Myth: A hair falling out with a white bulb attached means it won't grow back. False! If you notice that some of your fallen hairs have a small white lump or bulb at the root, you shouldn't worry. This does not mean that the root of your hair has been removed, or that the follicle is dead.
Pulling out hair by your root may damage your follicle temporarily, but a new bulb will eventually form, and new hair will grow again through that follicle. According to the TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors, it may take a few months or more than a year in some cases.
In Conclusion - Hair Falling Out With a White Bulb
It's normal to shed between 50 and 100 hairs every day, some of which might have a white bulb at their root. However, excessive hair loss may be a sign that you have telogen effluvium, a form of shedding that can cause you to lose hairs early in their growth cycle.
A hair falling out with a white bulb means it reached the final stage of hair growth (the telogen phase) and shed. It grew out completely, reached the end of its life cycle, and was pushed out of the follicle by new hair growth.
The hair follicle anchors the hair into the scalp and is made up of the papilla and bulb, which are located beneath the scalp. The bulb can be found at the bottom of each strand containing the active cells which grow the hair around the papilla.
The takeaway.
Think of white dots as a different type of split end or perhaps even a precursor to your "standard" split ends: They may not be your classic "Y" frays, but they signify just as much damage has been done to the strand, and they run the risk of continuing the split farther up the shaft.
Bacterial folliculitis. This common type is marked by itchy, white, pus-filled bumps. It occurs when hair follicles become infected with bacteria, usually Staphylococcus aureus (staph). Staph bacteria live on the skin all the time.
If lots of hair begins to fall out throughout the scalp, it's obviously due to a change in the normal hair cycle: either a short anagen phase or an increase in the number of follicles that enter the telogen phase. When the majority of hair follicles “go telogen” it's called telogen effluvium or stress alopecia.
Telogen effluvium usually starts about 3 months after the event. Hair may appear thin, but you likely won't go completely bald. This condition is fully reversible. Once the triggering event is treated (or you recover from your illness), your hair may start growing back after 6 months.
Hair follicles typically grow back within one to two months as long as your scalp does not need to recover from damage. If your hair follicles are damaged, it can take up to four years until they are able to regrow hair normally unless it is permanent, in which case no new strands will grow.
Pregnancy, and other factors that lead to hormone fluctuations, may also cause temporary hair loss. If you're noticing hair loss, the best way to find out whether it's temporary or permanent will be to speak an experienced physician like Dr. Leonard or Dr. Lopresti.
The most obvious symptom of telogen effluvium is the loss of hair. “On average, it is normal to lose approximately 100 hairs daily. When you have a stressful event, you will see a sudden increase in the shedding approximately three to four months after the event.” Houshmand says.
If hair is pulled out of the hair follicle, it can regrow. It's possible that a damaged follicle will stop producing hair.
Surgical treatment such as laser therapy or a hair transplant can help revive the hair follicles. Further, if the situation is not too worse, a hair specialist can also prescribe you supplements that will fulfil the nutritional requirements of your hair follicles.
Also known as nits, lice eggs are hard to see and often confused for dandruff or droplets of hair spray. They are small white specks and can be found at the base of the hair shaft.
Regeneration of hairs after plucking is a population-based behavior that depends on the density and distribution of the plucked follicles. Plucking hairs from high density areas (middle and far right) led to significant hair regeneration 12 days later.
Club hairs are an end product of final hair growth and feature a bulb of keratin (protein) at the root tip of a strand. This bulb keeps the hair in the follicle until it sheds and the hair growth cycle starts over.
The hair bulb forms the base of the hair follicle. In the hair bulb, living cells divide and grow to build the hair shaft. Blood vessels nourish the cells in the hair bulb, and deliver hormones that modify hair growth and structure at different times of life.
Telogen effluvium is generally reversible. A person with this condition does not lose all their hair, although it may become noticeably thin. Telogen effluvium is a form of hair loss characterized by hair thinning or an increase in hair shedding.
Most people notice the excessive hair shedding a few months after the stressful event. For example, a new mom can see excessive hair shedding about two months after giving birth. The shedding usually peaks about four months after giving birth. This shedding is normal and temporary.
Scarring alopecias result in permanent loss of hair. Inflammatory skin conditions (cellulitis, folliculitis, acne), and other skin disorders (such as some forms of lupus and lichen planus) often result in scars that destroy the ability of the hair to regenerate.
There are a wide range of conditions that can bring on hair loss, with some of the most common being pregnancy, thyroid disorders, and anemia. Others include autoimmune diseases, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and skin conditions such as psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis, Rogers says.
Possible causes of hair loss include stress, poor diet, and underlying medical conditions. Everyone experiences hair shedding, and it happens to each of us every day. Most people lose 50 to 100 hairs per day as part of this natural cycle, more on days you wash your hair.
Check Your Iron - Low iron levels can result in hair thinning. Including more red meat in your diet or taking an iron supplement may help resolve the issue. Take Good Care of Your Scalp - Try using products that will exfoliate the scalp. It will help loosen build-up and stimulate growth.