We’ve all heard that stress can cause our hair to fall out – but is this actually true? According to the Mayo Clinic, yes! There are three types of hair loss that are correlated with high stress levels. They are telogen effluvium, trichotillomania, and alopecia areata.
Telogen effluvium – this condition causes hair follicles to be converted into a resting phase. The affected hairs can then fall out suddenly during brushing and washing.
Trichotillomania – this condition has more to do with hair pulling as a coping mechanism for stress. Some individuals utilize hair pulling as a way of dealing with negative feelings, such as stress.
Alopecia areata – although there are many factors that can cause this condition, severe stress is thought to play a role in some patients. Stress can affect our immune system which then attacks our own hair follicles causing hair loss.
The good news about stress related hair loss is that it isn’t permanent for most patients IF you can get your stress under control. Of course, that’s easier said than done. But, the important thing to keep in mind is that living a healthy lifestyle involves more than just adding vegetables to our dinner and going for a walk occasionally. Our mental health plays a huge role in our complete wellbeing. If we don’t take care of all aspects of our wellbeing, we may find that our bodies are negatively impacted.
Here at Modena, Dr. Yazdan specializes in the medical management of hair loss. Our clientele often face extremely stressful environments. We are skilled in evaluating the condition of your hair loss and determining the exact cause, utilizing tests and lab work. Once we know the cause we can begin working towards correcting the problem.
If you think stress is causing your hair loss and you aren’t sure how to reverse or stop the process, give us a call for a consultation.