Hair Loss Myths & Facts
One of the best of hair loss facts is that over 80 million American men and women are suffering from hair loss. A number of factors also contribute to hair loss. Many factors that have to be inquired before going for treating hair loss are: your routine diet, various medications you are already taking including vitamins, your family history of hair loss, any affliction from illness recently, and your daily hair care habits
Enjoy the following interesting and informative facts:
- About 10% of your hair will be resting and the rest will be growing at any given point of time.
- One hair fiber will be able to support a weight of 100 grams.
- It is found that use of drugs is one of the important causes of hair loss.
- Keratin forms the main component of your hair. Keratin is also responsible for giving elasticity to your fingernails.
- Every person will lose more than 40% of hair in a life time. That means about 100 hair per day.
- Hair loss becomes visible only when you lose more than 50% of hair.
- Europeans and Africans are found to have more hair loss problems than Asians.
- More than 50% of men above the age of 50 generally suffer from hair loss.
- There will be more than 100,000 hairs over an average scalp. Scalps with blond hair will have about 120,000; scalps with red hair will have about 80,000 hairs.
The Myth: Hair thinning comes from the mother’s side of the family. The Facts: Scientific research has proven that the genes for hair loss can come from either or both sides of the family. The best indicator you have is your immediate family. Look around—are your parents, sibling, aunts & uncles losing their hair? If so, you may also be at risk.
The Myth: Hereditary hair loss only affects men. The Facts: Women also suffer from hereditary hair loss -- nearly 30 million women in the U.S. alone. Often termed fine or thin, women’s hair goes though the same thinning process that men experience, However, women generally experience diffuse thinning starting just behind the hairline to the top or over the entire head, while men usually experience typical “male pattern baldness” – crown (or vertex) balding and/or a receding frontal hairline. Women usually experience little or no recession of the frontal hairline.
The Myth: Women only lose their hair post pregnancy or during menopause. The Facts: Although many women experience an increase in shedding after giving birth and around menopause, women can start experiencing the signs of heredity hair thinning as early as their 20’s. The signs are similar to men’s hair thinning – more hair loss on the pillow, in the drain, or on the hairbrush. However, instead of losing hair in the crown and hairline, women tend to experience a diffuse thinning that starts on the top of the head and can spread over the entire scalp.
The Myth: Stress makes your hair fall out. The Facts: Stress affects the body in many ways; it is important not to underestimate the power of stress. However, usually it takes severe, traumatic stress (like that related to a severe psychological or physical experience—a natural disaster, death in the family or crash dieting) to cause hair loss. Some diseases of the hair and scalp that cause patchy hair loss, like alopecia areata, can be precipitated or aggravated by bouts of stress. Mild stress usually doesn’t cause hair loss—in fact, usually the opposite is true!
The Myth: Any shedding of hair is an indicator of hereditary hair loss. The Facts: Normally, between 50 and 150 individual hairs are shed from the scalp every day. This is not a sign of hair loss; rather, it is a sign that hair follicles are entering their resting phase – a natural part of the follicle’s life cycle. When enough follicles do not recover from the “resting phase,” you are suffering from hair loss. Hair loss is a progressive process during which affected follicles tend to produce thinner, shorter hairs until they eventually die.
The Myth: If you’ve got hair past age 40, you’ll keep it. The Facts: Shrinking follicles and hair loss is a normal part of the body’s aging process. Just like the skin wrinkles as you age, your follicles will shrink, making your hair seem thinner. How much you lose depends on your genes. Contact the Kasia Tream today to talk about natural hair loss options.