What Triggers Excessive Hair Loss?

Your hair lives in a state of constant cyclical movement. At any given moment, a certain percentage of your hair is in a growth phase (usually about 85 per cent of hairs), a transitional phase, or a resting phase. When a given hair follicle transitions from resting to growth, the old hair is pushed out by a new hair.

It is this cycle that causes what we think of as everyday hair loss — most people lose 50 to 100 hairs each day. And on days when we shampoo, we tend to lose more. Therefore, none of us should be alarmed if we leave a small clump of hair behind after we shower (although unclogging the drain is probably a good idea).

Dermatologists explain the life cycle of hair as a very biologic rhythm . . . where certain things can disrupt this rhythm. These ‘disruptions’ are what often lead to hair loss.

The Most Common Cause

Although there is a large array of possible triggers for hair loss, the most common cause remains to be genetics; hence, the most common type of hair loss is androgenic alopecia, or male and female pattern baldness. Fifty per cent of men and women will have some manifestation of hereditary hair loss although the pattern of hair loss differs.

This genetically-driven hair loss is not experienced through excessive shedding, but rather a gradual thinning of the hair. Baldness just doesn’t happen overnight. It is also experienced differently in men and women. While men often go completely bald — specifically on the crown or top of their head — women usually experience general thinning on the top of the scalp and rarely experience anything close to total baldness.

According to hair loss experts, female pattern hair loss tends to start early if it’s going to be severe. They often say of their female patients, ‘They [often] think they’ll be bald and [get] very frightened. Most of the time if they’re in their 40s, 50s, 60s, they’re not going to’.

As an aside, many men and women that experience pattern baldness are also shown to have higher-than-average levels of insulin. Although the correlation between insulin resistance (pre-diabetes) and hair loss had been well-established in men; in the last decade, research has found the same connection in women.

What Other Causes Are There?

Besides genetics, any number of things can trigger temporary and permanent hair loss. Since most people that experience excessive hair shedding only do so on a temporary basis, sometimes the culprit is never discovered. There are probably various signals (other than the major ones) that can lead to shedding, but we’re just not in tune with what those are.

But remember, if you are concerned about excessive hair loss, it’s always best to seek the advice of a medical professional. When there is an acute loss of hair — either in patches or diffusely — evaluation by a medical professional is indicated. This way, appropriate treatment can be started as early as possible.