For many women our hair plays a vital role in our self esteem, we cut, style it and choose how to wear it. Its an outlet of how we can express ourselves and our personality. Losing your hair or changes in our hair health can cause lack of self esteem and feel less of yourself.
Whilst there can be multiple factors which contribute to hair loss in women our hormones play an important role.
Two factors of a woman’s life which involve hormones are pregnancy and menopause.
Pregnancy, Childbirth and hair loss
Childbirth is one of life’s blessings. But pregnancy comes with many daunting challenges. One of the things that many pregnant women worry about is hair loss in pregnancy. 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.
Hair sheds every day as part of its natural renewal cycle. Yet factors affecting hair growth cycles, such as age, stress, hormones and vitamin deficiencies can prompt weakness, damage and excessive shedding. The shift in hormonal changes results in hair loss, similar to menopause where you also experiencing a change in hormones.
Menopause and hair loss
During menopause it is mostly due to the consistently low levels of oestrogen and progesterone and an increased production of testosterone. There are a multitude of treatment strategies that can be implemented to aid with improved hair growth and reducing the progression of hair loss. As with many treatments, there is no complete guarantee that hair growth will return to its healthy state; however, it can at least be improved.
Whilst this is a natural process that women experience there are treatments available on the market to assist with regrowth and restrengthen of your natural hair.
Speaking to your GP or a specialist is a great way to discuss some treatments that would work for you along with some simple lifestyle changes to compliment.
Katrina Freeman Registered Nurse at SSKIN.
