Female Hair Loss and Stress – Treating the Cause, not the Symptoms!

Which is the best hair loss treatment for women? How to be sure if the advertised cures really work? Which are the most effective female hair loss products? Unfortunately, every year millions of women are trying to find answers to these questions.

Female hair loss, according to researches and statistics, is affecting more and more women nowadays (both old and young). While pharmaceutical companies are literally ‘flooding’ us with their hair loss products – some of them being effective, others being just illusions in a bottle – we have to understand that our best defense is information.

As I already wrote in my previous posts, in order to deal with hair loss we have to understand its causes first. There are many reasons for hair loss in women: some are simple, related to our lifestyle and habits, others are more complex, being a result of hormonal imbalance or other disease.

The majority of women who suffer from hair loss experience its temporary form, also called Telogen Effluvium. Unlike the so-called permanent form of hair loss, or Androgenic Alopecia (the female pattern baldness), Telogen Effluvium is usually caused by sudden changes in one’s lifestyle: extreme negative emotions, diseases or nutritional deficiencies. This form of hair loss usually passes when the cause is removed or at least alleviated.

Now let’s talk a little more about stress and its connection to female hair loss. I found online two main opinions about stress-related hair loss: some specialists say that it’s just a myth (and the true reason is found in the objective chemical and hormonal imbalances in our body), while others regard stress as a major cause of hair fall and hair thinning.

I tend to agree with the second group. Even if you are a follower of the first opinion, stop for a moment and think: Which is the main cause of all our imbalances and other health problems? Exactly! They, as well, can be caused by stress, negative emotions, anxiety and depression.

If you have suffered recently the loss of a loved person, if you can’t find a job, if you’re passing through a painful divorce or you simply cannot find the balance in your life – don’t be surprised if your hair starts falling. In such circumstances, taking vitamins and other hair loss medication will definitely not help! Of course, once the cause of your problem is dealt with, hair loss will stop as well. Only then, for helping your body recover faster, you can take hair loss vitamins for women or other food supplements (prescribed by your doctor!!!).

Besides the obvious connection between temporary female hair loss and stress, some specialists have proven that the female pattern hair loss (Androgenic alopecia) can also be caused by stress! Here’s how it can happen: when we are stressed or overly emotional, our adrenaline levels are suddenly rising. The adrenaline excess can be converted by our body into dihydrotestosterone or DHT. This substance is considered by most hair loss researchers as being responsible for permanent hair loss, both in men and women. Of course, this hypothesis does not mean that all cases of Androgenic alopecia are caused by stress. Still, a good hair loss doctor should never overlook this possibility.

This is why the best female hair loss treatment is our ability to correctly identify the cause. Stress is not easy to be dealt with. However, there are many effective ‘treatments’ that really work: getting enough sleep and rest; getting rid of detrimental habits like drinking and smoking; physical exercise; reevaluation of values and priorities; meditation; yoga; martial arts. You might be surprised, but your nutrition can also improve or worsen your emotional state. I can tell you something from my own experience – when you eat a lot of meat and animal by-products, your emotions are harder to control, bending towards sadness, anger, fear and depression. On the other hand, if your diet is comprised mostly of fresh fruits and vegetables, your attitude towards life will be brighter and more optimistic! After researching this problem for a while, I found many confirmations of my theory – both online and in specialized books.

Prevention is another effective approach on female hair loss treatment: don’t wait until your hair starts thinning or falling! Take a deep breath and remember that all problems in this world are temporary. In the end, nothing is worth your health, your beauty and your hair!