Early Signs of Hair Loss
When you’re combing your hair in the bathroom, how many hairs do you usually find left on the comb? If you think you might be losing more hair than usual and you’re noticing a general thinning, it’s time to learn about the early signs of hair loss.
Did you know how many strands of hair an average person loses per day? On average, between 50 and 100 hair strands are lost each day. If you’re losing 100+ strands a day, it’s likely that you’re experiencing the early stages of pattern baldness. So, what are the hair loss signs? Let’s take a look and find out.
What are the early signs of hair loss?
Learning the signs of hair loss is important for choosing the right treatment method. If you are experiencing one or more of the following, you may have alopecia.
Hair Thinning
It’s one of the first signs that you might be losing your hair. Your hair is looking a bit thinner and less lively than it did before. You might also notice more hair breakages at the ends. You might notice your hair thinning from the roots to the tips.
Visible Bald Spots
Hair loss is a sign of the initial stage of baldness. If you’ve noticed bald patches on your scalp, it could be a sign of a condition called androgenic alopecia. Female pattern hair loss is when you lose hair all over your head, while male pattern baldness is characterized by hair loss in the top region.
Widening Part
If the balding around your hairline is gradually expanding, it is a typical sign of hair loss in female patients. Today it affects 12% of women in their 20s. You can understand the severity of your hair loss according to your stage on the Ludwig Hair Loss Scale. For men struggling with baldness, the Norwood Scale is used.
Receding Hairline
It is one of the first signs of hair loss for men. You’ll start to see the hair on your temples thinning and receding. If you see this as a woman, it means you’re experiencing male type hair shedding. It’s possible that an excess of the DHT hormone is involved in this situation. In some cases, balding can be a sign of a serious illness.
Hair Growth Takes Longer
Everyone follows the same hair growth cycle. Hair follicles pass through anagen, catagen, telogen and exogen stages respectively. However, in people who are losing their hair early on, the resting phase – telogen, and the shedding phase – exogen, last longer. This results in the loss of more hair follicles.
Thinner Ponytail
Do you usually wear your hair in a ponytail? If you’ve noticed your ponytail getting thinner, you’re not alone. It looks like you’re experiencing hair loss. A ponytail can also cause your hairline to recede. It is a good idea to switch to more relaxed styles.
Excessive Hair Shedding After Showering
People often ask whether hair loss could be a sign of something serious after noticing an increase in hair strands on their comb or on the bathroom floor. Yes, for some people this may be a sign of cancer. However, most people experience severe hair fall due to excessive stress or genetic factors.
How to stop hair loss signs?
If you don’t want to worry about hair loss any more, there are a few simple steps you can take to prevent it.
1. Firstly, you need to find out what’s causing your hair loss. You might want to check in with your dermatologist. The most common causes of hair loss are:
- stress
- genetics
- hormonal imbalances
- vitamin deficiencies
- an underlying condition
- a weakened immune system (autoimmune diseases)
2. Take a look at your hair care products and see if there are any changes you could make. Instead of a shampoo with harsh chemicals like sulfates, go for products that nourish your hair with natural ingredients. You can also use hair loss prevention serums.
3. Since there is a large proportion of keratin in the hair structure, protein-based nutrition plays a critical role in hair growth. If you eat more fruits, vegetables and meat, you have a chance to stop your hair loss. In addition, you can help new hair grow faster and thicker.
4. Avoid hairstyles that pull your hair tightly. Tight braids, ponytails, buns, extensions, and dreadlocks. You can adopt loose braids, find ways to style your hair without heat.
How to bring back lost hair?
Signs of alopecia hair loss can turn into an opportunity to replace your hair loss with new ones. It is possible to have thicker and more lush hair by trying one or a combination of these methods.
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)
Your hair specialist uses your blood to kickstart the hair growth cycle and give your follicles a boost. They take a little bit of your blood and put it in a centrifuge, where the components are separated. Then, they add the PRP. PRP has a high concentration of growth factors, so it’s injected into your body to stop hair loss and give you a full head of hair.
Medications
Minoxidil and finasteride are the most common medications used to stop hair loss. Minoxidil comes in foam or topical solution form and is applied directly to the scalp. It’s approved for both men and women, but Finasteride is only for men with balding. There are still doubts about the side effects of these medicines.
Practice stress-reducing techniques
If you can manage your stress levels with techniques like meditation, you might find that the hair loss goes away too. If you’re feeling too sad, anxious or worried about the future, it can cause hair, eyebrow and eyelash loss. If you manage your stress with psychotherapy or other techniques, the hair loss probably won’t continue.
Healthy Diet
We get minerals, vitamins and other components into our bodies through food. Hair needs protein, iron, zinc, biotin and omega-3 fatty acids. You can strengthen your hair, prevent hair loss and thinning with a nutrition plan that focuses on these. Your dermatologist or dietician can give you more information on this.
Hair Transplantation
The best way to stop hair loss is to have a hair transplant. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the early stages of hair loss or if you’ve already lost a lot of hair, you can still achieve thick, luscious hair with hair transplant surgery. You can try one of the modern hair transplantation techniques to get hair that’s more beautiful, lush and vibrant than you ever imagined.
Can hair loss be a sign of something serious?
It’s thought that hair loss signs and symptoms could be related with a serious illness like cancer. While not all hair loss is linked to a serious health issue, hair loss after chemotherapy is quite common. It’s worth noting, though, that hair loss isn’t a sign of cancer. On the other hand, hair loss is a common side effect of cancer treatment.
Hair loss is usually down to genetics, hormonal changes, the ageing process, stress, poor nutrition and autoimmune diseases. An excess of the DHT hormone can cause hair to become weak. On the other hand, if you have a severe iron deficiency, you may experience more advanced hair loss.
Is hair loss a sign of cancer?
During cancer treatment, people receive chemotherapy. While chemotherapy targets cancer cells, it can cause hair loss because it also affects rapidly dividing hair cells. Therefore, no, hair loss is not a sign of cancer in either men or women. However, if someone has cancer, they might lose more hair because their body is weak from fighting the cancer cells. However, this isn’t the same kind of intense hair loss you get with chemotherapy.
Is hair loss a sign of pregnancy?
If you ask if hair loss is a sign of pregnancy, the answer is definitely no. A lot of women are wondering whether hair loss is a sign of pregnancy. The short answer is that it isn’t. Hair loss isn’t a sure sign of pregnancy. In fact, hair loss tends to increase after giving birth as your body transfers minerals, protein and calcium to your baby.
Is hair loss a sign of menopause?
Women experience age-related hair loss. For example, the hair loss rate of a woman in her 20s is 12%, while that of a woman in her 70s is 50%. Both age and hormonal changes during menopause trigger hair loss. Diffuse thinning is more common in women during this process. It can be controlled with natural hair care products, healthy nutrition and hair transplant surgery.
Is hair loss a sign of diabetes?
Although diabetes type 1 and 2 are caused by different reasons, both have a positive correlation with hair loss. In type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system attacks the islet cells in the pancreas that make insulin. Hair follicles can also be affected by this situation and may fall out.
In type 2 diabetes, your body makes less insulin. This can affect the timing of the hair growth cycle and lead to hair loss. In this case, controlling blood sugar levels can stop hair loss. However, you can consider treatments including hair transplantation to replace your lost hair.
Is hair loss a sign of low testosterone?
Yes, hair loss can be a symptom of low testosterone. Testosterone is really important for hair growth. When levels are low, it can cause thinning hair or loss, especially in men. Low testosterone might be a factor in conditions like AGA (male or female pattern baldness), where hair loss occurs on the scalp, mostly around the temples and crown. But it’s also worth noting that there are lots of other reasons why you might be losing your hair, so it’s always best to check in with a healthcare professional for an on-the-mark diagnosis.
FAQs about Early Signs of Hair Loss
It’s normal range for both men and women to lose between 50 and 100 hairs a day. Some women may lose between 70 and 120 hairs a day during their period, which is also normal for them.
Yes, 1 out of every 2 people who experience hair loss have anxiety, stress and fear. One of the most common causes of hair loss is anxiety.
Wearing tight hats for long periods of time can lead to hair loss and put pressure on your hair follicles. Moreover, if your scalp sweats in the hat, it can lead to infections.
Yes, professionals have found that diabetes types 1 and 2 are associated with alopecia.
Ref. List
- Goluch-Koniuszy ZS. Nutrition of women with hair loss problem during the period of menopause. Menopausal Review. 2016;15(1):56-61. doi:https://doi.org/10.5114/pm.2016.58776
- Paus R, Haslam IS, Sharov AA, Botchkarev VA. Pathobiology of chemotherapy-induced hair loss. The Lancet Oncology. 2013;14(2):e50-e59. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/s1470-2045(12)70553-3
- 1.Lynfield Y. EFFECT of PREGNANCY on the HUMAN HAIR CYCLE* Presented at the Twenty-First Annual Meeting of the Society for Investigative Dermatology. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/82326339.pdf
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