Are you losing hair?

It’s not unusual to find that you are losing small amounts of your hair daily. But it becomes really scary when you find that early in the morning; your pillow is showing a bundle of hair that has fallen off in your sleep!

Why does it happen?

Hair fall is not unusual and almost everyone has suffered from it once in their lifetime. Hair grows approximately 1cm per month in a growth cycle which lasts about two to three years. At any given point of time in a lifetime, about 90 per cent of hair is in a state of growth, and 10 per cent is in a state of rest. After three or four months the resting hair sheds (falls out) and new hair takes its place. Hair is made up of a type of protein known as keratin, and hair grows from a hair follicle that is in your scalp.

But you notice a certain amount of hair fall everyday right?

This is completely normal and is part of a natural cycle – the amounts differ from person to person, and age group to age group. But most people lose about fifty to hundred hairs a day, which are replaced by new ones.

How do I find out what is dangerous or excessive hair loss?

Excessive hair fall can be classified as losing more hair than the stipulated 50 or 100. This is then indicative that all is not well with your body, or it can be a side effect of your lifestyle. A major illness, surgery, heavy medication (blood thinners, blood pressure medicines, birth control pills, anti-depressants, weight-loss pills etc), hormonal imbalances (overactive or under active thyroid gland, delivering a baby), infections (mainly fungal), diseases (lupus, diabetes, cancer) and cosmetic treatments (hair braiding, coloring, chemically perming or straightening), can all be responsible for excessive hair loss. A condition called alopecia is a common form of baldness that occurs from progressive thinning of hair. It can occur in the male (androgenic baldness) or female where it is called alopecia areata which is the loss of some hair and alopecia totalis which is the loss of all hair from the head.

What can I do to prevent it?

Getting to the doctor to determine the cause of hair loss can help you prevent a more major illness and can the doctor can begin to treat you right away depending on the diagnosis. Treatments are varied and range from treating an underlying, more serious disease to taking over-the-counter drugs such as minoxidil for treating common baldness. Funky hairstyles, wigs, hairpieces, hair weaves and artificial hair replacement are all ways of cosmetically correcting excessive hair fall. But it is essential to remember that hair loss can be temporary and may rectify itself.