Are you losing more hair than you should, and what can you do about it?

There are many reasons why you are losing your hair. The loss can be sudden or you can lose hairs slowly, over a period of time. Normally one can lose up to 100-150 strand of hair a day and this is normal. The hair goes through a hair cycle and after 3-5 years a strand of hair goes into the resting phase and after 3 months this hair is replaced with a new hair. This hair fall is normal.

Unfortunately, the new hair will be shorter and thinner than the preceding cycle and hence after a few years you will notice less hair. This loss follows a pattern - in males there is a receding hairline and thinning at the crown, whereas in females there is thinning at the crown. This type of hair loss is related to age, genes and androgens. The treatment is usually hair tonic or oral medication and sometimes laser hair stimulation.

If you are losing hairs suddenly or the loss is significant (ie more than 150 hairs a day) you may be suffering form another type of hair loss called telogen effluvium, This is commonly seen after childbirth, 3 months after a stressful event, for example, an illness, surgery or psychological stress. This hair loss is often seen after crash dieting too. Although the fall is significant, telogen effluvium is a reversible condition. Once the trigger factors are gone, the hairs will re-grow on it’s own and recover in 3 months after you first notice the fall.

A third reason why you are losing hair could be related to a medical condition such as thyroid disease or anaemia or due to certain drugs including ant cancer drugs. Treatment, would be to remove the cause of the hair fall if possible.

If you are experiencing hair fall and you think it is more than your usual shedding, see a dermatologist who can help you with the diagnosis and the treatment.

This article was contributed to Tab A Doctor by,
Dr Joyce Lim, Dermatologist, Joyce Lim Skin & Laser Clinic