While you may think mental stress cannot affect your physical health, it is not true. Stress can cause physical reactions to your body, and one of them is hair loss. Extreme stress can cause you to lose a large number of hair follicles each day. This usually stops when your stress stops.
Humans lose 50-100 follicles of hair each day, which is not noticeable. However, stress-related hair loss can become obvious. This can make you look bald and lower your self-confidence. Thankfully, there are various techniques of hair restoration in Pasadena for stimulating hair growth.
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Understanding The Connection Between Stress And Hair Loss
Studies show that enduring extreme stress can impact your hair follicles that eventually lead to hair loss. However, stress-related hair loss is often related to several other physical factors that contribute to the condition. Some events can cause you emotional stress that results in hair fall. Some of them are as follows:
- Death of a loved one
- Injury
- Anxiety
- Severe accidents
- Hospitalization
- Financial instability
- Work or school-related pressure
- Childbirth
- Divorce
- Individual health crisis
Types Of Hair Loss Related To Stress
1. Telogen effluvium
There are three stages of hair growth. They are:
- Anagen- where the hair grows.
- Catagen- where the hair is in its transitional phase.
- Telogen- where the hair follicles rest.
Most of your hair follicles are in the anagen state. However, when you endure severe shock, it causes your anagen hair to move directly to the telogen stage of hair growth. After several months of the stressful incident, all of this hair will fall out upon combing or washing your hair. Telogen effluvium is seen in 90% of women who go through childbirth.
2. Trichotillomania
Trichotillomania is a type of disorder where the individual cannot resist the urge to pull out their body hair when faced with uncomfortable or stressful situations. It is caused due to situations of loneliness, frustration, anxiety, depression, or simply boredom. People with trichotillomania are unable to feel relief from stress if they do not pull out their hair. Therefore, it leads to hair loss.
3. Alopecia Areata
People with chronic stress are prone to autoimmune diseases like alopecia areata that cause patches of your hair to fall out, producing a smooth, bald spot on your head. Alopecia areata is a disorder where your body’s immune system cannot perform its functions and instead attacks the hair follicles on your head. Sometimes this hair grows back white-colored.
Will The Fallen Hair Grow Back?
Hair loss due to one-time stress often grows back. However, the procedure may take a long time, as much as six months. Additionally, in some cases, such as alopecia, the hair may not grow back or grow back white. If you wish to restore your natural hair, you can opt for hair restoration options.
