beauty and health

Hair loss and stress - the facts

July 13th, 2011 |

Author: meilan

We all live in a highly stressful environment and specialists keep informing us about different health conditions that were found to be linked to excessive stress. Whether it’s a fast phased position at the office or a job that involves a lot of physical activity and mental energy we all face stress in different forms and have to deal with its consequences. When a person suffers from excessive stress for too long without proper relaxation there are many negative health implications that may take place, starting with depression to more serious illnesses like hypertension and heart diseases. And one of the most common conditions that is linked to excessive stress is hair loss.

Hair thinning and balding is definitely not the most pleasant of things that can happen to a person. While it’s not harmful and doesn’t have any serious medical consequences, hair loss is usually seen as a sign of a more serious underlying condition. In modern society where looks are often one of the most valuable assets a person can have hair loss problems become a very sensitive topic and finding the actual cause behind the issue may be a good start for solving the problem. But does stress really lead to excessive hair loss in the first place or it’s just a common belief everyone tends to share?

It’s true that stress can lead to hair loss in some cases. Stress can trigger nutrition and hormonal problems that can weaken hair follicles and cause hair thinning. In some cases stress can even lead to the so-called hair pulling syndrome that is a psychological disorder described by uncontrolled scalp or facial hair pulling in moments of stress. However numerous studies in the domain of hair loss have shown that stress actually accounts only for a small part of all hair loss cases. And there’s a whole another factor causing hair loss, particularly male pattern hair loss.

Extensive studies on male pattern hair loss have identified that the main cause behind the problem is actually the build up of a specific androgen, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the body, which is a product of testosterone conversion. Over time the amount of DHT in male body increases and the substance comes into contact with the hair follicles in the scalp. When this happens the hair follicles get weaker and aren’t able to produce hair strong and fast enough to keep up with the natural hair loss rate (100-200 hairs daily). When there’s less new hair grown the scalp area gets covered with thin hair and bald spots. And it was observed that this mechanism of action accounts for the majority of male pattern hair loss cases.

Now, the good news is that this factor can be controlled with the help of a drug called Propecia. It reduces the amount of DHT in the body, which allows stopping and reversing hair loss at virtually any stage. And let’s agree that taking a pill of Propecia each day is much easier than trying to get rid of all the stress in your life. Of course, if you want to live a healthy life then controlling your stress and knowing how to relax is a must. But if you really want to stop hair loss think of getting Propecia first.