Major Causes of Hair Loss

What causes hair loss? In this article, we are going to discuss some of the major reasons for this common phenomenon.

Stress

Well, one of the main causes of hair loss has got to be stress. Stress can cause damage to the cells and structure of your hair as well as the follicles. It’s therefore essential that we understand how stress and its effects on our body can lead to baldness or thinning hair.

Hormonal Imbalance

Hormones play an important role in controlling hair growth. The hormone which affects hair growth the most is called DHT. When you undergo a hormonal imbalance, increased DHT in the body can interfere with your follicle roots, thereby affecting your hair growth. There are two main causes for this – genetic and autoimmune.

Genetic Condition

A genetic condition is an inherited abnormality in the function of the thyroid glands. Hyperthyroidism is a condition where the thyroid hormones in the body are overactive. In hypothyroidism, the thyroid hormones are underactive. Alopecia areata is a genetically based autoimmune disease that leads to autoimmune thyroid diseases like thyroid cancer and alopecia areata. Alopecia areata is the most common cause of hair thinning or baldness and is characterized by patches of no hair, dark hair, and scaling of the skin.

A hormonal shift is also one of the major causes of hair loss. The most obvious hormonal shifts are the menstrual cycle, puberty, pregnancy, menopause, ovulation, menopause, and the use of birth control pills. In women, when estrogen levels drop at the onset of menopause, the result is usually generalized hair thinning. Estrogen depletion caused by menopause, ovulation, and pregnancy can cause the hair follicles to shrink.

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis

The third common cause for hair thinning is an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. This is characterized by an auto-immune response to the body’s own thyroid hormones. Auto-immune diseases are known to cause many health problems including the immune system breaking down. This can result in various skin conditions including eczema. If the cause of the disease is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, hair loss causes can include depression, low energy levels, and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Alopecia

The last common cause is a condition called alopecia areata, which is related to an autoimmune reaction to the skin. The body’s autoimmune system mistakenly attacks the hair follicles causing them to shed. This condition is associated with the cause of premature skin aging. Hair loss causes may include such things as vitamin deficiencies, stress, and hormone imbalances. If you have experienced hair loss after menopause or are postpartum, you should be extremely careful. You should see a doctor that deals specifically with hormonal imbalances. It is important to make sure that you do not suffer a severe stress-related hormonal imbalance. If you do, then you may benefit from hormone replacement therapy.

Finally…

Regardless, of what the specific cause of your problem is there are steps you can take to reverse it. Often times it is a combination of a number of different factors that lead to the problem. The following are some of the most common hormonal changes that can lead to losing hair: