HAIR LOSS REASONS
Tutti perdono circa 100 capelli al giorno. Se cadono più capelli di quanti ricrescono, o se i capelli ricrescono meno velocemente, la perdita di capelli diventerà visibile a un certo punto.
Everybody loses around 100 hairs per day. If you lose more hair than it grows or if the hair grows slower, the hair loss will be visible at some point. The hair loss can be related to some reasons or factors. There are plenty of reasons.
• Genetics and heredity
• Sickness and health problems
• External factors
• Stress
• Nutrition
• Medicine
• Bad condition of the scalp
The main reasons for hair loss are the following ones:
GENETICS AND HEREDITY
Baldness and hair loss are usually hereditary. Genetics and heredity are the main cause for most of men’s hair loss. In this type of hair loss, DHT sensibility plays an important role. It is deviated from the testosterone hormone. The pilose follicles that produce the hair are affected by the extend contact with the DHT. This provokes that the hair is less thick until only thin hair, barely visible, starts to grow. Hereditary hair loss in women is less common than in men. However, in the 50% of women, genetics plays an important role.
Only the 7% of men suffer hereditary hair loss in the most advanced stage. That’s why a hair crown remains. If the hair loss has got to an advanced stage before the man being 30, it will probably develop in that stage. Hereditary hair loss usually follows a pattern as shown in the Norwood scale. Hereditary hair loss in women is usually developed in a general pattern: the hair from the top of the head gradually becomes thinner. This pattern is shown in the Ludwig scale.
SICKNESS AND HEALTH PROBLEMS
Many diseases, disorders and health problems can cause hair loss. For example, thyroids has an important weight on hair growth. It regulates the metabolism. If the gland works too fast or to slow it can affect hair growth. The hair will fall and it will become thinner and fragile. As soon as the thyroids problem is treated, the hair growth should recover. Anaemia can also provoke hair loss and some other autoimmune sicknesses that provoke hair loss. Eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia can also provoke hair loss.
EXTERNAL FACTORS
Hair loss can also be caused by external factors such as braids, elastic bands and hair pull. There are also people who pull their hair compulsively and pull it out, also called Trichotillomania. Everything that puts strength on your hair can make it detach and fall, even the roots.
STRESS
Sometimes, stress can cause hair loss. It can be a triggering for those people with a genetic predisposition. It can also cause severe hair loss. When your body is under stress due to a traumatic experience, for example, or a sickness, the gravity of the hair loss can increase.
NUTRITION
Hair loss can also be caused by nutrition problems such as:
- Bad nutrition and lack of vitamins.
- Anaemia by lack of iron.
- Eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia.
MEDICINES
Plenty of medicines can cause hair loss. When certain medicine is prescribed, it is recommended to read the pamphlet to see if there is any risk of hair loss. However, if it is mentioned in the pamphlet, it doesn’t mean that your hair is really going to fall. The more common medicines that can cause hair loss are:
- Antidepressants
- Steroids
- Contraceptive pills
- Narcotics
- Medicines against Malaria
- Chemotherapy and radiation
Cancer treatments deserve a special attention. It is known that people who get chemotherapy have to deal with hair loss. When dealing with cancer, the elimination of the cancer is more important than the secondary effect of losing hair, of course.
Does the hair loss stop when the use of a medicine is suspended? Most of the times, it does. Even with chemotherapy and radiation.