Factors That Stimulate Hair Loss, Including Stress

As you age, it’s common to notice changes in the thickness, texture, and color of your hair. But that doesn’t mean you should feel happy about it, especially if you can’t think of any reason why.  Here are some factors that most often to blame on your bad luck:

  • Age – Both men and women start losing hair after the age of 30 – it’s a natural process, one that could start before you turn 30.
  • Gender – Pattern baldness is more common in men than in women. Pattern hair primarily affects the top and front of the scalp.
  • Hormones – The more testosterone one has in their system, the more likely they are to lose existing hair and fail to re-grow new hair.
  • Genetics – Your gene make-up plays a major role in your ability to regrow hair lost due to natural shedding.
  • Illness and Medication – Certain illnesses, treatments, and medications can also cause hair to fall out or not regrow as quickly as you would expect.
  • Styling – Heat styling, coloring, and even brushing all can cause hair loss.

What about stress?

A certain amount of stress not only is common, it’s unavoidable. The demands of work, home, and family at times can seem overwhelming; but, if properly managed, can keep hair loss at bay. On the flip side, prolonged, excessive physical or emotional stress can result in two types of hair loss:

  • Alopecia areata: Hair falls out often in patches and sometimes includes body hair. This condition is caused by a white blood cell attack on the hair follicles and, while hair may grow back on its own, treatment may be required.
  • Telogen effluvium: This is a less severe and more common type of hair loss where hair stops growing for a while, falls out approximately 3 months later, only to grow back within 6 to nine months.

Tips to Relieve Stress

While you can’t entirely prevent or avoid stress, you can learn to minimize the amount of stress your experience while better managing existing stress levels. Try one or more of these measures to discover what works best for you:

  • Get regular exercise and plenty of restful sleep
  • Eat a healthy diet
  • Try deep breathing exercises when faced with a stressful situation
  • Take the best possible care of yourself
  • Surround yourself with people who successfully manage their own stress and whose positive attitudes have a way of rubbing off

Aromatherapy also is widely used for stress relief. It involves using plant extract extracts – called essential oils – to inhale or rub on your skin. Using essential oils while getting a massage can be the ultimate stress relief experience.

Lastly, meditation might be the most popular form of stress relief and management. By learning to calm your body and mind, your physical and emotional stress can melt away. This leaves you feeling better, refreshed, and ready to face the challenges of your day with a healthy attitude. With regular practice over weeks or months, you can experience even greater benefits.

Are there any guaranteed ways to stop hair loss? Unfortunately, no. But with a successful hair transplant, you can feel worlds better about yourself while restoring your natural and more youthful appearance. Contact DiStefano Hair Restoration Hair Center today and let the restoration process begin.