Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Vitamins, minerals, and hair loss: Is there a connection?

what causes sudden hair loss

Doctors sometimes prescribe other treatments off-label to reduce the incidence of hair loss in women. Below, we’ll explore common causes of hair loss in women and the treatment options available. Once the stress goes away, your hair may get back to normal in 6-9 months. Hair loss can happen a couple of weeks to 6 months after any stressful experience. While male hair loss tends to affect the forehead or the crown of the head, female hair loss often leads to thinning on the top third to half of the scalp. Your part may gradually become wider, you might see more of your scalp when your hair is pulled back, or your ponytail could be less full.

Treatment

Treatment options for hair loss typically depend on the cause. They can also vary according to the pattern and location of hair loss. While most causes of hair loss are treatable, some may not be.

Prescription oral medications

what causes sudden hair loss

With this type of hair loss, your follicles gradually shrink and the growth cycle is shortened. You can prevent hair loss caused by chemical hair treatments by not using them. It’s important to talk to your healthcare provider before starting any form of treatment for hair loss. Some types of treatment aren’t safe to use if you’re pregnant, planning on becoming pregnant or going through menopause. Hair loss, known clinically as alopecia, is very common and can arise for many reasons.

Male-pattern baldness

Dozens of over-the-counter supplements and products purport to reverse hair loss, making it tough for patients to know which ones work and which don’t. “As soon as you notice hair loss is happening, you should come in,” says Lauren Eckert Ploch, a dermatologist in Aiken, South Carolina. While alopecia doesn’t typically affect your physical health, the emotional and psychological distress it can cause are very real.

How to know if hair loss is a more serious health issue - Business Insider

How to know if hair loss is a more serious health issue.

Posted: Thu, 11 Jul 2019 07:00:00 GMT [source]

How do dermatologists find out what’s causing hair loss?

Consider the following 12 options, but be sure to talk with your doctor first. Because it’s a vasodilator, caffeine may also help improve blood flow to your scalp, promoting hair growth. There’s some research to suggest that caffeine may help with hair growth and slow down hair loss. Low level lasers may help improve hair density in people with genetic hair loss or hair loss due to chemotherapy. This procedure, also called red light therapy, may work by stimulating epidermal stem cells. Chemical treatments such as perms and hair dyes may also damage your hair and scalp.

Vitamin A

If you’re currently losing hair, use a gentle baby shampoo to wash your hair. Unless you have extremely oily hair, consider washing your hair only every other day or less. Hair transplant surgery involves moving small plugs of skin, each with a few hairs, to bald parts of your scalp. It’s also the most common cause of hair loss, affecting up to 50% of people. While it’s more prevalent in older adults, anyone can experience it, including children.

However, studies show that more than 50% of people assigned female at birth will experience noticeable hair loss. The most significant cause of hair loss in women is female-pattern hair loss (FPHL). This affects about 30 million people in the United States.

Don’t use this product if you’re pregnant, if you plan to get pregnant or if you’re breastfeeding (chestfeeding). Poisons that can cause hair loss include arsenic, thallium, mercury, and lithium. If you ingest a large amount of warfarin, which is found in rat poisons, it can also cause hair loss. Taking large amounts of vitamin A or selenium is also toxic and can cause hair loss. In women, the first noticeable sign of hereditary hair loss is usually overall thinning or a widening part. This type of hair loss typically resolves on its own once the underlying cause is addressed.

Female-pattern baldness

Should you see regrowth, you will need to keep using it every day. With new techniques, many women benefit from hair transplantation surgery. But there are risks, including infection or shock that can cause hair to fall out of the transplanted areas. There are many other potential causes of hair loss in women. It can be helpful to keep a hair diary to track any changes you notice or symptoms you experience and to look for patterns.

See a dermatologist as soon as possible when you notice hair loss. The sooner you get treatment, the more effective it’ll be. A healthcare provider might recommend using minoxidil (Rogaine®). You can purchase the 2% or 5% solution over the counter (OTC). However, you have to follow directions exactly and use the product indefinitely.

Hair shedding is different than hair loss, which is when hair stops growing. Reasons for hair loss include male or female pattern baldness, certain medications, and harsh chemical hair products. Depending on the cause, hair loss may or may not be temporary. Chemotherapy treatment can damage hair follicles, causing the hair to fall out on the head and body.

Hormonal imbalances related to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and birth control can lead to hair loss. PCOS hair loss is caused by the ovaries overproducing extremely high levels of androgens, causing hair loss on the temples and front of the scalp. Conversely, this hormone change may also cause excessive hair growth on the face and chest. People with PCOS hair loss typically take the oral medication spironolactone to help regrowth. Hormonal birth control may also be prescribed to help lower testosterone levels causing hair loss. Hair loss, known clinically as alopecia, thins hair in some, changes the hairline in others, and can lead to partial or total baldness.

If you need treatment for regrowth, the earlier you start, the more likely you are to see regrowth. Studies indicate that laser therapy is safe and painless but requires many treatment sessions. To see a bit of hair growth, you may need several treatments a week for many months.

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