It's normal to shed between 50 and 100 hairs a day. When the body sheds significantly more hairs every day, a person has excessive hair shedding.
If the part in your hair is widening, you find bald spots, or you're shedding more than 125 hairs per day, you're likely experiencing hair loss and need to see a dermatologist. There are a couple types of hair loss and several possible causes.
It can be the result of heredity, hormonal changes, medical conditions or a normal part of aging. Anyone can lose hair on their head, but it's more common in men. Baldness typically refers to excessive hair loss from your scalp. Hereditary hair loss with age is the most common cause of baldness.
If more than two or three hairs are left in your hand after each tug, you may be experiencing telogen or anagen effluvium. No more than 10 hairs per 100 strands being tugged should be coming out. You'll need a doctor to determine the cause.
If you are shedding more than the average 100 strands or if you notice hair thinning, you might be experiencing hair loss. It's often hard to differentiate hair loss vs hair shedding, but if you spot more hair strands on your pillow or comb, consult your dermatologist.
Alas, if you're experiencing shedding, a tight ponytail is definitely not helping. "Avoid tight hairstyles and harsh chemical treatments or heat near the scalp," Burg advises. "These can stress follicles and lead to increased hair fall."
Seasonal shedding often occurs during the fall months, such as September and October, and at some point in the spring, like April and May. This timeline often coincides with the second half of the hair growth cycle, where more hairs are shed.
Exogen: Shedding phase
During the exogen phase, which can last about 2 to 5 months, new hairs are growing in the follicles as old hairs fall away.
Hair shedding can involve a significant amount of hair falling out. However, it typically results in hair regrowing from the same follicle. This is unlike hair loss, which leads to permanent or semi-permanent loss. There are some situations in which hair shedding can occur in clumps.
Physical or emotional stress may cause one half to three quarters of scalp hair to shed. This kind of hair loss is called telogen effluvium. Hair tends to come out in handfuls when you shampoo, comb, or run your hands through your hair. You may not notice this for weeks to months after the episode of stress.
“If you're thinning, you are going to see areas around your hairline start to recess,” says Hall, and you'll start to be able to see more scalp through the hair. You may also see more shedding when you run your hands or a comb through your hair.
We shed hair from the scalp all the time — up to 100 hairs a day. That's why it's normal to see some hair on your pillow, in your brush, or in the shower every day. Shedding is continual, says Susan Huang, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Irvine, California.
Only the number of shed hairs can be assessed, not the amount of hair, due to the shaft length. People with long hair do not necessarily loose more hair, they just appear to loose more hair due to the hair shaft length. Hair length does not affect shedding.
After the age of 30-35, shedding starts slowing down, as the levels of androgens in the blood start reducing. In older men with androgenetic alopecia, the hair loss slows down even more. Hair loss stabilizes together with the gradual decline of androgen levels in the blood.
Here's the hard truth: Little can be done to permanently change the diameter of individual hair strands. Thickening products can do wonders to temporarily plump hair strands, but when it comes down to it, fine hair is genetic and can't be changed.
As with male pattern baldness, female pattern baldness comes from hormone imbalances, specifically dihydrotestosterone imbalances, or DHT. This hormone is similar in structure to testosterone, but it is significantly more potent [3]. DHT can attach to receptors on the hair follicles, causing the follicles to shrink.
Telogen hair, or 'resting' hair, comprises around 15% of the hair on a person's scalp. Periods of elevated stress can lead to this hair being temporarily lost, contributing to a visibly thinner scalp and hairline.
On days when people with long or thick hair wash it, they could shed between 150 and 200 hairs. (But they won't shed very much the next day if they don't wash it again.) People who only wash their hair once or twice a week may also see an increase in shedding when they decide to wash it because of all the buildup.
Sometimes it's your styling routine that's to blame when your hair starts to break or fall out. Using too much shampoo, brushing or combing your hair when it's wet, rubbing hair dry with a towel, or brushing too hard or too often can all strain your strands and make them break.
FALSE: Cutting your hair only affects the shaft, but not the follicle, which is the part responsible for growth and premature loss. Getting your hair cut may mean you feel like it's falling out less as your split ends will have been removed and your hair will look healthier, but it has no impact on new growth or loss.