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Life Stress Causes Hair Loss in Women

By: Tim Vincent Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Stress is a common trigger for hair loss in women. The scientific name for this condition is telogen effluvium. It gives a general thinning of the hair and can in itself be quite worrying when it happens. This certainly can lead to more stress and greater hair loss. The problem itself is generally short lived and mends itself given enough time. However, for a few women the problem can get more long lived and Chronic. This is when it becomes a real problem.

The stress generators can come in a number of forms from hormone imbalance to reactions to certain medicines, sickness and some types of dieting. usually the effects don't emerge until some time after the trigger has occurred. Itends in an over all thinning of the scalp hairs and other hairs of the body instead of a distinct bald area. There can be a case for women with the condition to be diagnosed as acting anxious or neurotic instead of actually looking for a direct trigger.

Telogen effluvium relates to the usual growth cycle of hair. Hair follicles have two phases within this cycle. The one phase involves growth and the other resting. The growth phase lasts around 3 years, where as the resting stage is generally around three months. Telogen is the word used to refer to the period of resting. generally only about 15 percent of the hair is in the telogen phase. But, sudden stress can push the number up greatly. These hairs are shed and the follicles begin resting. After about three months the hairs start to grow again and the usual growth returns. This means that after about 6 months the condition should begin to return to normal.

Even though the actions of Telogen Effluvium are quite distinctive there is no actual remedy for it, besides getting over the stressful event and waiting for the hair to come back. In the case of the chronic persistent versions of this condition women must look more carefully at their life style. Usually it is a combination of conditions that lead to the hair loss. High pressure work, trying to cope with work and family needs, crash diets, vegetarian diets, yo yo diets and low protein diets all add to the amount of hair loss in women. Some women try to redress the balance of dieting nutrient loss by taking tablets, but this should be avoided. A healthy well balanced diet should be the aim in this situation.

Another chronic form of this condition version is having low amounts of the iron complex Serum Ferritin in the blood. A doctor should do a blood test to find out if this is the cause of the hair loss. It has been decided that up to 30 percent of female hair loss is due to low iron levels. Once a diagnosis has been made iron tablets can be taken and it will be quickly found that hair loss will reduce and the problem will get better.

Any kind of dieting will put the body under stress. This stress can affect women's hair loss. Hair loss women often have a number of stresses that come together to cause the problem. The best remedy is to identify the conditions that produce the stress and get rid of them.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: Hair loss in women may have a number of causes. It is important to find out what the cause is before embarking on any treatment. Only with all of the facts at hand can people be expected to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages without having to just accept sales hype. Further information on the alternatives for people looking into hair replacement and hair treatment can be found on T J Vincent’s web site Hair Loss in Women