Contents:
- Medical Video: Hair Loss - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Options
- Why can hair fall out?
- When is hair loss still reasonable?
- Telogen effluvium, the most common cause of severe hair loss
- When should I see a doctor about my hair loss?
Medical Video: Hair Loss - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Options
Hair is the crown of the head. So, no wonder if you have thick, healthy and strong hair is everyone's dream. However, not infrequently we find clumps of hair loss clogging the bathroom waterways, clustered tangled in combs, on pillow beds, or even on our workbench. Not only can you make you feel inferior, but severe hair loss also makes you wonder. Is this normal or signs of baldness? Or, are there certain conditions or diseases that cause severe hair loss?
Why can hair fall out?
Hair is made of keratin, a special protein produced in the roots (follicles). When follicles produce new hair cells, old hair cells will be pushed out of the skin layer. This loose hair is actually a strand of dead keratin cells.
The actual process of hair growth is not that easy. There are three steps that need to be passed until the hair really falls out. The first is the anagen stage, which is the growth stage of active hair fibers. This stage can last for 2-7 years. As much as 80-85 percent of the hair you have is currently in the anagen phase.
The next stage is katagen aka the transition phase. The catagen phase is characterized by hair that stops growing. This phase usually lasts 10-20 days. The third stage is the telogen phase, which occurs when the hair actually stops growing and then begins to fall out. 10-15 percent of the hair is in the telogen phase, which generally lasts up to 100 days.
After the telogen phase is complete, the hair growth process starts back to the anagen phase.
When is hair loss still reasonable?
Normal hair growth speed is around 1 centimeter per month. The average adult has 100,000 to 150,000 strands of hair, and up to around 50-100 strands will fall out every day. This number is still relatively normal and there is no need to worry too much.
Telogen effluvium, the most common cause of severe hair loss
Telogen effluvium (TE) is the second most common cause of hair loss diagnosed by a dermatologist or dermatologist. This condition occurs when there is a change in the number of hair follicles that grow hair.
TE first appears characterized by thinning hair, which may only be seen in certain areas of the head. Or it can be evenly distributed, but one area might look thinner than the other area. Usually TE is most visible on the crown. However, TE very rarely causes severe hair loss to be truly bald or bald.
The cause of hair loss is influenced by several factors, such as:
- Give birth
- Stress (women who experience TE generally experience hair loss in 6 weeks to 3 months after severe stress)
- Drastic weight loss
- High fever
- Operation
- The healing process of pain, especially if accompanied by high fever
- Stop using birth control pills
Even so, hair loss due to telogen effluvium is temporary and is the body's way of adjusting for changes that occur due to the influence of these factors.
Hair growth will return to normal along with the body's recovery from the above factors, usually within 6 to 9 months.
When should I see a doctor about my hair loss?
Most causes of hair loss are actually not too worrying. But if the amount of hair loss that you experience is very much beyond reasonable limits, it never hurts to consult a doctor, severe hair loss may be caused by autoimmune diseases such as alopecia areata, lupus, to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
If you experience something similar and are concerned about the amount of hair you fall out, you can see a skin and genital specialist. This doctor can handle cases around the skin, hair, and nails so that you can be handled directly properly.
