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TogglePregnancy is a Pandora’s box, and post partum hair loss in women is one of them. Forget about acne, skin deformation, and weight gain and other issues, hair loss is a huge challenge to many women.
During pregnancy, your body undergoes so many changes, especially hormones. Most notably, the estrogen levels shoot high, altering the hair growth cycle. To help you understand the changes that result in postpartum hair loss, let’s look at the hair cycle.
There are three phases of hair growth: anagel, catagen, and telogen.
The anagel phase is marked by fast/active hair growth. In most cases, this phase lasts between two and six years Your hair will always be 80-90% of the time in this phase.
In this phase, your hair follicles will be shrinking. You might notice the rate of hair growth going down, and in some cases, hitting a plateau.
The telogen phase is also known as the resting stage, whereby the hair falls.
Now that you have basic knowledge of the hair growth cycle, let’s discuss the triggers of hair loss.
After delivery, the estrogen levels drop instantly, making your hair go to the telogen/resting phase.
After this phase, you start to notice a significant hair loss. It is estimated that after this phase, you lose an estimated 100 hair strands every day. This is not a small amount of hair loss, hence the name telogen effluvium, meaning, excess shedding of hair.
Postpartum hair loss is a temporary condition that ends after a few months. In most cases, the hair loss starts at three months after delivery and ends at 12 months, before growing again.
However, you should not push yourself too far as this period can vary from one woman to another.
Postpartum hair loss is a very common occurrence in women, and most of them have reported to have experienced it. If you are undergoing this phase, hold on, it will end.
Postpartum hair loss can affect any woman. However, if you are in this category, you are at a higher risk of shedding excess hair after birth:
Given the limited information and knowledge on postpartum hair loss in women, there are so many myths around the topic. These are the most common myths surrounding postpartum hair loss and growth.
A healthcare provider can diagnose postpartum hair loss through the following:
Scalp biopsy- Removing a small piece of your scalp skin for tests.
Trichospy- Examining the scalp under a microscope.
Blood tests- To check the hormone levels (sex hormones and thyroid) and essential minerals and vitamins (vitamin B, vitamin D, iron, and zinc).
Pulling the hair to see how many strands come off.
Yes. A health practitioner will ask you the following questions to help them diagnose postpartum hair loss:
The treatment of postpartum hair loss and hair loss in general depends on the primary causes.
Some hair loss treatments have side effects. These include:
Shock loss (hair falling off the transplanted area), infections, and folliculitis in the case of surgery.
Abnormal hair growth in other areas other than the scalp in the case of Minoxidil. You might get the hair growing on your cheeks or even forehead.
Irritation, itching, redness, and dryness of the scalp in the case of Minoxidil.
Postpartum hair loss and hair loss, in general, can break and lower your esteem to the dungeons. The relieving thing about hair loss is that it occurs to many other people, due to several reasons. If you are battling this nasty condition, use the tips above to manage. Above all, walk with your head high. You’re beautiful, and this, too, shall pass!
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