Hair loss pregnancy
Hair loss in new moms
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Hair Loss During Pregnancy - American Pregnancy Association
Approximately 90% of your hair is growing at any one time, while the other 10% enter a resting phase. Every two to three months the resting hair falls out and allows new hair to grow in its place. Telogen effluvium is the excessive shedding of hair that occurs one to five months following pregnancy. Hair loss during pregnancy is not uncommon, as it affects somewhere between 40 to 50% of women; but like most changes during pregnancy, it is temporary.
Does pregnancy cause abnormal hair loss?
Hair loss that is connected to pregnancy usually occurs after delivery. During pregnancy, an increased number of hairs go into the resting phase, which is part of the normal hair loss cycle.
This condition is not serious enough to cause bald spots or permanent hair loss, and it should begin to diminish within 3-4 months after delivery. If you feel that you are experiencing unusual hair loss while you are pregnant, this may be due to a vitamin or mineral deficiency.
After pregnancy
The most common period of hair loss occurs approximately three months after delivery. The rise in hormones during pregnancy keeps you from losing your hair. After delivery, the hormones return to normal levels, which allows the hair to fall out and return to the normal cycle. The normal hair loss that was delayed during pregnancy may fall out all at once.
Up to 60% of your hair that is in the growth state may enter into the telogen resting state. The hair loss usually peaks 3-4 months after delivery as your hair follicles rejuvenate themselves. As noted above, this hair loss is temporary, and hair loss returns to normal within six to twelve months.
Can hair loss be related to other reproductive health issues?
Hair loss can be triggered by anything that involves a change in the estrogen hormone balance in your system.
Hair loss may result from any one or more of the following:
- Discontinuation of birth control pills or any other hormonal type of birth control method
- Miscarriage or stillbirth
- Abortion
- A hormonal imbalance
The Positive Side of Pregnancy and Your Hair:
During pregnancy, there is an increase in the level of estrogen hormones. Estrogen causes hair to remain in a growing phase and stimulates the growth of your hair. While you are pregnant, you should expect a full, luxurious head of hair.
Recommendations During Pregnancy and After Delivery:
There are a number of things that you can do to have healthier hair and/or reduce hair loss during pregnancy and after delivery:
- Consult with your health care provider to ensure a proper balance of hormones
- Avoid pigtails, cornrows, hair weaves, braids and tight hair rollers which can pull and stress your hair
- Eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables, which contain flavonoids and antioxidants that may provide protection for the hair follicles and encourage hair growth
- Use shampoos and conditioners that contain biotin and silica
- Hair is fragile when it is wet, so be gentle; avoid fine tooth combs
- If you need to use blow dryers and other heated hair instruments, use the cool setting
- Supplement your diet with the following nutrients:
- Vitamin B complex
- Biotin (Possibly safe; orally and appropriately)
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E (Likely safe if the amount does not exceed the RDA; possibly safe if it does)
- Zinc (most likely safe when used orally and appropriately; likely unsafe when used orally in high doses)
- Hair Treatment During Pregnancy
- How to Treat Lice Naturally During Pregnancy
Compiled using information from the following sources:
Mayo Clinic Guide To A Healthy Pregnancy Harms, Roger W.
, M.D., et al, Ch. 15.
American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, https://www.aocd.org
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, https://www.naturaldatabase.com/
American Academy of Dermatology, https://www.aad.org
Hair Loss During Pregnancy - Dr. Levent Acar
Hair loss during pregnancy. In most women during pregnancy, the hair becomes more thick and shiny . However, the opposite may also be the case. Severe hair loss during pregnancy is also quite common and is usually nothing to worry about .
Pregnancy entails great changes in a woman's body. Highlighted more than hormones, especially estrogen, the "female hormone".
The usual result of increasing estrogen is that the hair grows fuller and looks more beautiful and healthy overall. This is because fewer hair follicles than usual enter the telogen phase, or resting phase.
Hair loss after pregnancy
After the birth of a child in a young mother the level of estrogen in the body returns to normal , and many extra hairs fall out at the same time. Many women experience hair loss after childbirth, known as postpartum hair loss.
However, the reverse can also happen to hair during pregnancy. Some women experience hair loss. Too many hair follicles go into the resting phase at the same time - this condition is known as telogen effluvium.
Hormones are not always to blame. There may be other factors that lead to hair loss.
Causes of hair loss during pregnancy
Severe hair loss during pregnancy is rare, but in itself is not a major cause for concern.
Hormones
The hormone progesterone produced by the luteal body is believed to be a factor in increased hair loss. This hormone works alongside estrogen to regulate pregnancy.
This interaction can affect hair growth and quality both positively and negatively. For example, dry hair can become even drier and break more easily .
In addition, under the influence of hormones, hair synchronizes the phases of its growth. Thus, too many hairs enter the resting phase together and therefore fall out at the same time.
Birth control pills
The second factor that can lead to hair loss during early pregnancy is stopping the birth control pill. Women who stop taking birth control pills and then get pregnant relatively quickly often experience hair loss.
One of the reasons for this is that tablets artificially maintain high levels of estrogen . If pregnancy occurs, then the level of estrogen in the blood is usually not as high as it was when the pills were still taken.
Therefore, hair can fall out, because, as we have already said, this hormone has a positive effect on the growth cycle.
Iron deficiency
Another cause of hair loss during pregnancy can be iron deficiency . During pregnancy, the body needs 60 percent more iron than because the growing baby consumes so much of it. But if these vitamins and minerals are not enough, then the body stops all the functions that need iron, but are not necessary for survival.
This includes hair growth. Other symptoms that may indicate a deficiency of iron in the blood are pale skin, constant fatigue and, under certain circumstances, increased nervousness .
If iron deficiency is suspected, a physician should be consulted immediately. Most often, women experience iron deficiency in the second trimester of pregnancy .
Stress
Another thing that can cause hair loss during pregnancy is stress . Many expectant mothers put themselves under stress during pregnancy, especially if this is their first child.
This may affect hair growth. Prolonged stress can cause diffuse hair loss even in the absence of pregnancy.
Hair care during pregnancy
Finally, daily hair care also affects hair growth. Usually, pregnant women don't need to change their daily hair care routine much, such as which shampoos and conditioners they use.
However, this does not apply to hair coloring. To this day, this topic is hotly debated. Even today, there is no scientific evidence that coloring hair during pregnancy has a harmful effect on the fetus. However, in general, doctors do not advise doing this.
However, if you do not want to give it up, then at least use natural hair dyes in early pregnancy.
Vitamins for hair loss during pregnancy.
Any remedies for hair loss during pregnancy, including vitamins for hair, are prescribed exclusively by your doctor , who accompanies your pregnancy. Taking any hair loss medication during pregnancy on your own can adversely affect your health and the health of your baby .
Never take drugs, pills, vitamins on the advice of the Internet or on the advice of your surroundings. It is always better to consult a doctor.
What to do if the hair that has fallen out does not grow back?
As a rule, after pregnancy, hair growth returns to normal, and hair that has fallen out grows back .
However, if this does not happen, it may be because the increased hair loss has revealed an already existing type of hair loss, such as female pattern baldness or alopecia (alopecia areata) . It may also have made other underlying hair health issues more apparent. In this case, Hair Transplant in Turkey can be a solution to the problem and restore the former volume of hair. However, no reputable doctor will do a hair transplant without first studying the causes of hair loss.
Dr. Levent Acar and his team at the clinic Cosmedica will be happy to answer any of your questions on this topic.
Get a free, no-obligation consultation today.
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Hair loss and pregnancy - why hair falls out in pregnant women, how to stop it
The reasons What to do and NOT to do
Causes of hair loss during pregnancy
The body of pregnant women functions in a peculiar mode, which affects all organs and systems. In particular, the hormonal background is changing, and this entails changes in the structure and life cycle of the hair.
On the one hand, the level of estrogen, the hormone responsible for the reproductive health, beauty and youth of a woman, rises. Therefore, many pregnant women note that in the first trimester, the hair becomes thicker and more elastic. And hair loss during pregnancy in the early stages is not the norm: it indicates some features at the beginning of pregnancy.
Hair loss during late pregnancy is more common. There is an active development of the child, which borrows all the "building materials" from the mother.
As a result, more hair goes into the resting phase (telogen) - so to speak, for reasons of saving material.
Hair loss during pregnancy may be aggravated by:
- unbalanced diet;
- lack of vitamins and microelements;
- infectious diseases;
- stress, unstable emotional state;
- improper care.
However, hair loss usually peaks not during pregnancy, but during the postpartum period. The woman's body gradually begins to return to its normal mode of functioning, to which the scalp also reacts.
As a rule, the hair falls out most intensively 2-3 months after childbirth. During this period, some women complain that whole curls remain on the comb. This is because during this period there is an active hormonal restructuring, the lactation period begins, and up to 50-60% of the follicles can go into the resting phase against the usual 7-10%.
In the absence of a serious pathology, this is a temporary phenomenon - after a few months, the hairline can recover on its own.
However, many women experience serious stress during this period, so it is better to take measures to speed up the recovery process as much as possible.
What is allowed and what is not?
As mentioned above, hair loss in early pregnancy is not usually normal. If you notice a similar phenomenon in yourself, it makes sense to consult a trichologist. He will examine the condition of the hairline, examine your tests (those prescribed by the gynecologist), and may recommend an additional consultation, for example, an endocrinologist.
Mesotherapy provides the best results in the treatment of alopecia. Subcutaneous injections of meso-cocktails activate microcirculation, have a beneficial effect on follicles, and improve hair structure. The result is noticeable after several procedures (only half an hour, once a week).
Mesotherapy is not suitable for the treatment of hair loss during pregnancy . However, this does not mean that you need to put up with the situation and sadly watch the curls remaining on the comb.
