Hair Loss or Hair Shedding: Telling the Difference

Hair Shedding & Hair Loss Are Not the Same Thing

A common question you may have is “Am I losing too much hair?” For most people, the good news is they are not actually seeing a significant amount of hair loss. What they may be seeing is hair shedding, which is the process of losing your hair through the normal hair growth process. Knowing when you should seek help is important as losing too much hair could point to an underlying health issue or complication.

What Is Hair Shedding?

Our natural hair growth cycles last between two and seven years. During that time, not all of your hair follicles are producing hair. In fact, we typically only have about 30 percent of our hair or more not growing at any given time. This means that at various times throughout the hair growth process, it is normal to see hair fall out or shedding. Sometimes it may seem like a lot of hair falling out. This hair shedding is a normal, natural process. In this three-stage cycle of hair growth, life and dormancy, there is one stage that involves hair loss. It simply falls out and the hair follicle goes into a dormant stage for a period of time.

Hair that falls out in this manner is called hair shedding. You should see hair shedding every day. On a daily basis, we lose between 50 to 100 hairs. You find this hair in your shower or in your brush. This hair shedding can result in a significant amount of hair falling out. It normally results in hair regrowing from the same hair follicle after the dormant stage.

There are some situations that hair shedding will occur in clumps. While hair shedding isn’t uncommon, it can be worrisome for some individuals. It is common for hair shedding to happen in the following situations:

• You’ve lost more than 20 pounds.
• You had a high fever.
• You are a woman that just gave birth.
• You’re under a significant amount of stress – physically or emotionally.
• You’ve undergone an operation or other physical ailments.
• You are a woman that stopped taking birth control pills.
• You’re recovering from a significant illness.

If any of these things have happened to you, the result could be a sudden burst of hair shedding. Without doing anything about it, your hair will regrow again.

When Is It True Hair Loss?

Of course, hair loss isn’t uncommon either. If you suspect what you have going on is hair loss or balding, you should consult with your medical doctor or a hair restoration professional. For hair loss to happen, something has to cause your hair to stop growing. There can be several reasons this can happen. Some common causes of hair loss include:

• Your immune system triggers hair loss.
• You’re taking medications or undergoing procedures or treatments such as chemotherapy that stop hair growth and cause your hair to fall out.
• You use hair products that are damaging.
• You have hereditary hair loss, known medically as androgenetic alopecia.
• You have a compulsion to pull your hair (trichotillomania).
• You tie your hair up so tightly that it pulls it out (traction alopecia).

If you believe the hair loss you are experiencing is sudden and you worry about whether it will grow back, see your dermatologist as the earliest opportunity.

Talk to a Hair Loss Professional

If you or someone you know is dealing with hair loss, we invite you to contact us today. We would be happy to sit down with you in a private consultation to discuss your hair loss issue and help you find the right solution for you. Restoring your hair not only gives you your hair back but it can do so much to restore your self-esteem.