Hair loss is stressful no matter your gender or age. Most times you may not know why you are experiencing hair loss and there are a lot of reasons why this may be happening. They can be temporary which can be treated by a simple change in lifestyle or they can be more permanent caused by a more serious health condition. Your dermatologist can help you determine what may be the cause but here are some unexpected reasons for hair loss:
Autoimmune disease – Alopecia areata (AA) is one of the most common forms of hair loss dermatologists see. It appears as circular bald patches on the scalp. They can appear in just one or two patches or all over the scalp. AA is an autoimmune disease that attacks hair follicles. Luckily, the follicles are not permanently destroyed so hair, in most cases, will grow back! The most common form of treatment used by dermatologists is corticosteroid cream applied to the affected patches for this reason for hair loss.
Dramatic Weight Loss – While losing weight is good for your overall health, losing weight too quickly can sometimes cause hair loss as it is a form of physical trauma. Unfortunately, as you work on one aspect of your body and health, another issue can arise. The good news? It’s not permanent and after a few months, your hair should be back to normal. One way to try to prevent this side effect of losing weight is to make sure you do it in a healthy way eating a wide variety of lean proteins, vegetables, fruits and taking a good multi-vitamin!
Hypothyroidism – Your thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland in your neck vital to our overall health. The thyroid releases hormones that contribute to overall growth and development. When our thyroid is underactive (hypothyroidism), our hormone levels are low so therefore, one side effect can be hair loss. This is easily treatable and your dermatologist can determine if you might need to get some blood work done to see if this is the case. If so, thyroid medication will easily take care of the problem and your hair will grow back!
Vitamin Imbalance – Getting too much of one vitamin and not enough of another can both effect overall health and result in hair loss. Vitamin B is one we want to make sure we are getting adequate amounts. To ensure our Vitamin B levels are where they need to be, make sure you eat a well-balanced diet full of lean meats, healthy fats and of course fruits and veggies! You can also take supplements or injections. The vitamin you want to make sure you to not overdo it is vitamin A. We only need about 5,000 IU’s of vitamin A and some supplements can give you up to 10,000 IU’s! So make sure you are looking at those labels. The good news is, once you get those vitamin levels back to where they need to be, this reason for hair loss will cease!
Female Hormones – Hormone changes of any kind can cause hair loss. As a female, birth control can cause hormonal changes and can sometimes result in hair loss. Pay attention to any change in prescription and you might need to talk to your doctor about another option. Hormone changes that come with menopause can also cause hair loss. Again, once hormone imbalances are fixed, we can start to see hair re-growth!
If you are experiencing hair loss, see your dermatologist! They can help you determine what might be the cause and either prescribe some appropriate hair loss treatment or guide you in the right direction for next steps! DermaBlue is a new Ashevlle dermatology office and we are accepting new patients, so don’t hesitate to call, especially if you need to get an appointment quickly for hair loss treatment in Asheville, NC!
