Hair Loss Causes? A Global and An Eternal Question

It is an eternal question worldwide, "Why is my hair falling out?" The causes of hair fall are many. Experts are trying to find out the causes relentlessly. The health.com has found some common causes of hair loss in men and women. Let's see the reasons in brief:

1. Physical Stress: A temporary hair loss may occur because of any physical stressful event such as, a surgery, a severe illness, an accident etc. But there is a good news, hair will start to grow as soon as the body starts to recover.

2. Pregnancy: Pregnancy is a stressful state, and stress causes hair loss. But don't worry, your hair will grow back soon after giving birth to a child successfully.

3. Too much vitamin A: The American Academy of Dermatology is saying that medications or supplements that contain much vitamin A may cause hair loss. So stop taking excess vitamin A.

4. Lack of protein: Take protein rich food such as, fish, meat and eggs much otherwise your body may ration protein by stopping your hair growth.

5. Male Pattern Baldness: Male sex hormones and a combo of genes are responsible for it.

6. Heredity: It is the female version of male pattern baldness. If any woman in your family has a history of hair loss, you may be prone to it.

7. Female hormones: Hormonal balance change during pregnancy and at menopause may cause hair loss.

8. Emotional stress: It causes less hair loss than physical stress.

9. Anemia: Iron deficiency causes anemia and anemia causes hair loss.

10. Hypothyroidism: Underactive thyroid gland cannot pump out sufficient hormones. As a result, Hypothyroidism occurs and hypothyroidism contributes to hair loss.

11. Vitamin B deficiency: Low levels of vitamin B may cause your hair loss.

12. Autoimmune-related hair loss: An overactive immune system causes alopecia areata which causes hair loss.

13. Sudden weight loss: Though weight loss is good for health, sudden weight loss may cause stress that may be a cause of hair loss.

14. Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy destroys rapidly dividing cancer cells. It destroys rapidly dividing hair cells also.

15. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): It is another imbalance in female and male sex hormones which causes hair loss.

16. Antidepressants, blood-pressure and other drugs: Blood thinners and the blood-pressure drugs are more common factors for hair loss.

17. Overstaying: Tight braids, high heat, hair weaves, corn rows, hot-oil treatments etc. affect hair root and cause hair loss.

18. Trichotillomania: It is an "impulse control disorder". People affected by this disorder pull their hair out.

19. Aging: Especially women loses their hair when they enter their 50s and 60s.

20. Anabolic steroids: To bulk up muscle, many take anabolic steroids which is a cause of hair loss.

Thousands of questions come to people's mind about hair loss causes. As hair is a part of our beauty, we cannot neglect it anymore. Among the thousands questions, let's find out some questions and their answers:

Hair loss causes in young males:

What causes hair loss in your 20s? Androgenic alopecia is known as Male Pattern Baldness. Though it can affect both men and women, males are affected by it at their teenage or early 20s. Alopecia areata can cause complete baldness although hair returns in 90% cases. Young adults and children are the most sufferers of it.

Hair loss causes in young females:

About 40 percent of hair loss sufferers are women. The most causes of hair loss in young women are:

• Androgenetic alopecia, 
• Fluctuating hormone (Estrogen) levels, 
• Physical and emotional stress, 
• Pregnancy, 
• Eating disorder, and 
• Excessive styling.

Hair loss environmental causes:

Dust and smoke create air pollution. Dust and smoke contain various kinds of chemicals which settle on the scalp and hair. 'Sensitive Scalp Syndrome' is created by these. As a result, hair roots experience itching, oily scalp, dandruff and pain. All these things cause hair loss.

Can head lice make your hair fall out?

There is no scientific evidence that lice is directly responsible for hair loss. But lice cause inching which causes people to pull out their own hair.

Hair loss is a global problem. To get rid of this problem, we have to know the causes of hair loss first. From the above discussion we have known that physical and emotional stress can cause hair fall. Pollution is also responsible. It is true that, we have no hand in the genetic causes of hair fall, but we can change our life-style to be free from avoidable causes.

Sources of Information: health.com, webmd.com, 34-menopause-symptoms.com, omicsonline.org, symptomchecker.webmd.com