Take a Deep Breath! Don't Loose Your Hair!

I pray you are all doing well during this busy season. During this time of year, we all tend to overextend and overwhelm ourselves. Before we realize it we are full of stress and anxiety. Stress can play a huge role in hair loss so I would like to take a few minutes to discuss a few hair loss conditions caused by stress.

The first condition is Chronic Anxiety: Hair loss due to anxiety can be difficult to treat because it may not be easy to eliminate the source of anxiety. When I was working in the salon I saw this often. Anxiety can cause hair loss on any part of the body. I have seen some ladies with thin or bald patches or hair loss around the edges. Hair loss due to anxiety is becoming more recognized in the younger people now because of so many stressful life conditions. Anxiety is also linked to our next two conditions.

The next condition I’d like to talk about is, Telogen Effluvium: This temporary hair loss condition is caused by stress pushing hair follicles into a resting place so they don’t produce new strands. Over a period of time the hair can fall out more easily by shampooing, combing, brushing and even touching it. This condition can also be caused by poor nutrition and hormone changes. The next condition is Trichotillomania: In this psychological condition, people deal with negative emotions, like stress and anxiety by pulling hair from the scalp, face, and other parts of the body. I also saw a lot of this while working in the salon.

How to identify Stress Induced Hair Loss:

Stress induced hair loss or Telogen Effluvium usually causes thinning over the entire scalp. The hair will become thinner and less dense. It’s normal to lose 50-100 strands daily. A diagnosis of Telogen Effluvium is usually made if you lose more than 100 strands a day or if you don’t quickly regrow the hair you lose as a result of stress induced hair loss.

Sometimes, stress-induced hair loss occurs as the result of a one-off stressful event such as a death, breakup, or traumatic experience. Surgical procedures can also cause you to shed some hair as part of the recovery process. It’s also possible to experience temporary hair loss after a severe illness, which can affect your hair growth cycle. This type of one-off hair loss usually resolves itself after 3 to six months, meaning you usually won’t need to make any changes to your habits or lifestyle. Instead it’s best to spend your time focusing on recovering from the traumatic or stressful event.

Stress Induced hair loss is usually temporary. A very effective way to treat your temporary hair loss is to change your lifestyle or eliminate the cause of your stress. However, sometimes these changes can be very difficult for some people. On these occasions here are a few suggestions to consider:

• Studies show that exercising more frequently could help get stress under control and avoid further hair loss.
• Mindfulness exercises can also help to reduce stress, helping you to better manage your career and personal life without feeling overwhelmed.
• Improving your sleep habits. Sleep disorders such as insomnia and stress are closely linked, meaning you can often worsen stress by sleeping too late, not sleeping enough or waking up frequently during the night.
• Reducing your stimulant intake. Consuming too much caffeine can make you feel more stressed. Also, limiting or completely avoiding caffeine in the late afternoon and evening can help you sleep better, which also helps to reduce stress.

Well, ladies, I thank you for taking the time to read this blog and I hope you found it helpful.