6 Causes To Hair Loss That Not Everyone Knows

Alopecia, known as hair loss, can affect both your scalp and your entire body. Hair loss can be temporary or permanent depending on what the cause is.It can be the result of heredity, hormone, medical conditions or just a simply normal part of aging. Alopecia can happen to any of us, however, it is a more common situation for females. There are many ways to cover up the situation such as hairstyling, using hats or scarves, etc. Each of the methods or solutions will have its own effect. If you want to optimize these mentioned methods, you have to figure out what the causes of your hair loss are. Below are some possible causes of hair loss for ladies which not everyone knows.

1. Heredity - One of the fundamental causes of hair loss

One of the most common causes of hair loss is hereditary condition which usually happens along with aging. This condition is named as Androgenetic Alopecia, also, is known in women as female pattern hair loss. Androgenetic Alopecia usually refers to thinning hair in the middle portion of women’s scalp. On most occasions, it occurs gradually and in predictable patterns. To be more specific, it first appears as a thinning hair along the crown of the scalp in female.

2. Age - One of the common causes of hair loss in women

Menopause can cause hair loss in females

For women, there will be a period of time in their life called menopause. If you are going through or about to enter the menopause, changes in your body and also your hormones may have an effect on your hair. Hair loss becomes even more prevalent leading up to and after this period of time. 

3. Stress - One of the possible causes of hair loss

There is no doubt that excess stress can literally be one of the causes of your hair loss. Many people experience a general thinning of hair after physically or emotionally shocking events. While you are struggling with stress, your body raises the androgen levels, which causes hair loss. Moreover, stress may trigger some scalp problems as dandruff which can cause negative impact on your hair. However, this type of hair loss is normally a temporary situation. 

4. Hair loss as a result of hormonal imbalance and changes

The imbalance in hormones can lead to multitude of annoying health and beauty issues. If you have too much or too little of a certain hormone, the effects will certainly radiate throughout your entire body including your hair. This is because hormones play a vital role in regulating the hair growth cycle. Female hormones called oestrogens help to keep hair in their growth phase for the optimal length of time. While male hormones called androgens are not really “hair friendly”, it can possibly shorten the hair growth cycle. One of the causes of hair loss can be the excess of androgens caused by endocrine disorder such as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. The extent of this situation often depends on genes. If you have a genetic predisposition to follicle sensitivity, hormonal imbalance can affect your hair more than those of people who do not. 

Hormonal imbalance or changes can cause hair loss

One of the causes leading to hormonal changes is the imbalance in thyroid. The thyroid gland helps regulate the body’s metabolism by controlling protein production and also tissue the use of oxygen. Therefore, any imbalance in thyroid can affect your entire body including your hair follicles. When your body produces too much thyroid hormone, you are likely to develop a condition called hyperthyroidism. In contrast, when your body makes too little thyroid hormone, you may suffer a condition known as hypothyroidism. If hypothyroidism is left untreated, anemia may possibly occur. Anemia is another condition which can have an impact on hair.

5. Hair loss because of iron deficiency 

Researchers have determined that there is not enough evidence to prove for sure that iron deficiency can cause hair loss. However, many studies have found that most people who experience hair loss are deficient in iron. We can infer from it that iron deficiency seems to be one of the causes of hair loss in women. Moreover, according to these researches, iron deficiency hair loss does not scar or leave much harm to the hair follicles. In other words, the hair of those women who are deficient in iron can be able to grow again.

6. Hairstyling and other treatments

Hairstyling is one of the causes of hair loss

Excessive hairstyling which pulls your hair tight can also cause hair loss. This type of hair loss is known as the traction alopecia. To be more specific, this is because of the repeated and prolonged tensile forces applied to the follicles through having certain hairstyles. For example, braids, long dreadlocks, pigtails or cornrows. Also, hot-oil hair treatments can be one of the causes of hair loss. What even worse is that if scarring occurs, this type of hair loss can become permanent.

Above are 7 possible and common causes of hair loss which we have summarized. Hair loss does not happen fast since our strands grow in cycles. In other words, it can take up to about 3 months for your hair to fall out after any trigger has caused it. In case you notice that your hair has been falling out for more than 3 months, there may be an underlying factor which needs to be addressed and cured.