therapy where low-level lasers are used to improve hair density for people with genetic hair loss. You can consult with an expert to get the right hair fall treatment to help stimulate hair growth.HOW TO PREVENT HAIR FALL
NO EXCUSES FOR FREQUENT HAIR WASH
If you want to prevent hair loss and have a healthy scalp, you just have to follow this simple step - wash your hair at least 3 times a week. Besides, always use a mild shampoo while taking a shower. It's because strong shampoo will dry hair excessively making them prone to more breakage.
SHUN ALL CHEMICALS
Yes, we are talking about perms, hair colour and various other chemical treatments which can damage your scalp, thus leading to a hair fall problem. Make sure you use organic hair dyes or vegetable derived hair colours. Try this shift and you’ll see your hair fall problem reduce drastically.
HIGH ON PROTEINS
Several researchers have claimed that a protein-rich diet may help you in saying goodbye to hair loss. Wondering what you should be having? Well, you can include eggs, peas, chicken, nuts etc. to your diet and flee from the problem of hair loss.
DROP THE SMOKE
Along with all the other countless problems, smoking is also responsible for causing hair loss. When you smoke, there is vasoconstriction which reduces blood circulation thereby making hair follicles weak and fragile, triggering hair fall. Hence, we advise to restrict smoking and follow a healthy lifestyle.
USE A CONDITIONER
Do not, we repeat, do not skip a conditioner, no matter how pressed for time you may be. Conditioner helps close the cuticles of your hair that are opened when you use a shampoo. This ensures that your hair lock in the moisture and stay strong and healthy. Skipping a conditioner can cause your hair to become porous, weak and therefore, more prone to hair fall. Use Pantene 2-in-1 Advanced hair fall solution which works as both a shampoo and conditioner. This will help you ensure you give your hair all the conditioner-loving even on days when you are in a hurry.
Apart from all the above-mentioned holistic hair falls tips to take care of, a simple daily activity of using the right products can really improve the health and the strength of your hair. Using Pantene hair fall control shampoo which has the powerful formula of Pro-V strengthens your hair and reduces hair fall. For best results follow the hair wash with Pantene hair fall control conditioner which nourishes your hair from root to tip and helps keep the hair fall problem at bay.
MYTHS ABOUT HAIR LOSS
Hair loss myths are even more popular than self-proclaimed hair fall pundits. Most of these myths such as ‘all hair fall is permanent’ and ‘hair falls always are due to an underlying disease’ are absolutely false. Our expert suggests you while it’s always a good idea to seek help from a professional, some self-examination tests like running your hand through the hair and then improving your hair hygiene can be done at home as well. If you’re still unsure you can seek your dermatologist for a better diagnosis and treatment.
All references on this page to *Strength, **Hairfall and ***Breakage refer to *strength against surface damage, **hairfall due to breakage vs. non-conditioning shampoo and ***breakage vs non-conditioning shampoo respectively.
Show References
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