What Causes Hair Loss?
HAIR TODAY, HOPEFULLY HAIR TOMORROW!
I admit that I have never given more than a passing thought to the life cycle of a strand of hair. Until relatively recently. Every other patient seems to be complaining that they had half as much hair as they had six months ago. Why the sudden uptick? COVID, isolation, new world order stress? The cause will be different for each person but these thing are certainly not helping.
HAIR GROWTH
Did you know that hair goes through four distinctly different growth phases?
Anagen (active growth) phase: your hair grows around half an inch a month, around 6 inches a year and more in the summer, less in the winter (just like your plants!) This phase lasts around 3- 5 years, so full-length hair growth is around 18-30 inches (unless you are Asian and then you have an extended growing season and you can grow hair up to 3 feet long over 7 years!)
Catagen (transitional) phase: Following the anagen phase, this phase signals the end of active hair growth. Individual hair follicles are cut off from a blood supply. This lasts around 10 days. Around 3% of our hairs are in this phase at a time.
Telogen (resting) phase: Strands remain in the follicle but are not actively growing. Around 10-15% of hairs are in this phase at any time. This phase lasts for approximately 90-100 days.
Exogen (final) phase: Individual strands are released from the follicles and fall out.
We typically shed 50-100 hairs a day. We are born with a set number of around 100,000 follicles. Hair loss, thinning, and slow hair growth can happen when the growth cycle is disrupted. Many things can trigger this: hormonal imbalances, metabolic imbalances, stress, illness, nutritional deficiencies, medications, and restrictive dieting.
These things may affect the anagen (growth) phase. For example, 12 weeks after a high fever brought on by COVID or after restrictive dieting due to illness, bikini season or spiritual fasting, you may experience sudden hair fall. The anagen phase has been cut short and many hairs enter the telogen (resting) phase at once and then three months later, they are shed.
If your hair growth cycle is continuously disrupted by a lack of necessary nutrients, your hair may not have the ability to stay in the growth phase long enough to give you long, strong, healthy locks!
POSSIBLE CAUSES OF HAIR LOSS
Go over the list below and check off any causes that might apply to you. Ask your naturopath to run some labs and offer possible solutions.
Stress. Cortisol increases the amount of time your hair spends in the “resting” phase.
Nutrient Deficiencies. Vitamins A, Bs, C, D, E, biotin, iron, zinc, protein are building blocks of hair or contribute to hair growth.
Hormonal Imbalances
Low thyroid
Low estrogen. Estrogen triggers hair follicles to spend more time in the growth phase leading to stronger, longer hair, as many women will attest to with pregnancy.
Testosterone conversion. Into another hormone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which causes follicles to shrink and eventually stop growing altogether. This can be part of the menopausal effect- as estrogen drops, it triggers a relative increase in testosterone (DHT), which creates finer hair with less pigment (aka grey or white)
Genetics. Male and female pattern baldness (see above, DHT)
Childbirth. This may be due to the stress on the body and/or the drop in estrogen.
Medications. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you suspect medications may be connected to your hair loss. Anti-depressants, blood thinners, acne medications, anti-fungals, antibiotics, high doses of Vitamin A, statins, chemotherapeutic agents, blood pressure medications, and beta blockers are just a few of the drugs that can lead to thinning hair.
Illness, autoimmune disease, toxicity or disease can cause stress on the body and contribute to hair loss.
8 HEALTH TIPS TO REDUCE HAIR LOSS
REST. Lay down once or twice a day even if its only for 5-10 minutes.
BREATHE. Spend time breathing fresh air outdoors; take deep full diaphragm breaths.
SLEEP. Get good quality sleep.
PLAY. Old fashioned, in person playtime; charades, monopoly, dancing.
EAT.
o Consume a plentiful variety of organic whole foods - brightly colored vegetables & fruit
o Small amounts of organic grass-fed protein when your body requests
o Maybe a good whole food multivitamin
o Targeted nutrients like some extra biotin, silica and grass-fed collagen
SUPPORT ADRENALS. Meditation, yoga, adaptagenic herbs, and adrenal-targeted nutrients.
USE HEALTHY OILS. Studies have shown that taking omega three fatty acids - aka fish oil and flax seed oil - contributes to healthier hair. You can also massage these oils into your scalp. Try a dropper full of any oil - olive, coconut, grapeseed, jojoba. You may also add scalp-friendly essential oils. Rub in the oil and let it soak in for 15-30 minutes before shampooing.
HEAD RUBS! Head massages and long, luxurious shampooing increase circulation in your scalp.
BONUS: For animal lovers out there… What gives your pet a healthy fur coat? Good nutrition, eliminating food allergens and toxins, low stress, lots of pets and playtime outdoors = silky, shiny coat!
Yours in radiant wellbeing,
Dr. Ajana Miki