Is My Hair Loss from Stress (Alopecia)?

At a Glance * Stress can cause hair loss for a variety of reasons. * There are steps you can take if you think stress may be causing your hair loss.

If you're experiencing hair loss or thinning, you're probably looking for an explanation. If you think stress is to blame, worrying about it can make it worse.

Let's look at the link between stress and hair loss and what to do if stress is the cause.

How Can Stress Cause Hair Loss? Too much physical or emotional stress (like an injury, illness, or surgery) can cause two types of hair loss:

Alopecia areata: With alopecia, stress-related hair loss happens when white blood cells attack hair follicles. This type of hair loss can start within weeks and often causes patches of hair loss. It can affect your whole scalp and body hair. The hair that's lost can grow back on its own, but some people may need treatment to help their hair grow back.

Telogen effluvium: This type of stress-related hair loss is more common but less severe than alopecia. Hair stops growing, goes into a resting phase, and falls out after two to three months. It usually grows back within six to nine months.

Understanding Normal Hair Loss Hair isn't meant to stay in your scalp forever. Each hair goes through a natural life cycle. When that's over, the hair falls out naturally.

On average, people lose about 100 hairs a day. That's not a big deal, since the average scalp has about 100,000 hairs.

A few things affect how much hair you lose:

Age: Most people start losing hair after they turn 30, but it can start earlier. Men often lose hair faster than women.

Life span: The average life span of an individual hair is about four years. When it falls out, it's usually replaced by a new hair within six months.

Styling: Regular hair care, like shampooing, blow-drying, and brushing, often pulls out a few strands here and there.

Genetics of Hair Loss Genetic hair loss happens when not enough hair grows back to replace the hair that falls out. This doesn't mean that you're losing an excessive amount of hair. But the result is the same: a receding hairline and bald spots.

A few things are linked to hereditary baldness:

Age: One in four men will have male-pattern baldness by the age of 30. By age 60, two out of three men will either be bald or balding.

Gender: Hereditary baldness, or "pattern" baldness, is much more common in men than women.

Hormones: Pattern baldness is linked to the hormone testosterone. As women age and their testosterone levels increase, they may lose hair, or more accurately, they may not regrow hair as well as women with lower testosterone levels. Higher testosterone levels are also why more men have pattern baldness than women.

Other Causes of Hair Loss Many other life experiences and conditions can lead to hair loss. Here are a few examples:

• Chemotherapy
• Illnesses and infections (such as thyroid disease, autoimmune disease, and scalp infections)
• Injuries and surgeries
• Nervous habits (like hair pulling or scalp picking)
• Hormonal changes (such as those during pregnancy and after childbirth)
• Medications (including Parkinson's drugs, cholesterol-lowering drugs, blood pressure drugs, and birth control pills)

If your hair is thinning or you notice unusual baldness (for example, if you're in your teens or early twenties or if the hair loss follows an odd pattern), talk to your doctor to find out the cause.

Ways to Lower Stress Levels While you can't always get rid of stress in your life, coping with it effectively can help lessen its impact on your body and mind.

There are things you can do to stop your immediate stress response and lessen chronic stress over time.

Here are some stress-relief techniques you can add to your stress management plan:

How to Make Stress-Busting Habits Stick It's important to develop habits that not only help you manage stress in the moment but also help you build resilience to handle future stressful situations. The key to making these habits stick is to make them a part of your life and keep doing them even when you're not feeling overwhelmed.

Here are some stress-relief strategies that can help you cope with stress better:

• Eating a healthy diet
• Having a strong support system
• Getting regular exercise
• Practicing meditation
• Practicing mindfulness
• Making self-care a priority

Taking Care of Your Hair In addition to managing stress, there are simple hair-care practices you can include in your personal care routine. You may not be able to prevent hair loss caused by stress or other factors, but you can take steps to keep your scalp and hair healthy. Here are a few tips:

• Wash your hair with cool or lukewarm water, not hot water.
• Choose gentle shampoos, conditioners, and masks.
• Avoid styling products, such as sprays and gels, that have harsh or drying ingredients (like sulfates).
• Limit or stop dyeing or bleaching your hair, or take a break if you do.
• Gently style your hair using a wide-toothed comb and avoid tight hair ties.
• Adjust how often you wash your hair based on your hair's needs—for example, wash it more often if it's oily or less often if it's dry.
• Limit or avoid heat tools (such as blow dryers and curling irons).
• Protect your hair from the elements (for example, wear a scarf or hat in the sun and a swim cap when swimming in a chlorinated pool).

If you've taken steps to reduce stress and you're still losing hair, see your doctor for guidance. You may also want to talk to a therapist to help you avoid getting caught in a vicious cycle, where you stress about losing your hair, and the stress makes your hair loss worse.