Causes of Hair Loss: An In-Depth Overview
Hair loss is a widespread problem that can affect people of all ages, races, and nationalities in the world. Although more often than not it is looked upon as a problem of a purely aesthetic nature, hair loss can be a considerable factor in someone’s personality, mood, and health. The main goal of learning the causes of hair loss is not only timely diagnosis and treatment but also that, it should not lead to emotional suffering alone where not necessary. Hair loss causality is multifaceted and brings together the genetic, hormonal, medical, environmental, as well as lifestyle factors. This article gives an in-depth insight into the most common and some lesser-known reasons behind hair loss.
1. Genetic Predisposition (Androgenetic Alopecia)
The majority of the male and female population suffering from hair loss experience androgenetic alopecia, a term also used to describe male-pattern baldness or female-pattern hair loss. This genetic disorder accounts for more than 90% of all the instances of hair loss. It is stimulated by a susceptibility to the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a metabolic product of the male hormone testosterone which is hereditary. DHT connects themselves to scalp hair roots’ receptors in people that are genetically prone, causing them to become gradually thinner—this process is called a hair follicle miniaturization. The consequence is that affected hair follicles result in a time when they give off only thin and short hair to finally not produce any hair at all.
In males, androgenetic alopecia usually starts with a receding hairline and a thinning on the top of the head, which can eventually lead to total baldness. In contrast, females go through a different pattern; they typically have thin hair scattered over the crown but still maintain their front hairline. The hereditary factor can be on either side of the family, and the ailment seems to be progressive with age.
2. Changes in Hormonal Levels and Their Lack of Balance
Besides genetic predisposition, hormonal imbalances play an equal role in people losing their hair. These imbalances can affect people for quite a while and may be triggered by different life stages or the presence of some medical conditions. One of the most frequent explanations for female hair loss being stress hormone levels is pregnancy and the postpartum period. While pregnant, the high estrogen levels not only counteract against the hair loss phase but also cause the hair to remain in the growth period longer, thus hair appears thicker.
However, after giving birth, the levels of estrogen decrease significantly, leading to a process known as telogen effluvium, where the hair comes to a rest phase in large numbers and finally falls off.
The menopause period represents a second phase of life which, because of hormonal imbalances, is another period where they can cause hair loss. The deficiency of two female sex hormone levels (estrogen and progesterone), coupled with the relatively higher content of male sex hormones, causes the hair of the postmenopausal women to become thin. Furthermore, diseases such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and thyroid problems (hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism) as well as with adrenal gland issues can also affect hormone levels and consequently lead to hair loss.
3. Diseases and Sufferings
Many illnesses can be a direct cause of hair loss or it can be a side effect of them. A typical example is the autoimmune disorder known as alopecia areata. The condition of the person’s immune system is the issue that causes this disease. A person’s immune system erroneously sees hair follicles as if they were cancerous cells and therefore leads to a sudden, patchy hair loss on the scalp, face, or even other parts of the body. The disease of alopecia areata is not predictable and it can be severe with one individual and not with another.
Hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are also the important culprits of hair loss. In fact, the list of the reasons for these two cases being so counts hair thinning and hair loss. Thyroid hormones are indeed very important for the body’s metabolism and cellular function and affect all the hair growth stages. Therefore, if there is a hormonal imbalance, then the process will be hampered. Health disorders such as diabetes and lupus may as well factor in as reasons for hair loss. Blood circulation and the way nutrients reach the scalp are both negatively affected by diabetes while the immune system may damage the hair follicles that, consequently, cause an irreversible loss of hair if it becomes diseased with lupus. Furthermore, the infection of the scalp with a fungus like ringworm (tinea capitis) can trigger local hair loss, especially in the case of children.
4. Medications and Medical Treatments
Some drugs are side effects of hair loss. Those drugs deal with cancer, depression, heart disease, arthritis, high blood pressure, and acne. Chemotherapy is the most renowned medicine for hair loss, it typically can cause hair shedding all over due to the rapid turnover of such cells as hair matrix cells. Chemo is the most famous therapy concerning falling off, wherein affected industries like the hair matrix cells are rapidly divided throughout the body, which explains this loss.
Other drugs e.g, blood thinners, beta-blockers, vitamin A derivatives, and some antidepressants, can trigger the so-called telogen effluvium, it’s a condition of a hair cycle where hair shed off prematurely by entering the resting stage and falls out in large numbers. There is fortunately a good chance to get back lost hair as soon as the action of medicines has been ceased or if they are changed. It is very likely that hair loss, produced by the drugs, will be reversible when the medication is stopped or switched for another. Treatment, if discontinued or replaced, can fortunately result in a regrowth of the hair.
5. Nutritional Deficiencies
A well-maintained intake of all necessary substances is a key thing if you want, somehow, to keep healthy hair. A lack of nutrition can have an exceptional impact on the healthy growth cycle of hair and consequently lead to an increased loss of hair. Lack of iron is still at the peak of the list as one of the dietary disorders through which hair loss is usually triggered. Hemoglobin, which enables oxygen to be taken to the hair follicles, is mainly produced by iron. Absence of iron causes the hair follicles to lack oxygen and become brittle.
Also, the hair that are not being polished because of a deficit in the proteins needed can lead to low hair growth. The bulk of the hair is made up of keratin which is a type of protein. Missing out on the many necessary vitamins and the microelements and the essential fatty acids are the other points to watch. People who do crash diets, those with eating disorders – those who suffer from anorexia bulimia, who are vegans or vegetarians and have substantially reduced their normal diet without proper substitution can all experience hair loss that can develop into a significant issue gradually.
6. Physical and Emotional Stress
Physical as well as emotional stress are the well-proven natural causes of creating hair loss. It is the body’s response to a sudden and severe physical and / or emotional trauma that throws the hair follicles into a hair release stage that had better be called telogen effluvium. It starts falling off extremely fast, normally 2 to 3 months after the trigger.
7. Hairstyling Practices and Hair Treatments
Certain hairstyling practices that are repeated from time to time can result in a type of hair loss called traction alopecia which can be related to the stress of the hair. The situation is such that a person can have a mole or scar on the scalp if the tension lasts for a long time. The condition is generally caused by pulling hair tight when wearing a ponytail, braids, weaves, or hair extensions. The habit of pulling hair constantly can damage hair follicles and then it will be highly likely to result in alopecia which eventually becomes a permanent situation if it is not dealt with immediately.
Tools for hair styling such as flat irons, curling wands, and hair dryers that are frequently used can become the cause of hair breakage and hair loss. For instance, the chemical treatments which include bleaching, perming, and hair relaxing may take away the essential oils and proteins from the hair; therefore, the hair will become more fragile with the result that it will be prone to breakage and shedding. Much the same as the feather, the leaf also is extremely light and thin and covered in tiny fine projections popularly known as down, the downy base of hair can also be easily broken, resulting in the shedding of hair.
Although these activities might not result in the loss of hair directly from the root, they still can cause damage to the hair shaft, making hair look thin and less voluminous. Proper hair care without using damaging techniques can lower the risk of this kind of hair loss to a great extent.
8. Environmental Factors
Environmental factors may not be so evident as their effect on hair health, but they are reasonably powerful. Contact with allergens, severe solar radiation, and unfavorable meteorological conditions are indirect but harmful agents of hair quality and, later, hair loss. Air pollution, especially ultra-fine dust and toxins, are responsible for the scalp’s oxidative stress, with irritating hair follicles and possibly causing hair loss after a long period of time.
Another aspect of pollution is the quality of water. Water, rich in minerals (like calcium, and magnesium), which is heavily populated, can destroy moisture—absorbing qualities of hair, making them fragile and losing hair. Therefore, if a person swims in a pool that contains chlorine a lot and does not protect their hair, they are going to damage the hair’s cuticle and the strands will become so weak that they will fall more frequently.
9. Loss of Hair due to Aging
At the time of their getting older people are natural that their hair will change its density, texture and color. Hair growth becomes slower, the follicles are shrunk, and production of thinner and shorter hairs is made. Such a kind of hair loss that is called senescent alopecia is a process of normal aging and is related to the factors of low cell regeneration and hormonal changes.
It may be greatly the male population that will go through alopecia types of hair loss whereas the rest of the female gender can generally observe the thinning of their hair, particularly after menopause. Although hair loss due to old age is not entirely avoidable, preventative treatments and certain lifestyle adjustments can be helpful in slowing down the progress of the disorder in most of the cases.
10. Dermatitis Miseries and Scabious Anxiety
How the scalp behaves is directly related to how the hair will look. Inflammatory conditions of the scalp like seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis, and folliculitis can result in inflammation, irritation, and shedding of hair. In this case, it is a common happening when the scalp becomes itchy and starts flaking and scaling, which will damage the hair and at the same time hinder the growth of new hair.
Chronic inflammation is able to the hair cycle that results in that by leading to follicles miniaturization and hence scarring. In particular, some scarring alopecias, such as lichen planopilaris or frontal fibrosing alopecia, can result in hair follicle loss that is irreversible due to permanent damage that the follicles have undergone. Quick diagnosis and treatment of any scalp conditions have the power to stop long-term severe consequences from happening completely.
11. Post-Surgical or Post-Traumatic Hair Loss
Hair loss in the wake of a surgery or a physical injury is a classic example of telogen effluvium. The body is engaged in the process of taking vitality and nutrition from the healing wound, thus stopping temporarily the non-essential functions like the hair-growing process. Among the issues that can cause this process to occur are anesthesia, blood loss, and the stress of the procedure. Post-surgical, as well as inflammatory and scarring conditions in the region of the trauma that is due to the surgery, can be the reason for the hair not to grow again, either partially or completely if the hair follicles are disrupted.
In cosmetic surgeries which involve the scalp, for instance, facelifts, or hairline lowering procedures, the chances of experiencing temporary or permanent hair loss are at their peak as a result of the application of wrong surgical techniques. It’s an important issue for patients to discuss the possible loss of hair with the surgeon before they undergo any surgical operation that affects the scalp in any way.
12. COVID-19 and Hair Loss
A new occurrence in the research on hair loss is that COVID-19 is related to hair loss. Most of the patients who are in the recovery phase of COVID-19 have evidenced increased hair loss. This hair loss is a result of the telogen effluvium phase. The disease causes an inflamed phase in the body together with fever, stress, and deficiencies in nutrition that have hand in hand effects on the human hair making it fall out of the growth phase prematurely.
While post-COVID hair loss is quite typically just a temporary occurrence, in some cases it can still significantly disturb patients who are already exhausted by the disease aftermath. Generally, hair begins to regrow within six to nine months, but still, some patients who need to undergo a medical or the intake of supplements may take a longer path to get better.
Hair loss is a serious and complex health issue that can occur due to several factors, such as heredity, hormones, stress, malnutrition, diseases, and external factors like environmental exposure. Although some types of hair loss are inevitable, many of them are treatable when discovered at the early stages. Identifying the root of the problem and what are the possible solutions is the first step in finding the most suitable cure. Persons facing the problem of hair loss should seek medical services or dermatologists to get a correct diagnosis and a customized treatment plan for their problem. Hair loss can be managed with the right approach and suitable health services, even it may be through drugs, lifestyle change, or hair practices. Indeed, the way to manage is alright and it is feasible as long as the right path of managing it is agreed upon and suitable support is available.
