Does Stress Cause Hair Loss in Women?

Stress is something that we cannot do away with completely; it is bound to rear its ugly head from time to time. Health problems, trauma, and personal and professional demands may wreak havoc on our daily lives. So, it is true that stress has the potential to cause hair loss in men and women.

Does stress cause hair loss?

Stress can cause hair loss in many ways. The kind of loss that occurs due to emotional and physical triggers is known as Telogen Effluvium. Here, hair follicles are forced to rest because of the raised stress levels. So, the hair automatically begins to fall off and give a thinning look which is very prominent in some parts of the scalp.

The damage caused however is usually not permanent and you can find the best treatment for hair loss to take care of this issue. Complete baldness will only occur where there is some inflammatory process working inside your body. This type of hair loss is most common during the initial few months after a stressful phase in your life.

When does stress cause hair loss enough to start worrying?

• Any normal person is likely to lose 50-100 strands of hair each day but hair shedding becomes worrisome if the number of hair falling shoots up suddenly. This becomes noticeable as you wash the hair or comb them. But one must not get paranoid because of this. This usually happens because our body goes into survival mode every time it feels stressed out. The body diverts resources to the more-essential bodily functions and ignores non-essential functions, like nail or hair growth.
• Another time when hair loss becomes worrisome is during Postpartum Alopecia which occurs because of a fall in estrogen levels post childbirth. However, new mothers should not worry too much as the hair will soon regrow and become full again.
• Trichotillomania is a condition in which people have an urge to pull their hair out. This is most often caused by very high levels of anxiety.

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