It can sometimes feel like your hair is everywhere in your shower drain, in your hairbrush, on your sheets, on your clothes \u2014 but just because you\u2019re seeing it shed doesn\u2019t necessarily mean you\u2019re experiencing hair loss. You\u2019re supposed to lose about 100 strands every single day, no matter how you wash or style your hair, Dr Amitabh Kumar, skin specialist, Max Hospital, Delhi says. But when you notice your hair\u2019s not growing back after it sheds, or if you\u2019re losing clumps that seem outside the norm, it\u2019s usually a sign of or reaction to something else (or in many cases, multiple things) happening in your body, he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a lot of cases, dermatologists can trace your intense shedding back to telogen effluvium, a hair loss condition caused by a big change in your body, which can be anything from stress to starting a new medication. It\u2019ll be pretty tough for you to self-diagnose, so seeing a doctor and telling him\/her everything that\u2019s going on with you will be crucial,\u201d Dr Kumar says.<\/p>\n
The trauma of seeing your hair fall can bring out a range of emotions, from helplessness to just plain confusion. Look out for these probable reasons for your hair loss and hair shedding.<\/p>\n
Having a baby
\nPeople who just had a baby usually experience periods of \u2018aggressive shedding\u2019 about three to four months after giving birth, Dr Kumar. Estrogen levels are usually higher during pregnancy (which is why your hair is thicker), and then they drop suddenly after you give birth, he says. It\u2019s very common, and usually the person\u2019s hair will grow back to its normal fullness by the time the baby turns one.<\/p>\n
Thyroid conditions
\nSomeone with a thyroid condition like hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism can experience hair loss, Dr Kumar says. \u201cThere are hormone receptors at the hair follicles, so in women where there\u2019s an androgen hormone environment, that can contribute to the hair loss,\u201d he says. Unfortunately, some thyroid drugs can also contribute to hair loss.<\/p>\n
Emotional stress
\nDay to day stress doesn\u2019t usually cause hair loss, but when something significantly stressful happens (like the death of a loved one) it can definitely cause hair loss, skin specialist with AMRI Hospital, Prasanjit Bhattacharya says. \u201cStress that leads to loss of sleep or weight alteration could alter your cortisol to the point where it would also alter your normal hair cycle,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Tight or damaging hairstyles
\n\u201cAny constant hairstyle that pulls the hair back so there\u2019s pressure at the root like ponytails can cause traction alopecia,\u201d Dr Bhattacharya says. Wearing extensions or wigs that clip in or are glued to existing hair puts more stress on your strands. Other treatments like bleach, dye, and perms can weaken your hair.<\/p>\n
Hereditary baldness
\nMale and female pattern baldness is the most common type of hair loss and is genetic, Dr Bhattacharya says. \u201cIt\u2019s a complete myth that it all comes from your mother\u2019s side, so everyone can stop blaming their mother for their hair problems.\u201d Hereditary baldness affects is usually caused by many other factors.<\/p>\n
Sudden weight loss or diet change
\nWhen you lose a lot of weight rapidly, your body counts that as an inciting event, Dr Kumar says. Making a big diet change, like cutting out an entire food group, can also make your hair shed because your body isn\u2019t getting the same nutrients that it did before. If you did make a big change, Dr Kumar says tracking your food for just three consistent days can be a helpful way to assess whether or not your new diet is balanced. \u201cIt\u2019s usually easy to figure out where you can add a protein boost, like some more curd and milk,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
New medication
\nHair loss is a huge side effect for so many different types of prescription medications: Anti-convulsants, blood pressure and tons more \u2014 even OTC heartburn medications. These meds can cause chronic hair loss that\u2019s really difficult to treat unless you find a medication that won\u2019t cause hair loss. Dr Kumar says, \u201cIf the hair loss is really bugging you, you\u2019ll need to work with your doctor to figure out whether you have other options or if the benefits of the medication outweigh the hair loss.\u201d<\/p>\n
An autoimmune disease
\nIf you notice your hair falling out in clear patches that aren\u2019t growing back, this could be a sign that you have an autoimmune form of hair loss called, alopecia areata. Unlike telogen effuvium, this is considered \u201cscarring\u201d hair loss, because the hairs don\u2019t grow back.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It can sometimes feel like your hair is everywhere in your shower drain, in your hairbrush, on your sheets, on your clothes \u2014 but just because you\u2019re seeing it shed doesn\u2019t necessarily mean you\u2019re experiencing hair loss. You\u2019re supposed to lose about 100 strands every single day, no matter how you wash or style your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37802,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[239],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blastingskyhawk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blastingskyhawk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blastingskyhawk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blastingskyhawk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blastingskyhawk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37801"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blastingskyhawk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37801\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37803,"href":"https:\/\/blastingskyhawk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37801\/revisions\/37803"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blastingskyhawk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blastingskyhawk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blastingskyhawk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blastingskyhawk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}