Hair Loss Facts
Hair loss or thinning will affect most of us at some time in our lives.
Age
In our twenties and thirties we typically have 615 hair
follicles per square centimetre. The number falls to 485 by
the time we hit fifty and to 435 at eighty. Each hair also
becomes thinner, therefore reducing hair volume.
A poor diet
Hair thrives on a plentiful supply of nutrients. In fact, a
lack of certain nutrients is often at the root of hair loss and
because hair is considered ‘non essential’ by the body, if
you’re lacking in nutrients it’ll often be your hair that suffers
first. Eating badly can slow or half new growth, altogether
leading to excess shedding, hair breakage and weak
connection of the hair strand at the root.
A reaction with the male hormone
testosterone
Both men and women have the male hormone testosterone
circulating in the blood. Some individuals, often genetically
determined, can suffer from Androgenetic Alopecia with the
male hormone triggering hair loss.
Cancer
Hair loss is a common side-effect of chemotherapy. Lost hair
usually starts to grow back within six months of the end of
the treatment.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a disorder that can have a very gradual onset
which reduces the overall state of health which may affect
hair growth.
Medicines
Medicines which in some cases may have hair loss as a side
effect include cholesterol lowering agents, ulcer healing
agents, anti-diabetic drugs, blood pressure medication and
birth control pills.
Menopause
For women with a family tendency to hair loss, hair can feel
thinner as hormone levels fall during the menopause.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome can experience
hair loss due to hormone imbalance and increased
sensitivity to the male hormones that we all have.
Pregnancy and childbirth
When a woman is expecting a baby, pregnancy hormones
delay the shedding phase. After delivery, many hairs enter
the resting and shedding stage causing what seems to be a
huge amount of hair to fall out at once.
Smoking
Scientists in Taiwan discovered that men who smoked 20 or
more cigarettes a day had a greater chance of developing
baldness.* Cigarette smoking has been shown to cause
poor circulation, which can affect the amount of blood flow
available to the scalps hair follicles.
Stress
Stress affects many people and is a common cause for
hair loss. Its effects are often not instantaneous - typically
occurring between four and 16 weeks after the stress point.
Styling
Over-styling, heat treatments, hair extensions and frequent
use of strong chemicals such as perm lotion or bleach can
break the hair shaft and cause thinning and slow growth.
Thyroid conditions
An overactive or underactive thyroid gland can often lead to
hair loss due to changes in hormone levels.
*Taiwanese study ref: Arch Dermatol. 2007;143(11):1401-1406
True or False hair loss facts:
Hair loss comes from the mother’s side...
False. While baldness is genetic, it is not limited to the maternal
side of the family. The hair-loss gene can come from either side. If your uncle Charlie on your father’s side has a
receding hairline, then chances are you might not be in the clear.
Brushing the hair 100 times a day will stimulate the circulation and prevent hair loss...
False. Vigorous brushing is more likely to injure the hairs and make the problem worse.
Hair needs to breathe, so wigs and toupees worsen loss of hair...
False. Hair does not need to breathe. Only the root of the hair is alive and this gets its oxygen from the blood in the scalp. Wigs and hairpieces will damage hair only if they are too tight.
Frequent shampooing makes hair fall out...
False. Shampooing simply gets rid of the hairs that have already fallen out.
Wearing hats causes hair loss...
False. In order for the hair to fall out, the hat would have to be so tight that it cuts circulation to the follicles. So no, wearing hats does not cause hair loss. Could you just imagine how many pro sports players would be bald if that were the case?
Blow-drying and heated brushes can worsen hair loss...
True. The reason is that extreme heat damages the proteins in the hairs, making them fragile and liable to break off. Brushing the hair during blow-drying causes more damage. Careless use of heated brushes can even burn the scalp, so that the hair follicles are permanently damaged in that area.
Hair dyes, perms and hairsprays worsen hair loss...
False. Hair dyes, perms and hairsprays do not affect thinning hair. Perms and hairsprays can help to disguise the problem.
If your father has a full head of hair, you will not go bald...
False. A tendency to baldness is inherited and probably involves a combination of genes. So you are not automatically in the clear even if your father has a full head of hair. It is not true, as sometimes claimed, that only genes from the mother’s side are involved.
Stress can cause hair loss...
True. Scientists have now identified some chemicals that are produced in the body during periods of stress, which can affect hair growth (Journal of Investigative Dermatology 2004;123:455–7).
It is normal to lose hair from our early 30s...
True. A person aged 20–30 years typically has 615 hair follicles per square centimetre. The number falls to 485 by 50 years of age and to 435 at 80–90 years of age. Also each hair is thinner. So, with ageing, hair becomes both finer and sparser.
Cutting your hair will make it grow back thicker...
False. This common misconception comes from the fact that hair is thicker at the base than it is at the tip, so it appears thicker at first. Cutting your hair does not affect hair growth at all; it will grow about half an inch each month no matter what.