One of the most frequently asked questions about hair loss is, how do hormones affect my hair loss? Hormones have a great impact on our emotions, reflections, especially our immune systems which will affect our skin, hair and nails. Hormones are one of the reasons for hair loss. There are some other factors of hair loss such as aging, genetic factors, medical treatments, illness, giving birth and hormonal imbalances. If you have more than one factor all combined, it will not be a surprise to have hair loss. Even though it seems to be a men issue, women suffer from hair loss too. As a result of negligence, hair gets damaged and starts shedding. Chemical Products also affect women’s hair. Our clinic has different treatments for hair loss and performs different hair transplantation techniques.
Understanding How Hair Growth Works:
The 4 Stages Of Hair Growth (Growing, transition, resting and shedding phase)
Even though we look at the mirror every morning, we may not know the nature of our hair and how it cycle works. So, let’s have a look at the hair growth cycle and try to understand it in detail. We only see the hair from the outside but it has mainly 4 stages. The First one is the Growing stage and called anagen, regression and transition stage is called catagen. The resting phase of hair is called telogen and when we start losing hair and hair shedding phase is called exogen.
Anagen – growing stage: The hair roots, so called follicles grow just under the skin. The hair grows with blood vessels. The hair grows in the anagen phase and it takes 2 to 7 years. Every month you can see the growth of the hair strand in millimeters. This stage determines the maximum hair growth.
Catagen – transition stage: when the hair growth is completed with the anagen phase then catagen phase begins. This stage takes a few more weeks. As the anagen phase of the growth is completed the blood vessels stop feeding the hairs. So that the hair follicles start shrinking and fall out from the dermal layer. However this does not mean that you lost the hair but the new hair will grow and prior is leaving.
Telogen – resting stage: After these stages your hair needs some rest. So this is the stage where your hair stays still for almost 3 months. It is not a surprise when you complain about slow hair growing but for a cycle of the hair, it needs some time to rest and start over and over again. Old hair remains and look for the newcomers.
Exogen – hair shedding stage: Once the resting telogen stage of the hair is completed the final stage begins. If you have your hairs on your hand during the shower or when combing it is because of the exogen stage. Your hairs are out of the scalp and no longer attached to you. This large amount of hair shedding has the signals for the exogen phase.
The Relationship Between Hormones And Hair Loss (Androgen, Estrogen, Progesterone Hormones and Thyroid hormones)
We all know the side effects of stress which have a direct impact on our hair loss. The cortisol which is released due to the stress can control all of our body and we would be in a survival mode. This means our body cannot focus on our hair health and block the shelters in a way. During this time the hair cycle gets imbalanced and maybe the anagen phase gets shorter furthermore the telogen gets a rapid alert and unfortunately it results in hair shedding. It is also called telogen effluvium, the stress that affects hair loss.
Thyroid hormones may affect your hair health. As the thyroid has an important impact on our mood it also affects the growth and health of the hair. When the thyroid is not functioning well, our skin and hair get drier, dull and trigger hair shedding. Our hair strands get thinner or you may see your eyebrows get lighter and fall out. It is always good to have a thyroid level test to cheer up your mood, get rid of the tired and sleepy spirit and be more energetic.
Androgen is a male hormone that gives the characteristic of a male with body hair. However, it also activates hormones that work faster, resulting in rapid hair loss. Dihydrotestosterone is an androgen and at high levels can cause hair loss by shrinking hair follicles and shortening the hair growth cycle, resulting in hair loss. These hormones are also similar to other hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. If you have low levels of estrogen and progesterone, it impacts hair such as thinning hair, slower hair growth and most importantly, these hormones can increase the hormone androgen which also shrinks hair follicles. In summary, hormone balance is important and always taking care of your health will result in much healthier skin, beauty and hair.
