Autumn Hair Loss - Don't Worry, It's Perfectly Natural.

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When looking out our windows at the trees in the parks and the trees which line the streets, we can notice dramatically that the seasons are changing and autumn is well and truly here. As we walk along the streets of our city the amount of dead leaves that we see strewn along the road side steadily increases and for many of us there is a disturbing parallel between what is happening outside and what is happening to us inside. For many of us autumn not only brings about the shedding of leaves from trees, but also it brings about a large increase of shedding of hair from our scalps.

We can notice this in a many ways; after brushing our hair, our combs might have a larger than usual amount of residual hair left in it. After taking a shower and drying our hair, we might notice that there is more than usual amount of hair that is left on the bathroom floor. We may notice that there is more than usual hair left on our pillows as we wake in the morning.

This may lead many of us - who may already be in fear of losing hair - to worry that we may be losing hair even more rapidly than we thought. But we should not despair; this shedding of hair during the autumn season is as natural for us as it is for the trees around us.

A study published in the journal of Dermatology in 2010, saw scientists follow more than 800 healthy women over 6 years and they found that this group lost more hair during autumn. To understand why this may be, we need to understand the natural cycle of hair growth.

The natural cycle of hair growth occurs between 2 and 6 years. At any time 90 % of our hair is growing and the rest is in a resting state for about 2 to 6 months before it falls out. After it has fallen out our hair follicle rests for roughly three months before the whole process is repeated.

What the scientists found was that these women had the highest amount of resting hairs in July, therefore at the start of autumn after the hair has rested it begins to shed throughout the autumn months.

Therefore after the autumn months of hair shedding, the follicles will rest for a while before they begin to grow new hairs.

This cyclical nature of hair shedding and renewal is evolutionary and is perfectly natural. Though there are multiple other factors which can contribute to unnatural hair loss.

How To Test For Seasonal Hair Loss

Spread your fingers and lay your hand flat against your scalp. Tightly close your fingers together and run them from the roots to the tips of your hair. Do this all through your head and put any hair that is removed onto a white piece of paper.

If you have fewer than 10 hairs, everything is fine and your hair loss is normal.
If you have between 10 - 15 hairs you are probably suffering from seasonal hair loss. Don't be too concerned, it should pass.
If you have more than 15 hairs, then your hair loss might be connected with something other than just seasonal hair loss.

Causes and Remedies

Male Pattern Balding

The most common reason for hair loss is male pattern balding. There are many treatments for this now, from topical treatments (such as Minoxidil) to tablets which can be taken internally (such as Proscar). Both these treatments have been known to successfully regenerate growth of hair in men with male pattern balding and can reverse balding in men.

Medication

There are many types of medication which can increase hair loss in individuals. Roaccutane (prescribed for severe acne) is known to cause hair loss in 16% of patients taking it. High blood pressure medication, blood thinning drugs and antidepressants are also linked to hair loss. Taking lower doses of these drugs may improve hair loss.

Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies

Many women who are deficient in Iron show signs of unnatural hair loss. The normal range of iron is between 2 and 150 nanograms per millilitre, it a level of at least 70 to get good healthy hair growth. If you think you are low in Iron ask your GP for an Iron test. Good sources of Iron include red meat, egg yolks and green leafy vegetables such as spinach.

Environmental Factors

Each and every day every one of us showers. Though we do not often consider the chemicals we are exposing our bodies to during our showers. The tap water we shower in is laced with many chemicals (including Chlorine) which can have an adverse effect on our scalps. These chemicals dry our skin and scalp, stripping our bodies of the natural oils which facilitate the healthy growth and retention of hair. Hard water also aggravates skin and scalps causing dryness, dandruff and itchiness. By scratching our scalps repeatedly with our fingernails we can potentially scar hair follicles - damaging them beyond repair. We all need to install a shower filter in our bathrooms and showers, these products remove chemicals (such as Chlorine), help to soften hard water and allow us to bathe in much cleaner and healthier water. This is kinder on the scalp and body.

Stress

Stress is can be a very large factor in hair loss. That is why during the autumn time, we should try not to worry too much about the hair loss that we are experiencing or this worrying itself can lead to more hair loss. Chronic stress pushes the immune system into overdrive, which can make the white blood cells attack our own hair follicles. Yoga, exercise and good sleeping patterns can reverse stress.

Whatever the reason for an increased amount of hair loss during the autumn season, we should always remember that during this period of the year a little more hair being shed is completely natural. Though if we are worried that the hair loss is more than natural and is concerning us, we should always speak to our GP or doctor.