What is Stress?
Stress refers
to the mental tension or emotional strain experienced by people due to various
reasons. The person who is stressed experiences worry, nervousness, anxiety,
and feels much pressurized by the circumstances.
Some people also experience
headaches, breathing difficulty, and bodily pains when they are stressed out.
There are many causes of stress such as inability to cope with work schedules,
break down in relationships, loneliness, unemployment, competitive atmosphere,
lack of physical beauty, and poor income opportunities.
Major stressor's also
include health worries, and life style habits such as unhealthy diet and poor
sleep habits.
How are Stress and Hair Loss Related?
Some of the
factors that cause stress can also cause temporary or permanent hair loss in
patients.
Hair grows and falls in natural cycles with clearly defined and
distinct phases known as anagen (growth), catagen (transition from full growth
to shrinking), and telogen (resting and falling off period).
Researchers
suggest that every day stress can also play a significant role in hair growth
or shedding phases. In addition, Long term stress or anxiety may also lead to
male or female pattern hair loss.
Non-persistent or short term stress is also
related to many conditions which can lead to hair thinning and baldness in men.
Although hair loss problem is rare
in women, some of them have a condition known as telogen effluvium or premature
hair loss due to curtailed catagen phase.
These women notice hair loss within 1
to 3 months of stressful activities or a shock event.
Anxiety or Stress?
Anxiety is a
severe form of stress and it can persist in the patients for a long period of
time. Although anxiety and hair loss are not directly related, the fact remains
that anxious people undergo stress and hair loss is one of the more common
symptoms.
Some patients have psychological fears, and they develop anxiety due
to hair loss. Clinical consultation is necessary to allay patients' doubts and
establish the severity, type, and causes of hair loss.
At Cosmed aesthetic clinic, the
cosmetic surgeon performs a
thorough evaluation, and assesses the patient's hair loss in an accurate
manner. Physical examination is
essential for determining the causes of hair loss, and this includes the role
played by anxiety or stress.
Stress Levels and Hair Transplant
Patients
undergo mild, medium, or acute stress in their daily lives, and hair loss is
only one of the consequences. Higher stress levels can lead to different
conditions that are associated with hair thinning or baldness.
1.
Telogen Effluvium
Patients who
have significant levels of stress also experience telogen speed up. The
transition from growth to resting phase is very fast, and a large numbers of
hair follicles fall out within a few months. A large number of patients notice
the loss of affected hairs when they are combing, showering, washing, or
shampooing. Patients in India who are diagnosed with chronic telogen effluvium
can opt for an affordable and highly effective hair transplant in Mumbai.
2.
Alopecia Areata
The body's
immunity system protects and strengthens the scalp, hair roots, and hair
follicles and successfully wards off disease or hair loss. Patients who have
alopecia areata lose hair as the body's immune system itself starts attacking
the hair follicles and causes them to become weak.
3.
Trichotillomania
Trichotillomania is a psychological issue wherein the patient experiences an irresistible desire to pull out hair from the scalp, face, or other areas of his or her body.
