EXTREME DIETING AND HAIR LOSS

Are you thinking of going into a crash diet program because of an upcoming event and you simply want to look very thin and squeeze into your nice little dress? Well, this is what most of us do, we love to rush things than plan in advance, but be warned, crash dieting could make you lose weight really fast, however, it can also cause hair loss.

Crash dieting causes a type of sudden massive hair loss called telogen effluvium. Due to insufficient intake of vital nutrition like proteins and important vitamins, the hair follicles fail to produce hair. Remember that the hair follicle or the hair bud to be exact is one of the most active cells in the body and can produce half to one inch of hair per month. The follicles need a lot of protein because hair is predominately made of protein. So basically, no protein intake means no hair.

Telogen effluvium causes sudden hair loss because it somehow converts all the follicles to enter telogen phase. Normally, there are three growth cycle of hair. Anagen, catagen and telogen phase.

Anagen phase is the stage of hair growth. About 85% of all hair in the scalp is at this stage at any given time and this last for about eight years.
Catagen phase starts right after the anagen phase. Also known as the transitional phase, comprises about 10% of all hairs and this phase last for about two weeks.

Finally, telogen phase or resting phase starts right after the catagen phase. About 10 – 15% of all hairs are on this stage and last about two to four months. In this stage the old hair shaft is slowly pushed outwards hence the hair fall. This is in preparation of new hair growth and the cycle repeats again.

For this reason, it is not advisable to practice dieting, but if you’re already doing it, then be attentive and look for any signs of increased hair fall. As a preventive measure, it is also great to use a nutrient rich hair loss treatment shampoo. These special shampoos contain all the nutrients the hair need for optimum growth whether you’re on a diet or not.