Is your daily hair shedding ‘normal’? What your thinning locks can reveal about your health – and when to see a doctor
WRAPPED around the hoover, blocking the plughole and stuck on the shower wall – it feels like hair gets everywhere.
It’s normal to lose hair every day, but sometimes, the large clump in your hairbrush can feel worrying. But what is ‘normal’, and what could be causing your locks to fall out faster? We reveal the hidden health concerns, and how to fix them to stop the shed.
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Eva Proudman, founder of www.ukhairconsultants.com, consultant trichologist and Fellow of the Institute of Trichologists UK, tells Sun Health: “Everyone is going to see some hair coming out of the head daily; this is part of the normal growing and shedding cycle.
“Around 50-150 hairs can be shed daily.
“If you wash every day, you will see less than if you leave it for three or four days, as the shed hair is held within the hair by a natural static charge that is broken when the hair is washed.”
While some hair loss is a natural part of getting older – for example, women tend to see thinning due to menopause – and genetic predisposition can lead to gradual thinning over time, any sudden changes warrant concern.
Eva, who sees many distressed patients in her clinics, says: “If you are noticing more hair in the brush, shower, on your clothes, or being picked up by your hoover, seek advice from a professional to identify and understand the cause.”
Our hair is not only part of our identity, but is “often said to be a reflection of your general health,” adds Eva.
“In many cases, these symptoms are linked to an underlying medical issue.”
From hormonal issues to autoimmune diseases, here are the causes worth considering…
DIET NOT CUTTING IT
EXCESSIVE hair shedding and thinning from iron and vitamin B12 deficiency is called telogen effluvium – a form of temporary loss.
Telogen effluvium can be triggered by several factors, from stress to viruses and inflammation, which disrupt the hair growth cycle.
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Eva says: “Being deficient in iron and vitamin B12 can also cause fatigue, brain fog, aches and pains, and a general state of feeling unwell.
“This is especially true if you eat a limited diet, whether vegetarian, vegan or you are on GLP-1 ‘weight loss’ jabs, and exclude core food groups such as red meat and animal proteins.”
Trichologists use a blood test to ascertain stored levels before advising on dietary or supplementary changes.
“The results take time to show,” Eva notes. “It’s usually a minimum of four to six months.
“However, the relief as the hair shedding reduces also brings a reduction in stress and anxiety, which is supportive to both hair and general health.”
SLUGGISH GLAND
BOTH types of thyroid disease (overactive and underactive) affect the hair, says Eva.
She adds: “In my clinics, I see clients with excessive hair shedding, thinning and breakage that also present with other recognised signs and symptoms of thyroid disease.
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“It has an impact on female pattern hair loss (FPHL), whether it is hypothyroidism (underactive) or hyperthyroidism (overactive).”
FPHL tends to affect the crown of the head.
An underactive thyroid can also cause brittle and fragile hair, while overactive can cause excessive shedding.
For the former, look out for symptoms such as “severe tiredness, weight gain and feeling cold”, says Eva, and for the latter, “you may find there’s weight loss, a feeling of ‘running on overdrive’, and poor sleep”.
The thyroid is a gland in the neck that produces two hormones (TSH and T4) vital for all the cells in the body to work efficiently.
Both types of thyroid disease, which can occur at any age, are treated with medication for life.
HORMONES GOING HAYWIRE
ONE in ten women have PCOS, a hormonal condition that causes the male hormones to be more dominant.
“PCOS is a very common condition in my clinics, particularly in younger ladies who see me due to hair thinning and loss, as well as a feeling of being able to see more scalp, with slow growth,” explains Eva.
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Other signs and symptoms can include heavy and/or irregular periods, facial hair, weight gain, oily skin and scalp, and acne.
Eva says: “Insulin resistance or pre-diabetes is often seen in my clinics.
“But this is also a common standalone condition in the UK, causing the body to have an ineffective response to insulin.
“The increase of insulin in the bloodstream can stimulate the ovaries to produce more androgens, providing an environment that promotes thinning and shedding and an exacerbation of the FPHL.”
Eva adds: “This health condition should ideally be managed jointly between the trichologist and GP.
“Lifestyle changes definitely help; we work on diet and the uptake and storage of nutrients to give the correct levels for optimum hair health.”
Hair growth treatments, like Minoxidil, or Tricoactiv+, may also be used.
BODY’S BETRAYAL
IN the case of autoimmune conditions, the body attacks its own tissues, such as the hair follicles.
Eva says: “A common – and very distressing – autoimmune condition is frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA).
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“This causes the hairline to recede with permanent loss, and so it’s important to get an early, accurate diagnosis as there are supportive treatments that can stabilise the condition to help to prevent further hair loss.”
FFA is a type of scarring autoimmune condition, meaning the hair will not grow back.
“It presents with a lack of follicular orifices, usually a smooth area of skin with a paler skin pigmentation,” says Eva.
Alopecia areata is a non-scarring autoimmune condition in which hair loss can come and go.
Eva says: “It causes patchy hair loss, usually in smooth circles.
“In some cases, it develops into total hair loss on the scalp (alopecia totalis) or total hair loss all over the body (alopecia universalis).
“When the condition is active, you see clinical signs such as yellow dots on the scalp, black dots and exclamation hairs. When there are no signs like this, there can then be regrowth and recovery.
“Treatments for this type of condition range from scalp massage, stimulating oils, topical Minoxidil, topical steroids, steroid injections and JAK (Janus kinase) inhibitors.”
SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM
VIRUSES can cause hair and scalp issues, often a diffuse thinning, which is a uniform, widespread loss of density across the scalp.
This is a form of telogen effluvium – temporary hair loss that affects the hair growth cycle.
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Covid-19, for example, can potentially cause hair loss, though it might not appear until months later.
Eva says: “With a virus, it can feel like hair loss but may actually be a disruption to the growing and shedding cycle of the hair, called telogen effluvium.
“This condition can have multiple underlying causes and though alarming at first, it is generally short-lived in most circumstances.”
This type of hair loss tends to resolve on its own, but in more severe or prolonged cases, a doctor may recommend medications to support regrowth.
Eva says: “As with all hair-related problems, the sooner you seek professional advice and have an accurate diagnosis, the sooner you can start to treat and get the hair back to normal.
“Many of the products advertised online or across social media may not be relevant.
“Just because something says it works, doesn’t mean it does or will!
“The cost and stress of trying many different treatments can be avoided just by seeking the right advice.”
