What is hair thinning?
Hair Fall is actually something common in all of us, we all go through this issue. Every day at least 100 strands of hair fall out. It becomes a growing concern only when this number increases day by day. You might notice more strands of hair in the comb, brush or on your pillow, sometimes even when you’re taking a shower.
Hair thinning is said to be an aggravated form of hair fall. Hair thinning is diagnosed when your scalp becomes extremely visible. In men, hair thinning causes receding hairline (1).
There are basically three factors that contribute to hair loss itself, and these are:
- Hair fall – Losing exceeding numbers of strands per day.
- Hair thinning – When your hair decreases volume to a point where the scalp becomes visible
- Patches – This is when you could be losing hair in patches, being one of the hair thinning causes.
What are hair thinning causes?
As mentioned earlier hair thinning is an aggravated form of hair fall, which could ultimately lead to hair loss. Thus the reasons for hair fall and hair thinning could be the same except in certain cases (2).
- Hormonal – Androgenic hair loss is something that’s common in both men and women. It’s caused when there is an imbalance in the hormones in your body which ultimately leads to hair loss.
- Hair products – Sometimes the types of products that you use could cause hair thinning.
- Hair treatments – Hair treatments such as constantly dyeing your hair, and applying heat on it, to straighten or blow dry could also cause hair thinning. To dye your hair you’d have to bleach your hair, which would damage your hair to a large extent.
- Iron deficiency – Iron deficiency is one of the common causes of hair loss in women. The iron deficiency which leads to hair thinning usually happens when you have low levels of ferritin. Ferritin is a protein that helps in to store iron in the tissues.
- Thyroid problem – The thyroid gland helps in regulating your hormones. Thus, a problem with the thyroid gland causes an imbalance in these hormones. Iron deficiency could also occur when you have a thyroid problem.
- Pregnancy – During pregnancy, a woman goes through a surge of hormones, her body goes through different variations and one of the end results of it could be hair thinning.
- Scalp infection – A ringworm infections, for example, is one such infection that could cause hair fall, and hair thinning.
- Medications – The kind of medications you take can be a cause for the thinning of hair, or even the kind of treatments you take can do the same. For example hair fall and hair thinning are common in people who are undergoing Chemotherapy.
- Age – This is one of the factors that are unique to hair thinning. In most cases hair thinning is visible above the age of 35-40 in both men and women. This is because hair tends to be rejuvenated and grows back after this age.
- Genetic Factors – Hereditary is one of the biggest causes of hair fall and it’s unfortunate that nothing can be done to cure it. If you have a family history of baldness, then it can affect you as well. These are due to a combination of genetics from both parents and it can’t really be cured.There isn’t any permanent cure but a few chemicals are used to stimulate hair growth such as Minoxidil, and Finasteride. The dosage that you’re going to be using these in needs to be monitored by a professional to make sure that it doesn’t go overboard (3).
What does it lead to?
Hair thinning as I said, might lead to hair loss. It would happen over a period of time not instantly, but it’s still one of the factors that play a role in hair loss.
How can we control it?
- Protein-rich diet – This is something that will continue to benefit your hair growth. Make sure you take in enough proteins, in the form of meat, or green leafy vegetables, which are rich in iron and proteins equally.
- Right hygiene – With the amount of pollution and dirt that your hair is going to be facing on a daily basis, it’s important to make sure that you wash it and keep it clean. Sometimes dandruff could result in hair fall which then leads to hair thinning.
- Medication – The right kind of medication helps in reducing the causes of hair thinning. For example, when it’s caused due to a particular deficiency, it’s always better to visit a doctor and take the right kind of medication. At most times both oral and topical medication is given to the patient. A topical medication is given to increase hair growth and keep your hair healthy and strong.
FAQs
Why does hair thinning happen in men?
Genetics and hormones are the two common reasons why hair thinning happens in men.
Why does hair thinning happen in women?
Pregnancy, iron deficiency, poor diet, and hormones can be a few causes for hair thinning in women.
How to stop hair thinning in men and women?
Good hygiene, protein-rich diet are two things to stop hair thinning in men and women.
How to cure hair thinning?
Topical medication and oral medication are administered, along with encouraging a protein-rich diet.
Can thinning hair become thick again?
Yes, thinning hair can become thick again.
How to prevent hair thinning in men and women?
Hair thinning can be prevented by keeping your hair clean, having a protein-rich diet. Don’t use a lot of chemicals or heat on your hair.
Does hair thinning mean baldness?
Hair thinning could show out to be baldness as you can see the scalp if your hair is thinning. It could lead to hair loss, thus causing balding.
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