Why Am I Bald?
For centuries, people have been at a loss when dealing with receding hairlines. Hair has always been associated with youth. Those dealing with hair loss often wonder if there is anything that can be done to restore some, or all, of the 100,000 to 150,000 hair follicles on their head. Scientists have studied how to help re-grow hair but much more has to be done. Although no cure for baldness has been found yet, you may want to understand more about what causes your unplanned hair thinning.
The Causes of Baldness
Most baldness issues can be summed up with one term, male pattern baldness. Don’t be fooled by the name, women can suffer from the same. In men the cause is linked to sensitivity to the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT). There are also some people that have hair follicles that are sensitive to this hormone. Often this sensitivity can be due to genetics. Male pattern baldness runs in families, so if you go through your family photos and you see members of your family suffering from hair loss, that can be an indicator for what you can expect. If you do have this issue, then your hair will slowly start to grow shorter and wispier. Of course, male pattern baldness isn’t the only cause of hair loss.
Hair Loss as a Stress Symptom
Do you remember your parents blaming you for their gray hair or hair loss? Well, there might be some truth to that. Stress can do a lot of havoc on your body and that includes our hair follicles. Every hair follicle has three distinct phases:
- Anogen: the growth phase
- Catagen: the transitional phase
- Telogen: the resting phase
During anogen, your hair can grow a centimeter a month or more. When your hair follicle enters the catagen stage, which is after two to seven years of anogen stage, the follicle shrinks, which causes your hair to get shorter and thinner. As your hair follicles enter into the telogen stage, your hair falls out. Every follicle goes through this same cycle but not all at once. Only about 10 percent of your hair is in the catagen or telogen stage at one time. Extreme stress can have such an impact that a much larger percentage of your hair can enter into those stages, which results in you losing more hair than normal.
Leave No Hair Behind
If you are dealing with thinning hair or find your wear hats to cover your bald head, there are treatments available. At VanScoy Hair Clinic we offer the latest in non-surgical, non-invasive hair loss treatments for both men and women.
