Young people who are troubled by hair loss are most afraid of autumn

I believe that many people have had this feeling recently: after entering autumn, hair loss is particularly easy. No matter washing, combing or sleeping, a few or even more hairs will fall out when you grab them. On the pillow, on the sofa, on the floor... hair is everywhere in the house, but not on the top of your head. Some people are joking: autumn is not only the season when leaves fall, but also the season when hair falls from the head. What is going on?

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First, we need to understand the growth cycle of human hair. Each hair goes through a cycle of growth, rest, and shedding. Different hairs are at different stages of these cycles, which is why we usually lose some hair every day. But why does this process seem to be more obvious in autumn? Is it an illusion, or has it really arrived the legendary "hair loss season"? Let's talk about it today.

Why is hair loss easy in autumn?

First of all, it should be clarified that seasonal hair loss does exist in medicine, that is, the "hair loss season" is not made up. Studies have shown that both men and women tend to experience more hair resting periods in the fall, and after the resting period ends, the hair will fall out. This is also easy to understand. It is easy to see from animals such as cats and dogs that they will shed their fur when the season comes. It is not surprising that we humans have this situation. Fortunately, our seasonal hair loss is much milder.

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Why does hair change seasonally? There is no standard answer to this question. However, some experts have proposed some conjectures, such as speculating that it is related to reduced sunlight, lower temperatures and climate change. Our bodies respond to seasonal changes, one of which is the adjustment of the hair growth cycle. In addition, from an internal perspective, the growth of hair follicles on the scalp itself is also affected by different hormones, and hormones in the body also have a certain rhythmicity and may fluctuate with the change of seasons and sunshine hours. Furthermore, the analogy of the above-mentioned animal hair loss phenomenon to humans is speculated from the perspective of biological evolution. In general, the phenomenon of hair loss in autumn is a complex phenomenon involving biological and environmental factors. Although hair loss in autumn is a normal phenomenon, if you are deeply concerned about it, it is recommended to see a dermatologist to evaluate whether there is pathological hair loss.

Several common types of hair loss

Some pathological hair loss may be of greater concern to everyone. After all, hair loss in certain seasons is really maddening. Here are some common pathological hair loss:

1 Androgenetic alopecia

Commonly known as seborrheic alopecia, it is related to heredity. Once the disease occurs, the hair volume will go downhill straightly, and the hair will be oily. The hairline of women is basically normal, but the hair becomes soft, the scalp is exposed, the hair parting becomes thinner, and the braid becomes thinner. The hairline of men generally moves up to an M shape, and in more serious cases, it will become a Mediterranean shape.

2 Alopecia areata

Commonly known as alopecia areata, it is related to immunity and stress. The main feature is that the scalp falls off piece by piece. In mild cases, there is only one piece, and the surrounding hair can still cover the shame. In severe cases, it is like a football skin with distinct black and white, which not only affects the image, but also even the beard and eyebrows will be affected.

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3. Postpartum hair loss

As the name suggests, it is related to pregnancy and childbirth. Hair loss will start slowly 2 to 4 months after childbirth, but fortunately it will not stop and will recover within 6 to 12 months.

4 Telogen effluvium

It is also a very common hair loss, which is related to daily life and overall health. In fact, postpartum hair loss is also a kind of telogen effluvium, but the latter has many other causes, such as illness, anemia, excessive dieting, fever, mental stress, etc. Telogen effluvium refers to an increase in the amount of hair loss, and the chances of hair loss in all parts are equal. After the cause is eliminated, this type of hair loss can often recover. The following is an intuitive comparison of the above types of hair loss, which is convenient for everyone to make a preliminary judgment at home.

Table 1. Characteristics of different types of hair loss If you still cannot determine the cause of hair loss after reading the above content, you can seek help from a dermatologist.

How to deal with pathological hair loss?

So, if you really have the above-mentioned pathological hair loss, should you choose active treatment or let it develop? We will sort out various hair loss treatments and their approximate effects. It is not too late to decide after reading them.

Table 2. Treatment options for different types of hair loss

The above is the expected effect after treatment. So what will happen to these pathological hair loss if they are not treated? Generally speaking, hair loss itself has no special impact on health. However, it has a certain impact on psychology and social life. Especially for people who are more concerned about their appearance or have more serious hair loss, they will be more eager to seek treatment, which is easy to understand. If the hair loss itself is relatively mild and there is no tendency to worsen, such as common postpartum hair loss and telogen effluvium with clear causes, you don't have to rush to use medication for treatment.

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Taking alopecia areata as an example, up to half of patients with alopecia areata will grow new hair within one year, and two-thirds of patients will have their hair completely regrown within five years. The smaller the area of ​​hair loss, the greater the chance of natural recovery, and the more likely you are to choose not to treat it temporarily. When not treating, you can take the following measures to improve your appearance:

Use wigs or hairpieces to cover part or all of your scalp;

If your eyebrows are falling out, you can use semi-permanent eyebrow tattoos; if your eyelashes are falling out, you can temporarily use false eyelashes;

Where hair is thinner, you can use thickening fibers (thickening powder) to make the hair look fuller.

After all, when facing pathological hair loss, whether to lie down or curl your hair depends not only on the actual condition but also on your willingness for treatment. It cannot be generalized. The popular science here only provides ideas for making choices and cannot give you a standard answer directly.

Summarize

Let's take a step back - in fact, on the surface we are talking about hair loss, but in fact we are also dealing with the anxiety caused by hair loss. This anxiety usually involves worrying about one's appearance and self-esteem, because hair is an important part of a person's appearance. But the reality is that you don't need to worry too much and don't be kidnapped by anxiety. Instead, you should first understand whether you have hair loss, then what kind of hair loss it is, and finally look at the best way to deal with hair loss.

References

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[8] JeffDonovan,etal.Treatmentof androgeneticalopeciainmen.https://www.uptodate.com/contents/treatment-of-androgenetic-alopecia-in-men.UpToDate.Feb23,2021.

[9]StaraceM,OrlandoG,AlessandriniA,etal.FemaleandrogeneticAlopecia:Anupdateondiagnosisandmanagement.AmJClinDermatol.2020;21(1):69-84.

[10] KantiV, MessengerA, DobosG, etal. Evidence-based (S3) guideline for the treatment of androgeneticalopecia in women and in men - short version. JEurAcadDermatolVenereol. 2018;32(1):11-22.

Author: Tang Jiaoqing, MD, attending physician of dermatology

Reviewer: Tang Qin, Director and Researcher of the Science Popularization Department of the Chinese Medical Association