Stress-Induced Hair Loss Affecting Younger Men and Women

Like aging, stress is an inevitable part of life and accompanied by a series of changes. Hair loss, for example, is greatly influenced by stress which may explain why growing numbers of younger people are seeking help.

Surgery, medication, and autoimmune diseases are can lead to hormonal imbalances that create the kind of internal stress that causes diffuse thinning. But studies have shown that external stresses, such as job loss and relationship problems, can also cause hair loss. And experts agree that stress and modern-day lifestyles are contributing to a growing hair loss problem in younger people.

“So many things are going on in your early 20s,” said Leonora Doclis, senior hair loss specialist at The Belgravia Centre. “The pressures of study, expectations on careers, moving from one place to another, all of these can create the type of stress that can trigger the early onset of male pattern baldness.” (http//:www.belgraviacentre.com/malehairloss.htm)

The trend is similar for women, according to David Salinger, vice-president and registered member of the Institute of Trichologists (UK).

"There are a lot more younger women getting genetic thinning at the top and front of the scalp, whereas years ago you would see that only in women after menopause," Mr. Salinger said. (http://www.belgraviacentre.com/femalehairloss.htm)

And managing trichologist from Clive Clinics in New Zealand and Australia, Rory Plumridge, suggests why: “Women are leading much more busy and stressful lifestyles than 40 years ago. Stress on the hair follicle essentially makes the cell think it is older than it is."

The most common form of stress-induced hair loss is telogen effluvium. It causes an overall thinning of hair when scalp follicles go into a prolonged resting phase. Under normal circumstances, about 10 percent of your follicles should be in this resting phase, but stress can cause extra follicles to enter the rest phase prematurely. Hair does not grow during this stage of its lifecycle, as the follicles are essentially dormant for a period of about three months before they shed the hair and the growth phase starts again.

There are hair loss treatments that can help stimulate renewed growth but generally, if the cause is addressed hair should return to its normal growth cycle. The problem however, is that telogen effluvium often triggers genetic hair loss and in these instances, early treatment is often crucial to the reversal and prevention of further hair loss.

Hair loss is such a multi-factorial condition; it can be the side effect of medication or another ailment, has been linked to various lifestyle and environmental factors, and can be caused or aggravated by stress. If you’re experiencing any form of hair loss, it is important to seek expert advice not only in order to get the treatment that’s most suited to you, but also to eliminate any other underlying medical conditions.