UNDERSTANDING NATURAL HAIR FALL AND HAIR LOSS

Hair loss has been a very long and lingering problem of men, women and even children. There are different types of hair loss and each has different or similar causes, some specifically affecting men or women and some affecting children. You will be surprised that some types of hair loss are temporary or self limiting but the most common forms can ultimately leave you with a bald head. But don’t be confused, finding more hair on your pillow doesn’t mean you’re suffering from hair loss. Or does it?

To get a better understanding about hair loss, you have to understand that our hair grows in stages and losing some hair is actually normal. Basically our hair have three stages: anagen stage, catagen stage and telogen stage.

Anagen stage is the stage of active hair growth. About 90% of all our hair is in this stage at any given time. Our hair grows about half an inch per month, in a year, our hair will grow proximately 6 inches long. Anagen stage last for two to seven years.

The next stage is the catagen stage or the transitional stage. At this stage, the hair follicles separate from the dermal papilla, cutting its blood supply; hence, no more hair growth. Around 3% of our scalp hair is in this stage.

And the last stage is the telogen stage or resting stage. About 7% percent of our hair is at this stage and this is when hair is naturally shed off. Typically, we shed about 80 to 100 hair strands a day, and this is considered normal.

Now that the facts are laid out, you should know that it is actually normal to find some hair strands here and there. Hair loss is considered only if hair shedding is more that 100 hair strands a day. So how do we know if we are suffering hair loss? An obvious clue is when your hair is no longer as thick as it should be. When you hair starts to recede or when a bald spot is starting to form on top of your head, you better start on a hair loss treatment to stop further hair loss.