The hair on your scalp follows a growth cycle of three stages: anagen, or growth; catagen, or transitioning; and telogen, or resting. Depending on your genetic makeup, the rate of growth and the number of hairs you lose daily may vary, but normally you shed 50 to 100 hairs a day. Several factors can induce excessive hair loss, including stress, heredity, poor nutrition, disease or irritation, and hormonal imbalances.
Stress
Telogen effluvium, according to the Mayo Clinic, is the type of hair loss resulting from an extreme mental or physiological shock that accelerates hair into the telogen phase. Basically, as your body adjusts to address more important functions during stressful times, it directs resources away from hair growth, which can produce hair loss if the stressor is prolonged or extreme. Generally, with time and stress reduction, hair growth will return after a period of three to six months.
Heredity
You can inherit certain genetic factors that may advance your loss of hair to earlier stages in life. The most common genetic cause of hair loss is pattern baldness, where hair falls out in specific patterns of loss around the crown of your head and scalp. Usually, a family history of early balding will be known before such balding affects you. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, you inherit pattern baldness, also called androgenetic alopecia, from your mother's side of the family. Although the condition affects males more often than females due to its connection to the male hormone androgen, even women may experience this form of hair loss.
Nutritional Deficiency
Without the proper building blocks of hair development, such as iron, protein, magnesium, silica and B-complex vitamins, your hair cells cannot produce complete, healthy hair structures. As a result, hair breaks off more easily or fails to grow altogether. Although nutrient deficiencies are unlikely, they do affect many individuals who follow rigid vegan diets, who have an eating disorder or who suffer from other disorders or stomach ailments that prevent the absorption of sufficient nutrients.
Disease/Irritation
Scalp inflammation due to an overabundance of free radicals, related to a lack of antioxidants or vitamin C, or due to a skin disease or infection can cause hair to fall out as the skin weakens and inflames. For example, as ringworm grows on the scalp, it invades and causes damage to the hair roots. Similarly, lupus and other skin diseases can irritate and potentially scar the scalp, developing a condition known as cicatricial, or scarring, alopecia, based on research reported by the Mayo Clinic. Once a disease or infection results in scarring, your hair may not grow back.
Other Causes
Hormonal imbalances related to pregnancy and birth control can cause hair fall out, as can certain medical treatments and thyroid disorders. Even constant pulling of the hair and overuse of chemical treatments and dyes can damage hair follicles. Therefore, eat a well-balanced diet, monitor your hair loss and be gentle with your hair to ensure its healthy development.
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