There can be many causes for thinning hair but not all necessarily mean you are going bald. We are going to review some of these causes in detail today, but before we do that, lets have a quick look at hair growth and try a test to see if you are losing your hair.
At any one time approximately ninety percent of your hair is growing and the other ten is resting. It is when your hair is resting that it is likely to fall out so if all of a sudden you see a lot of hair in the plughole or on your comb then this may be the reason why.
A quick little test to see if you are going bald is the tug test. Basically the tug test requires that you take about 20 or so strands of hair between thumb and forefinger and pull slowly and firmly. If you lose about 6 strands or so then you may be going bald.
That said let us now look at five of the possible reasons behind hair loss:
1. Chemicals – Everyday we are subject to loads of different chemicals attacking our skin and it’s no different when it comes to our hair. People do lots of things to make their hair more attractive using colors and bleach etc… However you may be thinking I have never done that and yet I am still losing hair, well if that’s the case let me point you in the direction of your shampoo. Many shampoos contain a chemical called Sodium Laureth Sulfate, and this cleans and degreases your hair, but it can thin your hair out too-so check your shampoo. You may want to use a milder version.
2. Medications – If you are on medication then sometimes this can also have an effect on your hair and may cause it to fall out. Some drugs used for antidepressants, contraception, arthritis and even antibiotics have been linked with hair loss and there are more you could add to that list. Also if you are unlucky enough to be going through any kind of radiation or chemotherapy, then you will be aware that will have an effect on your hair too.
3. Hormones – Hormones are raging through our body all the time, in men too much testosterone can turn to DHT which will cause hair loss and in women a lack of estrogen which normally blocks testosterone can lead to hair loss. In the case of women a solution for this is quite often found in hormone replacement therapy.
4. Poor Circulation – Hair like anything in the body needs to nourished to thrive, and poor circulation can have a negative effect on your hair because it means not enough oxygen and red blood cells are getting to the scalp to the follicles.
5. Immune System – There are certain types of alopecia which can occur through disorders in the immune system and they can have various effects on a persons hair from partial hair loss to total baldness tight the way through to losing all of the body hair.
These are just a few of the things that can be behind what causes baldness, however the list is not exhaustive and if you are concerned about hair loss then you may want to seek expert advice or do further research into ways how to prevent hair loss.
