Possible Reasons For Hair Loss
The reasons for hair loss are varied and individual. However, you can do something about some causes. Learn more!
Many reasons for hair loss are temporary and you can do something about it successfully. However, some reasons for hair loss are unrecoverable, so you will have to get used to the situation. Find out more about this topic afterwards!
The reasons for hair loss are many
The reasons for hair loss are very different. Sometimes it is a combination of several causes, rather than just one, that causes your hair to become thinner. There are different types of hair loss:
- permanent hair loss,
- circular hair loss and
- diffuse hair loss.
This post is about the latter. This means hair loss that occurs evenly over the entire scalp hair and is mostly observed in women. It is only when you lose more than 100 hairs per day that you actually speak of hair loss.
If you have long hair, it often looks more threatening than it is: the mass in the brush does it! A typical sign of worrying hair loss is when there is some hair on your pillow in the morning.
How do you find out your reasons for hair loss?
The first step is always the doctor. They will conduct examinations to determine what are the reasons for your hair loss . Your doctor will also know exactly what to do with a specific diagnosis. If there is an intestinal disease behind it, of course you have to act differently than if your medication is the trigger of your hair loss.
In any case, you can ensure that you do not suffer from nutrient-related hair loss yourself by getting used to a balanced diet. All nutrients should be secured through food.
If you are unsure because you have just become a vegetarian or vegan, nutritional advice is worthwhile. It’s about your body – you only have it once! The following reasons for hair loss could be considered:
Thyroid malfunction
If you have an overactive or underactive thyroid, one of the symptoms may be hair loss. Unintentional rapid weight gain (with hypothyroidism) or weight loss (with hyperfunction) are other visible signs of a malfunctioning thyroid. Only the doctor can help with hormones!
Iron deficiency
We women in particular often suffer from iron deficiency. Our diet is often one-sided and unbalanced due to nutritionally nonsensical forms of nutrition, or as vegetarians we do not know which plant-based foods contain what others ingest through meat. We also lose small amounts of blood and iron during menstruation.
The doctor can determine iron deficiency with a blood test and will recommend iron supplements. In the long term, however, only a balanced diet that covers your complete nutritional needs and does not lead to malnutrition will help!
Deficiency symptoms due to malnutrition
Diets that are harmful to health such as FdH, crash diets or zero diets can result in malnutrition because important nutrients, vitamins and minerals are only consumed half (with FdH), not at all (zero diet) or insufficiently (crash diet). A diet should therefore never be undertaken without certified advice.
Furthermore , some intestinal diseases lead to nutrients not being properly absorbed. Bulimia (“anorexia”) also results in malnutrition and hair loss. So: only a balanced diet completely covers the nutritional requirements. If you think you are eating right, the doctor has to act – and rule out an intestinal disease!
Medication
Some drugs have so many side effects that you don’t even want to read the package insert. If you notice hair loss, you should study the package insert for your medication very carefully. Some “everyday medication” such as beta blockers, cholesterol-lowering drugs or blood thinners can be responsible for hair loss!
These medications are vital, please talk to your doctor about alternatives and never stop using them on your own! Also, a general anesthetic may incidentally lead to hair loss. The good thing: after stopping the medication, the hair grows again!
pregnancy
It is not always easy as an expectant mother. As much as you look forward to the baby, you also have to accept some restrictions during pregnancy. Hair loss can, but does not have to be, caused by hormone fluctuations.
Stress from pressure or tension
Our hair roots don’t like pressure. For example, if you are always lying on your back because you are bedridden, a bald spot can form on the back of your head. In the same way, too much tension on the hair follicle (due to braids that are too tight, for example) can lead to hair loss. Badly fitting headgear (e.g. a helmet) can also be the cause.
Skin disorders
There are skin diseases that attack the hair roots and lead to hair loss. These include fungal infections, psoriasis, bacterial or viral infections, herpes or other types of eczema.
Psychological causes
In animal experiments, great stress has led to hair loss. No clear study results are yet available for humans. However, there are mental disorders in which those affected consciously or unconsciously pull out their hair. Those affected then find many possible alleged causes for bald spots. The only thing that can help here is appropriate therapy.
