Hair Loss in Women and Diet Causes
Stress is a common trigger for hair loss in women. The technical name for this problem is telogen effluvium. It gives a regular thinning of the hair and can in itself be quite worrying when it happens. This obviously can lead to greater stress and greater hair loss. The problem itself is usually short lived and mends itself given a little time. However, for a small number of women the problem can get more long lived and Chronic. This is when it becomes a real problem. The stress triggers can arise in a number of ways from hormone imbalance to reactions to particular medicines, illness and some sorts of dieting. usually the effects don’t emerge until some time after the trigger has occurred. Itends in a general thinning of the scalp hairs and other areas of the body instead of a distinct bald area. There can be a tendency for women with the condition to be diagnosed as acting anxious or neurotic instead of actually seeking a direct trigger. Telogen effluvium relates to the usual growth cycle of hair. Hair follicles have two phases within this cycle. The one stage involves growth and the other resting. The growth stage lasts around 3 years, where as the resting phase is usually about three months. Telogen is the word used to refer to the period of resting. generally only about fifteen percent of the hair is in the telogen stage. But, sudden stress can increase the number up greatly. These hairs are shed and the follicles start resting. After about 3 months the hairs begin to grow again and the usual growth returns. This means that after about 6 months the problem should start to return to normal. Although the results of Telogen Effluvium are quite distinctive there is no real remedy for it, other than getting over the stressful happening and waiting for the hair to come back. In the case of the chronic persistent results of this problem women must look more carefully at their life style. Usually it is a combination of conditions that lead to the hair loss. High pressure work, trying to cope with work and family needs, crash diets, vegetarian diets, yo yo diets and low protein diets all add to the amount of hair loss in women. Some women try to redress the balance of dieting nutrient loss by taking pills, but this should not be done. A healthy well balanced diet should be the aim then.Another chronic type of this condition version is having low amounts of the iron complex Serum Ferritin in the blood. A doctor needs to do a blood test to find out if this is the reason for the hair loss. It has been decided that up to 30 percent of female hair loss is because of low iron levels. Once a diagnosis has been given iron supplements can be taken and it will be quickly found that hair loss will reduce and the problem will get better. Any form of dieting will put the body under stress. This stress can modify women’s hair loss. Hair loss women often have a number of stresses that combine together to cause the condition. The best cure is to identify the conditions that cause the stress and get rid of them.
