Under normal circumstances, we naturally lose a certain amount of hair every day, and the symptoms of hair loss, especially the early symptoms of hair loss, are also hair fall, so in the early stage of hair loss, it is difficult to judge whether it is hair loss or normal hair fall. This situation not only leads to hair loss. It is difficult to be found, and it will also make it difficult to get timely and effective treatment for hair loss.
Why does hair fall under normal circumstances?
The growth of hair is like a plant in nature, and there will be a life cycle of “one year old and one withered”, so healthy hair will also have a period of shedding.
Hair grows from the hair follicles in the scalp. The hair follicle does not grow out endlessly. It also needs rest. So after a growth cycle of about 2 to 6 years, it will fall off for about four weeks. After the shedding period is a resting period of 4 to 6 years, the hair gradually shrinks and falls off during the shedding period, and the hair follicles are dormant during the resting period and no hair grows.
The human body has more than 5 million hair follicles (including hair, beard and eyebrows, as well as vellus hair that is not visible on the skin of the whole body)
There are 1 million on the head (the whole head not only has hair, but also the vellus hair on the face and other parts, most of which are invisible)
There are only 100,000-150,000 on the scalp (this part of the hair follicles are the hair follicles for growing hair). A healthy follicle unit consists of 2-4 hair follicles, and each hair follicle grows one hair, so on average, everyone There are about 100,000 to 150,000 hairs.
The life cycle of each hair follicle is different. Every day, there are hair follicles entering the resting phase and hair entering the growth phase. Overall, about 84% of the hair is in the growth phase, 14% of the hair is in the resting phase, and 2% of the hair is in the resting phase. The hair is falling out. 2% of 100,000 is a lot, so it is normal to lose a certain amount of hair every day, so don’t worry.
What is hair loss?
Although the initial symptoms of hair loss are also hair loss, there is a fundamental difference between hair loss and natural hair loss.
Hair loss refers to hair follicles that are disturbed by hormones or the outside world. After losing their vitality, they lose hair and stop growing hair. The originally grown hair also loosens and falls off due to the shrinkage of the hair follicles, so hair loss occurs. However, because the number of hair follicles atrophy during hair loss is much greater than that of hair in resting period, the number of hair loss is far more than the number of normal hair fall.
Hair loss is a kind of pathological hair loss, which refers to the phenomenon of a large amount of hair loss under abnormal conditions. After hair loss, it is difficult for the hair to grow on its own again, or even if it grows, it is very different from normal and thick hair. These soft hairs will soon fall off again, and eventually no longer grow hair, the hair follicles completely enter passive dormancy.
What is the difference between hair loss and hair loss?
Hair loss refers to the normal metabolism of hair. It is the hair renewal caused by the life cycle of the hair follicle. It is a normal physiological phenomenon. The hair that has fallen out will regenerate after the hair follicle enters the growth period, so there is no need to worry about it.
Hair loss is a phenomenon in which hair follicles are affected by external influences (such as trauma, such as the influence of DHT), and hair follicles atrophy and then stop growing hair, and the original hair begins to fall. This is a manifestation of hair follicle disease.
Once hair loss occurs, it is difficult to stop it by yourself unless manual intervention is taken to resolve it. In other words, hair loss will cause thinning or bald scalp, while normal hair fall will not.
How to judge whether it is hair loss or hair loss?
1. Is the total amount of hair reduced?
Because the total number of hair will be less and less after hair loss, it is obvious that the hair is much less than before, and the total number of hair will remain the same when hair loss, so you can judge whether you are losing your hair by taking photos and comparing them regularly.
Hair loss can cause obvious local thinning and even baldness of the hair (the phenomenon of thinning and baldness).
If the top of the head is obviously thinning or even bald, and the forehead hairline is receded or thinned, then it is a very obvious symptom of hair loss. This applies to the situation where there are already alopecia symptoms, and it is difficult to judge the early stage before the alopecia symptoms appear.
2. Check the number of drops
As mentioned earlier, under normal conditions of hair loss, about 2% of the hair is in the shedding period every day, of which about 80-100 hairs will fall out. This number is difficult to detect if you do not deliberately observe it. , Only found when washing or combing hair.
But the number of hair loss far exceeds this level. Generally, the number of hair loss per day is far more than 100, and even 200 to 300 hairs per day can be lost. Alopecia areata is even worse, so we can judge by counting the number of hair loss per day.
3. Hair loss form
Normal hair fall is because the hair follicles suddenly stop growing hair, so the hair shaft part of the hair loss is uniform in thickness, and the roots of the hair will suddenly become thinner without any appendages at the roots, just like cut hair.
Hair loss is caused by the gradual shrinkage of hair follicles due to external influences, so the thickness of the hair shaft will be uneven, and even the whole hair will be particularly soft, and hair loss is because the roots are abnormally falling off, so they often have an attached white color. Particulate matter, the symptoms are very obvious in comparison.
Hair loss between men and women is very different
After distinguishing between hair loss and hair loss, many people will wonder why most of the hair loss is male. Compared with women, the probability of baldness is much lower than that of men. In fact, there are deep reasons for this. Apart from differences in diet, work and rest habits, life pressure, and external environment, the main biological causes are as follows:
Male hair loss
Although “balding” always makes people feel injurious to masculinity, it is male hormones that actually cause hair loss.
The most common type of hair loss is called “male alopecia”. This name sounds a bit unfamiliar, but it’s actually called “seborrheic alopecia” and “male alopecia” in the past.
In the past, people mistakenly believed that hair loss was caused by oily hair. In fact, hair follicles and sebaceous glands are sensitive to androgens-sebaceous glands will become hypertrophy under the action of androgens and produce more oil; while hair follicles will become smaller under the influence of androgens, and the resulting hair will become thinner and shorter. It will fall off before it grows long enough. This is the cause of hair loss.
Androgenetic alopecia is related to genetic inheritance. The main cause of male alopecia is genetic factors, coupled with the effect of DHT (dihydrotestosterone).
After puberty, testosterone will follow the blood circulation to the hair bulb cells in the hair follicles, enter the cytoplasm through the cell membrane, and the 5α-reductase in the cytoplasm will react with testosterone to produce DHT, enter the nucleus, and have an effect on the cell’s metabolic system, leading to hair The occurrence of long-term shortening, entering the dormant period early.
For people with “hair loss” genes, the DHT receptor activity on hair follicle cells in certain parts of the head is too high, and it is very easy to bind to DHT and be affected by it. The cells in the hair follicles on the forehead, top of the head, and the upper back of the headrest are more sensitive to DHT, so these areas are most prone to hair loss.
Female hair loss
Because women themselves have low androgen content and the estrogen in the body has the effect of antagonizing androgens, androgenetic alopecia rarely occurs. But it does not mean that females will not experience male hair loss.
In addition to male hair loss, there are several reasons for female hair loss:
1) Postpartum
A large amount of female hormones are secreted in the body during pregnancy, and the hair has sufficient growth hormones. However, due to the sudden decrease in hormone secretion after childbirth, a large amount of hair will fall off naturally, but this phenomenon will return to normal about 6 months after childbirth.
2) Pressure
The rapid pace of life and fierce competition in modern society put people under increasing pressure. Stress is closely related to hair loss, and it can also accelerate people’s aging and increase wrinkles. In this regard, the only countermeasure is to unload the burden in time and let oneself relax completely.
3) Alopecia areata
The human immune system mistakenly attacks healthy hair follicle cells, causing hair to fall off in pieces. In most cases, alopecia areata and hair loss will grow back in half a year to a year.
4) Improper weight loss
Dieting makes the hair lack of adequate nutritional supply. If the hair lacks iron intake, it will become yellowish and lusterless, which will eventually cause a lot of hair loss. Therefore, to balance nutrition, do not blindly diet to lose weight.
5) Endocrine disorders, thyroid diseases
Too much or too little thyroid hormone secreted by the thyroid can disrupt the hair growth cycle. Hair loss is often not the only symptom of thyroid disease. It is usually accompanied by weight gain or loss, sensitivity to cold or heat, and changes in heart rate.
If you see a lot of your hair falling off, first of all, you must not be anxious, and calmly judge whether it is hair loss or hair loss through the above-mentioned analysis.
Remember, as long as hair loss is detected and treated early, it can be completely controlled. Even in the middle of hair loss, there are ways to solve it. Therefore, anxiety must not cause hair loss to increase.
