4 Reasons Why You’re Suddenly Losing Your Hair

On average, each of us has about 100,000-150,000 hairs on our heads, and we lose around 100 of those strands every day. While this can seem like a large number, hair follicles are in a constant state of renewal, so the lost hairs aren’t a big deal. 

However, in some cases, hair follicle growth slows, and the shed hairs aren’t replaced very quickly. This leads to a condition called alopecia — the medical term for hair loss. For many people, this happens very slowly due to genetics, termed hereditary alopecia. 

But for others, extreme hair loss can come on very suddenly, and that can be incredibly distressing. If you’re someone who’s found themselves losing a very large amount of hair in a very short amount of time, you’re probably wondering why and if there’s anything you can do about it. 

So, our team at Thomas Dermatology wants to address those valid concerns about alopecia by examining four common reasons why sudden hair loss can happen and how to manage it in this month’s blog.

1. Telogen effluvium

Your hair goes through four stages of growth. It starts growing during the anagen phase, slows during the catagen phase, starts shedding at the end of the telogen (rest) phase, and keeps shedding during the exogen phase. Telogen effluvium is a condition where your hair doesn’t leave the telogen phase, meaning it sheds much more than it should.

Several different things can cause telogen effluvium, including:

• Childbirth
• Severe stress
• Rapid weight loss
• Medications
• Thyroid conditions  

While telogen effluvium is a temporary condition, it’s best to find the root cause to reduce the amount of hair loss.

Your hair should grow back once you’ve changed medications or addressed the underlying condition. But to encourage healthy and strong hair regrowth, you can try any of our hair loss treatments, such as topical foams or solutions, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, or oral medications.

2. Anagen effluvium 

This is a condition where the hair falls out during the anagen phase, causing you to lose large amounts of hair at the root. When you have anagen effluvium, you may not only lose hair from your head, but your eyelashes and eyebrows as well. Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, scalp infections, and autoimmune conditions can all cause anagen effluvium.

If your hair loss is due to cancer treatments, you’ll need to wait to finish the treatments before moving on to hair regrowth. However, treating the infection or managing your autoimmune condition should help your hair to grow back. Hair loss treatment can be an option for you once the underlying cause has been addressed.

3. Alopecia areata

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition that specifically attacks your hair follicles along with other healthy parts of your body. This causes hair all over your body to fall out in chunks. Topical applications typically aren’t effective for alopecia areata, so PRP injections and prescription medications are the best treatments for encouraging your hair to grow back.

4. Nutritional deficiencies 

Eating a diet that’s deficient in vital nutrients can cause your hair to fall out in large amounts. Nutrients needed for proper hair growth include protein, iron, zinc, and biotin. Getting a blood test done can determine if you’re deficient in any of these nutrients and what’s causing your hair loss. Taking supplements or adding these nutrients to your diet should help with hair regrowth. 

To learn more about possible causes of hair loss and how to treat them, schedule an appointment with our dermatology team by calling any of our offices located in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada, and Lake Havasu City, Kingman, and Bullhead City, Arizona, or using our online booking feature today.