2023-08-29 07:53:44
by Health Editor
In particularly stressful times, hair can thin out due to an excess of cortisol which blocks its growth. The problem usually resolves itself
Who hasn’t noticed skeins of hair accumulating on the shower drain? And the thought immediately goes to a particularly stressful period experienced at work or in the family. But can stress make your hair fall out? People lose approximately 50-100 hairs every day. Losing more hair could be a sign of a condition called telogen effluvium, which is more than normal hair loss. It is unclear how common telogen effluvium actually is because it is not always diagnosed. Women may be more likely to experience the problem because it is also triggered by changes due to pregnancy. Excessive hair loss can lead to the loss of up to a third of the volume explains Antonella Tosti, a dermatologist at the Miller School of Medicine of the University of Miami interviewed by the New York Times. The good news – he says – is that the problem is usually temporary.
How long does stress hair loss last?
Any event that causes stress or shock can lead to telogen effluvium: major surgery, chronic illness, bereavement but also pregnancy. Generally the problem arises between six weeks and three months after the stressful event: stress in fact increases the levels of cortisol in the body, a hormone which among other things it also blocks hair growth. Chronic stress caused by work or relationship issues could also lead to hair loss. Scientific research has also investigated hair loss as a result of Covid. In a 2022 study carried out in Brazil in which over 6,000 people who had recovered from Covid within the previous three months were interviewed, it emerged that almost half of the respondents had suffered from hair loss. Although there is no definitive scientific evidence it seems that stress can also cause or worsen other situations that lead to hair loss such as alopecia areata, an immune system disease that attacks and destroys hair follicles and lichen planopilaris, a rare inflammatory condition which can cause scarring of the scalp and hair loss.
What to do if you lose your hair due to stress
In case of very fast hair loss it is often recommended to take vitamin D and vitamin B12 because studies have shown that patients with telogen effluvium are deficient in these vitamins. However, the evidence on the multivitamin’s usefulness is quite limited. More easily, after surgery, it is common to suffer from a lack of vitamins and in this case a supplement can be useful, after having heard the doctor’s opinion. In most cases, stress-related hair loss resolves on its own and hair begins to grow normally again, usually within four months. If the problem is not solved then it is recommended to contact your doctor for possible pharmacological treatment.
August 29, 2023 (change August 29, 2023 | 07:53)
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