How Stress Can Contribute to Hair Loss

Maybe hair is seen on the floor of the shower too. Or perhaps a person's hair is brushing out in clumps. With all the stress people have in their lives right now the last thing anyone needs is hair loss, right?

It is a commonly held belief that stress can contribute to hair loss, but just how true is this?

We give patients the low-down on the relationship between hormones, health and hair loss to motivate consumers to balance their lifestyle and keep their locks, luscious.

The physiology of stress tends to creep up on everyone. It starts with a to-do list and then that to-do list just continues to grow.

Whether we are actually required to do these tasks as part of our job, or if we place these demands on ourselves out of habit, the result is the same- we end up frazzled, tired and even depressed.

It all comes down to hormones. Cortisol, a chemical produced by the adrenal glands, is meant to motivate the body to carry out short-term goals. In particular, it is meant to support human in dealing with a dangerous situation or genuine threat.

It works by making use of fats and proteins, turning them into accessible energy, as well as raising one's heart rate. When it kicks in, it’s all systems go! But it is not meant to be a continued state of being. The prolonged presence of cortisol in the bloodstream can have a negative effect on your overall health and is one of the root causes of hair loss.

Cortisol hormonal interplay

Cortisol is in essence, a stress hormone. It has a very delicate interaction with the other hormones in the body such as adrenalin and testosterone. When we have high levels of cortisol coursing through the body this leads to an increase in adrenaline, testosterone and in particular, a hormone known as dihydrotestosterone or DHT.

The interplay between cortisol, adrenalin and DHT leads to a depletion of collagen and insulin as well as a decrease in bone density and to the dismay of many men and women, hair loss. DHT and hair loss, an over-stressed body that is in a constant state of cortisol/adrenaline overdrive will eventually suffer from adrenal fatigue.

This condition is no fun at all, leaving busy people feeling weak, depressed, anxious and vague. Adrenal fatigue affects both men and women however the key hormone, DHT, reaches higher levels in men. High DHT levels have a direct effect on hair follicles, causing them to slow down the hair growth process and eventually even die.

Thus stress and in turn high DHT levels can result in premature balding, a condition much more common in males. In shortening the growth cycle of hair causing hair follicles to cease production of new hair, DHT is the culprit to fear! When our hair growth cycle starts to slack off there really is a no reversing this process. As they say, prevention is better than cure. When it comes to stress and hair loss, prevention is the only option as cure (unless you care to opt for costly surgical transplants) is pretty much out of the question.

Preventing Hair Loss

So how can consumers prevent hair loss? It really isn’t about nasty, expensive gimmicks or potions. The good news is that it really just comes down to taking good care of yourself. This means living with balance and balance comes down to numbers:8 hours of sleep a night 3 healthy balanced meals a day 30 minutes of gentle exercise a day 4-6 glasses of fresh water each day.

In addition to the above there are minerals and vitamins that are excellent for hair growth- and health in general. These include zinc, silica and essential fatty oils. Rich sources of these general health minerals and fatty acids are: oysters, pumpkin seeds, egg yolks, nuts, wheatgerm. We hope this information will motivate you to take a good look at your daily schedule and make room for healthy grocery shopping and some down time to relax, rest and recover.

About Dr. Seymour Weaver

Dr. Weaver is board certified in dermatology and a member of many medical organizations (American Academy of Dermatology, American Medical Association, American Society of Dermatologic Surgery, American Society for Liposuction Surgery, Houston Dermatological Society, National Medical Association, Texas Dermatological Society, Texas Medical Association) and is specifically recognized for his expertise in anti-aging dermatology, treating hairloss and scalp disorders, dermatological laser procedures with capabilities to treat skin of every color, and surgical and non-surgical body shaping procedures.

He received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine. He completed a medical internship at Los Angeles County/USC medical center and dermatology training at Martin Luther King, Jr. Medical Center in Los Angeles. He also studied tropical dermatology in Nairobi, Kenya at the Kenyatta National Hospital.

For more information, please visit http://drseymourweaver.com

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