hair fall

Hair Loss and Its Causes

What is the normal cycle of hair growth and loss?

As you leave your teenage years behind and enter your 20s you realize that hair loss is an affliction that affects everybody, although in varying degrees of severity.

To distinguish normal hairfall from abnormal hair loss, one must understand the hair cycle. Each strand of the scalp goes through a growing phase termed 'anagen', lasting about 1000 days, a transitional phase called 'catagen', lasting 10 days (the hair stops growing during catagen) and the final resting phase called 'telogen', which lasts 100 days -- the hair then falls out of the follicle to be replaced by a new strand of hair, which will go through the same three phases.

There are roughly 1,00,000 hairs on the average scalp and thus it is said that upto 100 hair strands dying and falling out each day is normal. Most people, however, feel that they should not be losing even a single strand, which is obviously impossible. Hair, as per its life cycle, will grow and periodically fall out -- normal hair loss should not be stressed over, as the 100 strands that fall out are replaced by new ones produced by the scalp.

What causes excessive hair loss?

Stress:A number of things can cause excessive hair loss. For example, about 3 or 4 months after an illness or a major surgery, you may suddenly lose a large amount of hair. This hair loss is related to the stress of the illness and is temporary.


Poor nutrition comes a close second, with crash dieting often to blame. Girls starving themselves to look like Kareena Kapoor often pay for it with severe hair loss after six to eight weeks.

Hormonal problems :may cause hair loss. If your thyroid gland is overactive or underactive, your hair may fall out. This hair loss usually can be helped by treatment thyroid disease. Hair loss may occur if male or female hormones, known as androgens and estrogens, are out of balance. Correcting the hormone imbalance may stop your hair loss.

Post-Pregnency:Many women notice hair loss about 3 months after they've had a baby. This loss is also related to hormones. During pregnancy, high levels of certain hormones cause the body to keep hair that would normally fall out. When the hormones return to pre-pregnancy levels, that hair falls out and the normal cycle of growth and loss starts again.

Medicines:Some medicines can cause hair loss. This type of hair loss improves when you stop taking the medicine. Medicines that can cause hair loss include blood thinners (also called anticoagulants), medicines used for gout, medicines used in chemotherapy to treat cancer, vitamin A (if too much is taken), birth control pills and antidepressants.

Certain infections can cause hair loss. Fungal infections of the scalp can cause hair loss in children. The infection is easily treated with antifungal medicines.

Finally, hair loss may occur as part of an underlying disease, such as lupus or diabetes. Since hair loss may be an early sign of a disease, it is important to find the cause so that it can be treated.

Management of hairfall :
Taking Right Care
If you want to keep hair healthy, start by feeding it from the inside out.

Balanced Diet for Healthy Hair Eating a diet that has lots of vitamins, minerals and a well-balanced one will make hair strong and shiny. Extra Care while Combing Be careful when you're combing your hair after washing it because it's extra delicate when it's wet. Avoid Chemical Damage Go easy on the styling products and straightners, which can damage hair and make it weak. Tie Them Loose When you're combing or brushing your hair, do it gently, and keep braids and ponytails loose so they don't hurt your hair by pulling it too tightly.

Can improper care of my hair cause hair loss?

Yes. If you wear pigtails or cornrows or use tight hair rollers, the pull on your hair can cause a type of hair loss called traction alopecia (say: al-oh-pee-sha). If the pulling is stopped before scarring of the scalp develops, your hair will grow back normally. However, scarring can cause permanent hair loss. Hot oil hair treatments or chemicals used in permanents (also called "perms") may cause inflammation (swelling) of the hair follicle, which can result in scarring and hair loss.

What is common baldness?

The term "common baldness" usually means male-pattern baldness, or permanent-pattern baldness. Male-pattern baldness is the most common cause of hair loss in men. Men who have this type of hair loss usually have inherited the trait. Men who start losing their hair at an early age tend to develop more extensive baldness. In male-pattern baldness, hair loss typically results in a receding hair line and baldness on the top of the head.

Women may develop female-pattern baldness. In this form of hair loss, the hair can become thin over the entire scalp.

Is there any treatment for hair loss?

Depending on your type of hair loss, treatments are available. If a medicine is causing your hair loss, your doctor may be able to prescribe a different medicine. Recognizing and treating an infection may help stop the hair loss. Correcting a hormone imbalance may prevent further hair loss.

Medicines may also help slow or prevent the development of common baldness. One medicine, minoxidil (brand name: Rogaine), is available without a prescription. It is applied to the scalp. Both men and women can use it. Another medicine, finasteride (brand name: Propecia) is available with a prescription. It comes in pills and is only for men. It may take up to 6 months before you can tell if one of these medicines is working.

If adequate treatment is not available for your type of hair loss, you may consider trying different hairstyles or wigs, hairpieces, hair weaves or artificial hair replacement or even surgical methods