Why is my hair falling out? Is this a question that you ask yourself every day? If so, you may be suffering from a hair loss problem that needs to be addressed. Losing hair is not necessarily alarming, but if you notice that this is causing hair thinning at the top or balding in patches, you should definitely be concerned.
Normally, when pulling on hair, it is not normal for more than 10 out of 100 hair strands to come out. If the amount is more, you should consult a doctor. He can tell you whether this hair loss is normal or not, and if there are underlying medical reasons behind it. For instance, high stress levels, hormonal changes, medicines, etc. can trigger and aggravate hair loss.
To find out how much hair loss is normal you will have to first know how much hair men and women can shed on an average every day. Facts suggest that women typically lose more hair than men perhaps because of frequent hair coloring and treatment techniques. So, styling can be a key cause for hair loss in most women. Besides, pregnancy and menopause are events during which women may lose more hair than usual.
Stages of hair loss
The truth is that every hair strand will be different from the next one in terms of the stage of its growth during a 2-5 year lifespan. The hair keeps growing and dying and this is a factor one must remember when determining causes for hair loss.
Hair grows during the anagen stage and most of the hair in your head is in that phase. Anagen effluvium is what stops hair growth and causes hair loss. Catagen is the next stage and about 1%-2% of the total hair is in this stage that continues for about 3 weeks. At this stage, hair growth stops.
Finally, there is the telogen stage where hair strands come to a resting phase before they fall off. Telogen effluvium is short-term and may cause more hair fall; it may be triggered by surgery, stress levels, and fever, but the hair growth resumes soon afterwards.
