Why hair loss, the main causes of hair loss: the opinion of a trichologist

There’s nothing wrong with hair renewal and occasional hair loss. But if there are whole strands left on your pillow or comb, you should see a specialist and find out what’s wrong. Hair loss is a fairly common problem in the modern world. Trichologist Anastasia Mareeva tells us why it happens and what it may be connected with.

What can cause hair loss?

According to the expert, first of all it is influenced by heredity. Often the case is aggravated by stress, the consequences of childbirth and pregnancy, taking hormones, a sharp decrease or increase in weight. Nutrition also plays an important role. Today, many people eat unhealthy food, which can directly affect the quality of hair, as it does not contain useful microelements and vitamins. With such a problem, it is worth taking a thyroid hormone test, as well as clinical blood and ferritin, as one of the causes is also considered to be iron deficiency.

It is also worth paying attention to the scalp. If scales, dandruff, pus formations, etc. appear on it, hair loss can also occur against this background.

Vitamin deficiency
One of the most common causes of hair loss is the lack of certain vitamins, namely B, D, fat-soluble vitamins and trace elements such as zinc, iron, and others.

Nerves and lack of sleep
According to a trichologist, constant anxiety and lack of sleep have a very strong influence on hair loss, especially in women. Sometimes to solve such a problem requires the consultation of a psychotherapist, and in some cases even the use of antidepressants. It is important to follow a rest and sleep schedule to feel comfortable. It is recommended to sleep about eight hours at night, notes the expert. And if you sleep during the day, sleep should not exceed 40 minutes.

In addition, a shifted day and night regime has a negative impact on the condition of hair: frequent flights with a change of time zones or work in the night shift. These factors are not likely to lead to severe baldness, but chronic and permanent hair loss will definitely provoke.

Improper nutrition
According to the expert, nutrition is the first thing to pay attention to in such a problematic situation. To begin with, it is necessary to review the diet for the content of proteins, fats and carbohydrates (the ideal proportion is 1:1:4). It is recommended to consume protein at least 1 g per 1 kg of weight, and if you are engaged in sports – 1.4-1.8 g per 1 kg of weight. It is desirable to get fats from natural products: meat, fish, poultry, nuts. Do not replace them with food additives.

In addition, with a sharp weight loss, you should also expect a sharp loss of hair after a couple of months. To avoid such a problem, you need to balance your diet.

How to realize that you have a problem with hair loss?

The expert notes that with quarantine and remote work, it is quite difficult to realize if you have this problem. For example, if a person has long hair, they may notice hair loss by a dramatic decrease in volume at the roots, sparser coverage in certain areas, widening of the central parting, and the appearance of alopecia areata (when the skin begins to “show through” the hair).

The coronavirus epidemic has also affected human hair. Those who have been infected have experienced a sudden loss of hair in bunches when brushing or washing, says a trichologist.

Do darsonval and similar devices help?

The functions of the darsonval include maintaining a healthy scalp, restoring seboregulatory function, creating an anti-inflammatory effect and temporarily improving the microcirculation of the scalp, explains the expert. But this is not enough for the follicle area to trigger the hair to grow.

Darsonval is a device that has a therapeutic effect with pulses of alternating electric current of high frequency and voltage. It helps to dilate blood vessels, improves tissue nutrition and activates blood circulation.

As for electric massagers, they too can increase skin seboregulation. However, they rather give a psychological effect of relaxation and help to get rid of stress. It is worth noting that electromassage combs are not recommended to be used in case of severe hair loss – they will only aggravate the situation.