Your hair is an important indicator of both external and internal health issues. Whether external skin issues or internal hormonal imbalances, hair thinning or hair loss is a direct sign that something is going on.

You should pay attention to how your hair feels, look and how easy it is to style. Often when hair symptoms point to larger and more prominent problems you shouldn’t avoid or ignore the possibility. 

There is good news, these symptoms often can provide you with an easy view into what’s happening within your body early on which gives you the chance to take action before it gets worse.

One of the signs that something could be wrong is a change in the amount of hair you have. While thinning hair is not uncommon as most people lose from 50 to 100 strands each day, if you should notice your hair is thinning, it may be a good time to examine what may be causing it.

Hair restoration specialists know that one common reason for thinning hair as a symptom may be the presence of a hormone imbalance or autoimmune conditions. When the hormones in your body are not regulated it can affect the growth of your hair and how much hair you shed. Autoimmune diseases occur when your body’s own immune system begins to fight off its own cells. If your hair is thinning or shedding rapidly, it may be due to these key areas of concern.

Your hairs strength is also a good indicator of your health. If your hair is breaking or thinning or perhaps just not growing health strands then that is an indicator that there is an underlying problem. Breakage and thinning occurs when the hair follicles are not getting the nutrients they need to grow properly. The hair you get is less strong and prone to breakage. Why is this happening? There can be several reasons for it. The most common is the nutritional deficiency. What you eat really does have an impact on the way your hair looks and feels. Certain types of nutrients help your hair grow strong and healthy. Vitamins like D and B are necessarily for healthy hair and not getting enough of them can cause your hair to thin.  

Finally, there are times that your hair may be communicating to you that there are very serious health problems going on. Hair loss that is significant can be an indication of high levels of stress, especially if you are losing hair in patches around your scalp. Hair thinning can be an indication of psychological stressors as well. Hair falling out in patches on the scalp may be an indicator for alopecia areata. Take a close look at any changes that occurred over the last couple of weeks or months and see if there is any correlation with things you have changed about your lifestyle, diet or living habits. If so, seeking out advice from a hair loss professional on treatments and therapies for hair loss prevention should be a top priority.

Dr. Amir Yazdan, MD, is an internationally renowned hair transplant surgeon, expert guest on Dr. Phil and The Doctors, creator of the GroMD hair restoration product line, ISHRS member, accredited member of the IAHRS and a visceral advocate for patient care. Learn more about Dr. Yazdan or read rave reviews from his patients.