Hair Raising Tales

Hair Care

oi-Staff

By Staff

Tuesday, April 7, 2009, 11:12

Sudha is 17.She has been studying non-stop for the last six months. She has very little time to do anything else. And to make matters worse, she has suddenly noticed her hair falling all the time. In the bathroom, on the pillow, as she studies, so much so she is scared to comb her hair. What can this be related to???

Archana has a six-month-old baby. She has noticed for the last 15 days that her hair is falling a lot. It is particularly bothersome because when she was pregnant, her hair had grown so beautifully. What can she do to stop this?

Mary is 43.She has always had thick luxuriant hair. She suddenly notices strands of hair on her pillow, comb etc. While it is not a lot, she is worried that it will continue increasing. Is there anything she needs to do?

All these women suffer from a condition called telogen effluvium or TE. It is one of the commonest causes of hair fall.

Why Does this happen?

Shedding hair fall or telogen effluvium affects 1 in 2 women at some point in their life. Hair grows in cyclic patterns, asynchronously altering between growing, resting & shedding phases. Usually about 70% of the hair is growing and the rest are resting or shedding. This shedding phase in a normal individual is about 3 months.

Various factors such as stress, poor nutrition, menopause and the post pregnancy period often tend to send a large number of hair into the resting and subsequently the rapid shedding phase. Stress could be physical, mental or psychological. Some examples are exams, new job, new marriage, confrontations in the family etc…The percentage of shedding hair can increase to as much as 70 -80%. This is the reason why all these women are experiencing increased and sudden hair fall.

Also, whenever, we experience an illness of any other organ like bacterial or viral infection, the body response to illness arrests the hair in the resting phase. After the passing of the illness, this hair sheds completely leading to hair fall.

The other important reason for perceived hair fall is breakage due to dryness & poor grooming. Poor nutrition & lack of time to look after the hair properly promotes dryness, brittleness & breakage.

Another reason could be dandruff induced by stress, poor hygiene or fungal infections, which can then lead to hair loss.

How can this be reversed?

Taking care of the primary underlying illness and other contributing factors like anemia is important in the treatment of TE. Increasing iron intake in diet or supplementing it is vital. Also; get your blood thyroid levels checked. Low thyroid may contribute to hair fall and will need to be addressed by a doctor.

One of the secrets of having healthy tresses is eating a balanced diet. It is important to increase protein and Biotin in the diet. Protein can either be obtained from animal sources like eggs and fish or plant sources like sprouts, Soya beans and paneer .In addition, increasing green leafy vegetables in diet can increase the biotin and help control hair fall.

While these measures will help, it is often important to take oral biotin supplementation. One can also use certain antidandruff shampoos and lotions to control the dandruff. In addition, hair fall can be addressed by using certain hair fall solutions, which are scientifically proven to work in this condition.

Working actively on reducing stress either by exercise, yoga, meditation or counseling will also help reverse hair shedding and fall.

Hair fall of this nature will usually reverse in 11/2 to 2 months with proper care and attention and use of appropriate products. If the hair fall still persists, it is then important to consult a dermatologist and get it properly assessed.
Do take care of your hair. It is, after all, your crowning glory!