By Leslie Williams
Most of us are well aware of that the amount of stress that we are faced with has steadily increased for decades. Women especially are juggling many roles both at work and at home. At times, a sudden loss or thinning of hair may be attributed to stress or a single traumatic experience.
When exploring the possible causes of your hair loss, consider what kinds of things have happened to you in the last 12 weeks. Have you been through a divorce? Has a loved one pass away? Been recently unemployed or started a new job? You should think back three months when considering these questions.
This is because it often takes this long for your hair’s health to react to a stressful experience. Keep this time frame in mind when considering other factors, too. For example, were you perhaps diagnosed and treated for a recent illness within the last 12 weeks? Did you start a new medication in the past three months? In regard to stress-induced thinning hair thinning, since the stressor was short term, the result of the stressor may also be short term.
Another element to consider in hair loss and thinning is hormones. One hormone that plays a major part in hair loss is testosterone. Women typically have a low level of testosterone present in the body. When testosterone works on another hormonal substance called DHT, balding and thinning occurs. DHT is considered an androgen. If the androgens such as DHT or testosterone increase, then things such as hair thinning can happen.
Is your thyroid causing your hair loss? Thyroid disorders include an under-active thyroid – hypothyroidism or an overactive thyroid resulting hyperthyroidism. Either of these imbalances can cause hair loss. Thyroid issues are increasingly thought to be an issue in perimenopause and menopause. Thyroid issues may be diagnosed with a blood test. However, sometimes thyroid issues may exist even though test results appear normal. Finding a Dr. who treats thyroid issues based on symptoms may be an option in this case.
Also, as you get older, your hair ages too. As you age, your hair’s resting stages may last longer. This resting stage, which is the time when your hair doesn’t grow, is usually relatively short, but in the later stages of your life, it becomes longer and longer…all the while your hair seems to be staying one length and not getting longer! At the end of the resting stage, your hair usually falls out and is replaced. But, older hair is likely to fall out sooner and take even longer to be replaced, if at all.
Following are a multitude of tests that physicians may employ in order to understand and treat the cause of your thinning or hair loss. Although many of these tests will come back as inconclusive, or even completely normal, it is important to realize that diagnosis are often made by eliminating other causative factors.
.Iron levels
.Iron binding ability (TIBC test)
.Hormone levels
.Thyroid
.VDRL (to detect the STD syphilis)
.Blood levels (CBC) A scalp biopsy- a tiny part of your scalp is pulled and
examined under a microscope.
.Hair pull- the physician pulls a strand of hair to test how many come loose)
.Densitometry- a small magnifier is used to closely examine the hair shaft
There are obviously multiple causes of female hair loss and thinning. At http://www.hairchi.com you can download a free report that explains the chemistry, issues and possible causes of female hair loss, along with healthy and natural tips to address this problem.
About the Author: Leslie Williams is the creator of HairChi™ a natural hair loss treatment developed especially for women. To find out more about how you can address hair loss visit http://www.hairchi.com to download the free report “5 Days to Healthier Hair Growth, Thickness, and Strength!"
