Stress and Hair Loss
“I’m so stressed out, I’m losing my hair!” said a friend going through trials with her teenage children. Stress really can make one lose their hair and they even have a name for this type of hair loss, called telogen effluvium. This common type of hair loss is often seen by dermatologists.
Telogen refers to the resting state between hair growth periods and effluvium means “outflow.” The three stages of hair growth are: anagen, where 80 to 90 percent of hairs are in the growth stage, catagen is the transitional stage where hair follicles shrink and telogen is the stage before hair loss, where 10 to 15 percent of hair lies.
Stress causes more hair to enter the telogen phase. The hair stops growing, then falls out two to three months later, but will usually grow back in six to nine months. This is why the hair loss is not immediate, but occurs after a stressful event, such as the loss of hair that occurs three to six months after childbirth. The sudden change in hormones creates this post-pregnancy stress; this type of hair loss is also called postpartum alopecia.
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Interesting article! I would love to learn more about how and why hair changes color prematurely. A friend of mine was married young in an unhappy marriage. As she went through her divorce in her early twentys she went completely grey and remains that way. Can stress affect when you 'go grey'? Thanks! Kellie
There actually is some current research about stress and gray hair. It is thought that stress can cause the stem cells to mature too fast so there isn't enough time for melanin production leading to gray or white hair. However, I havn't read the study and I believe the "stress" they are mostly referring to would be UV light or chemical exposure maybe from medications.
In terms of iron, women are often deficient in iron due to menstrual flow and dieting to lose weight. I imagine that with less iron, there is less oxygen going to the cells to make healthy hair. Before taking supplements, it is a good idea to get baseline labwork done so you know if they help raise your levels.
Thanks for your thoughts Michele!
What about menopause/perimenopause? I was just reading this article -- You don't have to put up with thinning hair! -- from Women to Women when I came across your own (which I really liked -- thanks for the great info)
I read through the article and looked over the site. Interesting site, mostly run by Nurse Practioners with an MD oversight. As they said, estrogen levels do affect hair loss levels. During perimenopause, the estrogen level fluctuate with highs and lows while during menopause estrogen levels are no longer produced by the ovaries but still some estrogen is produced by the adrenal glands. In PCOS the testosterone produced in the body suppresses the normal estrogen amount. I wrote a few weeks ago an article here on EmpowHer on PCOS and hair.
http://www.empowher.com/news/herarticle/2009/06/03/excess-hair-growth-an...
The decision to take HRT or hormone replacement therapy is one that needs to be discussed with a doctor who knows your total medical history to weigh the risk of heart disease, breast cancer, osteoporosis vs the benefits of taking estrogen. Often estrogen replacement therapy is given to women with the idea they will wean off it in 5-7 years and the lowest possible dose is given. Some people prefer to use more natural forms of replacement. The topic of estrogen replacement is huge to cover.
Many women supplement their diet with higher estrogen foods like soy or flax seed or supplements like Black cohosh to offset other symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes or mood swings. I don't know if that will help with hair loss or not. I don't believe there are specific studies to test hair loss though I know that taking Black Cohosh has been studied some as an alternative to traditional HRT. It also goes without saying that taking anything internally, even herbs, should be discussed with your doctor.