Understanding Hair Loss

Understanding Hair Loss

Have you noticed an increasing number of hairs in your sink or hairbrush? Are you beginning to see more of your scalp when you look in the mirror? If so, you are not alone! Millions of men and women experience hair loss as they age, sometimes starting as early as their 20s or 30s. Depending on the reason for your hair loss, you may be able to reverse it or at least slow it down.

First, let's recognize that some hair loss is normal. Hair experts estimate that a loss of approximately 50 to 150 strands of hair per day represents normal shedding for the human hair growth cycle. So, some hair in the sink or shower is nothing to be alarmed about. Sudden hair loss, or thinning hair over your entire head (and possibly other parts of your body), or clumps of hair falling out are considered unusual, and should be discussed with your healthcare practitioner who will assess your health and look for the underlying cause.

The fear of losing more hair is usually what prompts people to seek medical attention. Although some people may be driven by vanity, for others hair loss is devastating to their self-esteem. If the cause of hair loss is hormone related, the imbalance in hormones may also increase the feelings of low self-worth making the hair loss seem even more devastating.

Possible Causes

Because hair cells are replenished more quickly and visibly than most other cells, the condition of your hair is like a barometer of your overall health. Sudden or excessive hair loss can indicate an underlying problem, such as a vitamin or mineral deficiency, a hormone imbalance, a toxicity brought on by something in your environment, or too much stress in your life.

Sometimes the cause for the hair loss can be treated or eliminated, resulting in new hair growth and healthier hair. Those individuals who have a genetic predisposition for early or excessive hair loss may not be able to fight it, but they can at least try to slow it down by being aware of factors that affect hair health.

Excessive hair loss	Poor blood flow or poor circulation to the scalp Deficiencies in protein, essential fatty acids, B vitamins, silicon, and zinc Imbalance involving thyroid, growth hormone (especially if hair loss is all over), or ACTH
Patchy hair loss	Metal poisoning Deficiencies in folic acid and zinc Imbalance involving ACTH or cortisol
Pubic or armpit hair loss	Imbalance involving DHEA
Hair loss on the top of head	Imbalance involving cortisol, estrogens, progesterone, or testosterone
Balding all over the head	Imbalance involving thyroid hormones, DHEA, or estrogens

In addition, environmental conditions and harsh hair products can damage healthy hair and accelerate hair loss brought on by other factors. For example, heavy metals and toxic chemicals can build up in your system and interfere with your body's absorption of nutrients or production of hormones. (In fact, hair testing is one of the EPA's means of testing for toxins.) Many people also participate in hobbies or have occupations that expose them to toxins, including painting, arts and crafts, landscaping or gardening (unless you are careful to use only organic products), electrical work, soldering, radiation therapy, and others. Limiting or eliminating your exposure to these toxins and harsh products should be one of the first things to try if you have excessive hair loss.

Many of the ingredients listed in shampoos, conditioners, and other hair treatments are known allergenics. These ingredients can cause dermatitis in some people, and may even be toxic. When talking with your doctor about hair loss, he or she will conduct a thorough physical examination to rule out medical conditions which can cause hair loss as a side effect.

They will also discuss with you the medications you are taking, many of which may be a cause of hair loss. Medications known to promote hair loss include many commonly prescribed drugs, including birth control pills, blood thinners, those that lower cholesterol, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and drugs for high blood pressure, to name just a few.

Nutrition and Digestion

Healthy hair requires good nutrition, involving a wide variety of vitamins, trace minerals, amino acids, and essential fatty acids. As a result, poor nutrition will have a fairly immediate and obvious effect on hair health. Starvation dieting, rapid weight loss, and eating disorders often trigger some hair breakage or hair loss.

Sometimes just introducing different foods into your diet, such as eating a lot of fried food over a period of days when you're not used to it, can change the appearance and health of your hair. Vegetable oils commonly used to fry foods can block the absorption of compounds critical to hair health. Healthy hair requires the proper combination of vitamins, minerals, and trace elements. For example, hair loss can result from too much vitamin A, not enough iron (anemia), low levels of zinc, and a host of other deficiencies or excesses.

Improper digestion is another factor that can contribute to hair loss. The lack of pepsin (an enzyme essential for protein digestion) will interfere with the absorption of key nutrients. The hair, being mostly protein, will readily reflect poor protein status if the diet is lacking in proper protein intake or if there is malabsorption of proteins. Many elderly people have problems with digestion, which can accelerate age-related hair loss.

Hormones

Women often report hair loss as a result of a change in hormone balance, such as occurs with pregnancy and menopause. People who lose hair during a period of hormonal imbalance may be particularly sensitive to changes in their hormone levels, even though their hormone test results may fall within the "normal" range. This is especially true of thyroid hormones. Hair loss is often associated with a thyroid problem and is typically one of the first clues that your thyroid gland may not be working properly. Ironically, hair loss is associated with both an excess (hyperthyroidism) and a deficiency (hypothyroidism) of thyroid hormones.

One of the possible explanations for hair loss associated with low thyroid function has to do with the drop in body temperature that is typical of hypothyroidism. Even a slightly lower body temperature can slow or stop body processes, including the chemical reactions that stimulate hair growth.

Women who experience hair loss on the top of their heads (a pattern that is usually more common in men), tend to have deficiencies in estrogen hormones and progesterone. Low cortisol is another factor to consider, because that deficiency can lead to an excess in DHEA and testosterone, which suppresses production of estrogens and progesterone. Often an imbalance among the sex hormones (testosterone, progesterone, and the estrogens) that leads to hair loss, rather than an excess or deficiency of one specific hormone.

Almost any hormone imbalance can have an effect on hair health because of the intricate relationships that exist among the various hormones that regulate and control our body functions. Hormones affect the absorption of nutrients, the body's growth processes, and nearly all aspects of health, so it is important to pursue and maintain optimum hormone balance to keep your hair healthy.

Most hair loss can be corrected if the cause can be identified--and the sooner, the better--but proper testing is essential. Guessing based on symptoms can make matters worse or lead to a misdiagnosis because an excess of a nutrient or hormone can sometimes generate the same symptoms as a deficiency. Work with your healthcare practitioner to determine the cause, and you are more likely to find an effective treatment.

Blessings,

Dr.Susan Godman