Hair shedding – what is normal and what should have you calling your doctor

Everyone experiences some degree of hair shedding. In general, hair shedding is considered normal. But what exactly is normal and what should have you calling your doctor?
According to experts, shedding anywhere from 1-100 hairs a day is in the normal range. That being said, 100 hairs may be a lot for one individual, while not a lot for another. What it really comes down to is what each individual’s ‘normal’ is.
If you normally shed 50 hairs a day, then all of a sudden seeing a spike in shedding of 100 hairs a day for a continued period of time, should be alarming. This is outside the normal range for you, at double the amount of shedding you typically see.
This could be a clear sign of something wrong. While it may be the result of a change in diet, habits, stress, or a new medication, it could be a sign of hair loss. Regardless of the cause, you should call your doctor and try to get to the bottom of it.
The benefit of detecting early hair-loss related causes, is stopping hair loss in its tracks. It is much easier to stop hair loss from progressing when you catch it early on, than to resolve it later on. This is because once a hair follicle dies, it is gone forever. If you can catch a hair follicle before it dies, you have a chance to keep that hair.
If you are experiencing hair shedding that is outside the normal range for you, give your doctor a call. This shedding may lead to hair loss that you can stop before it progresses. If you’d rather meet with a hair loss specialist to evaluate the causes and your options, give us a call today.

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