WHEN SHOULD I BE CONCERNED ABOUT MY HAIR LOSS/EXCESS SHEDDING?
“I lose so much hair in the shower. Is this normal?”
“My hair is falling out when I brush it”
“Clumps of my hair are falling out. What can I do to stop it?”
“What supplement will help my hair stop thinning/shedding?”
“Hair growth supplements for thicker hair”
Does this sound like you? What you’ve been googling recently? Keep reading.
When is it time to be concerned with your hair thinning/excess hair loss? Well, first of all, don’t freak out just yet. That will exacerbate the problem.
We lose hair every day. It occurs when brushing, washing, or styling your hair. Now, if you notice that you are losing more than 50-100 hairs a day, you must look at outside factors. A significant component of losing hair/thinning hair is stress levels. We face stress daily. Whether it be losing a family member, a new job, moving cities, forgetting to pack your lunch for work, etc., try to mitigate these stressors over the next few months. If you can manage to get your stress under control, excess hair loss and shedding should subside back to normal levels.
If it’s been a few months, your stress levels have come down, but you still notice hair loss or thinning in specific areas; this may be a typical pattern of baldness. For men, pattern baldness typically occurs on the hairline, temples, and/or crown area. Hair will begin to shed over time in these areas while the rest of your hair remains intact. Male pattern baldness tends to occur due to aging and hormonal changes, while sometimes it can be due to genetics. At this point, you should seek an evaluation if you are concerned or self-conscious.
For women, female patterned baldness presents itself differently. In men, we usually see a patterned loss which could include specific areas such as the hairline or crown for example. Instead of just one specific area, women tend to shed and lose volume and body everywhere. It is more difficult to pinpoint the root cause of hair loss/excess shedding in women, which is why it is so important to seek out a professional in the field to perform an assessment.
At The Saratoga Hair Center, every patient is assessed by our doctors, and given an individualized treatment plan. We have many options, both surgical and non-surgical, to treat hair loss. A hair transplant may be right for some, while medications, topicals, PRP treatments or other non-surgical treatments may be the solution for others.
Our best advice regarding hair loss/shedding and when to seek treatment is to wait 2-3 months and actively mitigate outside stressors. If that time passes and the loss/shedding hasn’t subsided, we recommend seeking evaluation sooner rather than later.
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