It’s normal to lose around 50 to 100 hairs per day, but how do you know when your hair shedding is normal or too much? With the mass amount of reasons for hair loss, it only makes sense to do a deeper dive into the subject of thinning hair.
World-renowned dermatologist and hair restoration surgeon Dr. Umar provides answers to a topic so many of us are concerned about.
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Q: Why does hair thin?
A: Miniaturization Is one of the most common causes of hair thinning. In women who experience female pattern baldness, there is likely to be other variables that contribute to the condition besides genetics. Usually, this includes hormonal imbalances and environmental factors which exacerbate the interaction of their sensitive hair follicles with DHT, stress, pregnancy, certain medications, crash dieting, anemia, iron deficiency, use of chemical dyes, and relaxers have all been implicated in female hair loss.
Women will typically experience hair thinning on the top part of their scalp which may or may not spread to other regions. In women, because the hairline is often spared, mild to moderate thinning is easily camouflaged by the use of extensions, hair products, etc.
Hair thinning in women should be evaluated by a dermatologist with the objective of excluding treatable secondary causes such as thyroid disease, nutritional causes, medication, etc. A blood test is often part of the evaluation process.
In women of African descent, the most common cause of hair loss is traction alopecia which results from hair grooming practices that exert a sustained pulling force on the hair roots. Examples of such grooming practices include hair weaves, braiding, ponytails, etc.
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In addition to changing your hairstyles to protect your hair, here’s how to regrow your hair:
Moisturize your hair.
One of the best things you can do to your hair is to keep it moisturized. Having adequate moisture encourages fast growth and protects hair from breakage and split ends.
Additionally, it keeps the hair looking bright and feeling soft. Before you can even start considering store-bought moisturizers make sure that