Hair Loss - What Causes Hair Loss?

They say your hair is your crowning glory and some even consider it as a standard of beauty. Women and men are very conscious when it comes to it that articles on what causes hair loss are bound to be read by someone whether he has short or long hair, or maybe balding.

A few hairs are expected to fall everyday and that is normal but some people experience this excessively. Normally, hair will grow about two to three years before dropping on the floor, giving way for new hair to grow. However, excessive hair loss happens when more strands are falling than those that are growing.

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You know it is excessive when you comb your hair and you see a lot of what used to be in your head on the comb or you clog the drain with your strands.

So what causes loss of hair? There are many reasons. Let's explore a few.

Hormone imbalance. An imbalance in male hormones called androgens and female hormones called estrogen is one reason of hair fall. The thinning of hair is generally considered to affect men but women experience hair loss a great deal as well. That is especially during fluctuations of hormones such as menopause, pregnancy, or when taking hormones for contraception. Having thyroid problems can be the culprit also as imbalance in hormones produced by the thyroid gland affects the quality of your hair.

Frequent pulling. There is a term called traction alopecia which means hair loss due to excessive pulling. This usually happens for those who frequently "stretch" their hair strands to be straightened and those who keep braided hair styles. However, some people, mostly observed on those who are mentally unstable, pull out their healthy hair intentionally.

Stress. Major life changes, surgeries, heavy work loads, financial problems and other things that make you worry excessively can literally confuse your follicles to let go of your hair and rejects growth of a new strand. Statistics actually show that stress is the second most common cause of loss of hair, following after the genetically predisposed baldness.

Intake of chemicals. Excessive loss is usually associated with chemotherapy. The use of chemical agents to treat cancer demonstrates this type of hair loss. Other medications, such as anticoagulants, those that lower blood pressure, those that treat gout, and many others causes hair loss also. What is good with this situation is that hair grows naturally if you stop taking the medicines.

Underlying health conditions. Diabetes and fungal infections on the scalp are known to cause falling hair. Actually, hair loss is considered a clinical manifestation of some diseases.

As you can see, what causes hair loss are numerous and the treatment you will use should address your identified reason if you want to increase your hair volume.