Many women notice changes to their body after pregnancy, one of the most upsetting being hair loss. But what causes this to happen, and what solutions are available to treat your hair loss problem?

Causes of post-pregnancy hair loss

At any one time, around 90 per cent of your hair is in the ‘growing’ phase whilst 10 per cent is in the ‘resting’ phase. This ‘resting’ hair falls out every few months, allowing new hair to grow in its place.

The hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy can disrupt this cycle, causing more hair than normal to simultaneously enter the ‘resting’ phase. This is called telogen effluvium, and it usually occurs a few months after giving birth in around 40-50 per cent of women.

Solutions

Like many other changes that take place during pregnancy, this type of female hair loss is generally temporary. Although you may notice thinning or light shedding, the condition of your hair should improve approximately 3-5 months after giving birth as the hormone levels start to return to normal.

However, this condition can be extremely distressing for women, especially if you have the stress of being a new mother to contend with as well. This is why hair loss specialists have developed a number of interim, such as human hair wigs.

Although nothing can be quite as devastating as cancer, some of the side effects of cancer treatment can be fairly traumatic. For women, this means hair loss.

Chemotherapy treatment attacks all rapidly-dividing cells, regardless of whether they are healthy or not. As hair follicles grow so fast, these are amongst the first to be depleted. This results in rapid shedding of the hair, at a rate that can be alarming and upsetting to the patient.

Losing all your hair at once can be a frightening and debilitating experience, especially for women living in a world that sees thick, healthy hair as a sign of youth and beauty. Breast cancer charity founder and radiation oncologist Marisa Weiss elaborates on this, saying:

“There are studies that show that for many women, losing their hair is worse than losing a breast. That’s because you can conceal the loss of a breast, but hair loss is so obvious and apparent,”

Preparing for hair loss caused by chemotherapy

The best defence against the rapid hair loss caused by chemotherapy is to prepare for it ahead of time. It generally happens to everyone who undergoes the aggressive treatment, but you needn’t let it come as a shock.

But what are your options? Some women choose to take back control of the situation and shave their heads before their hair can fall out, whilst others prepare to use headscarves and other head coverings. One of the best options, however, is human hair wigs, which can now be made to look as realistic as your original hair. Consult a hair loss clinic or human hair wig specialist to find out more.

Hair loss and thinning hair can be exceedingly difficult to treat, and most sufferers with hair loss conditions know that there is no ‘miracle cure’ or quick-fix solution. However, there are now ways to improve the appearance of thinning hair, thanks to significant advancements in hair replacement treatment and technology.

Medi Connections: the best treatment for reduced volume

This treatment is suitable for women with very fine hair, or those who have experienced a general reduction in hair volume. This can be caused by a number of conditions, from mild alopecia and telogen effluvium to the first stages of female pattern hair loss.

How does it work?

Medi Connections work in a similar way to hair extensions, except that they are ultra-fine and light in weight. They are placed in strategic areas on the scalp to provide coverage where the hair is thinning, resulting in a volume boost that lasts approximately 12 to 14 weeks. As long as the hair is stable enough to support the Medi Connections extensions (this can be determined via a test patch), they will also allow your hair to regrow naturally and you to wash, style and tint your hair as normal.

If you are experiencing thinning hair rather than severe hair loss, this solution could be perfect for you.

Three million people in Britain are currently affected by alopecia but for some reason, the condition still has a stigma attached to it. This is especially the case for women and children, as hair loss is more commonly seen in men.

This is why the Bebold Support Group and Alopecia Awareness teamed up to open the UK’s first alopecia camp, which has now been heralded a success after its July 30th open day. Alopecia sufferers from all over the country were invited to visit the camp for a week and spend time with others who have the same condition.

The psychological effects of sudden hair loss can be devastating, which is why alopecia sufferers need the kind of support and understanding offered at the Scarborough camp.

Michelle Chapman, a childhood alopecia sufferer and member of Alopecia Awareness, has spoken of her own experiences and what the camp means to alopecia sufferers and their families. She said:

“If I’d had the chance to meet others living with hair loss, it would have made a huge positive difference to me and my family. Instead, I felt as if I was the only bald girl in the world.

“These children and adults will have the chance to spend time with people who truly understand and never feel as alone and embarrassed as I did.”

It fits with what you might expect, but studies have shown that women experience greater distress at losing hair than men. Our hair is a fundamental part of our appearance so unwanted changes can leave a person shaken and even traumatised. The nature of our society means that women experience this more acutely.

Loss of hair can have a great impact on a woman’s self confidence. Good hair is closely associated with beauty, so it is obvious that its loss will be keenly felt. For a woman who is already insecure about her appearance, the effects can be truly devastating.

The other major problem facing women is that hair loss is not seen as a female condition. As male pattern baldness is so common, loss of hair is closely associated with men. This means additional stigma can be perceived for women as it is seen as being in some way abnormal, even though female hair loss is far more common than many realise.

Fortunately, with increased awareness has come a greater range of treatments and hair management options. Women suffering from hair loss are now more likely to get correctly diagnosed and can make use of better hair management options while being treated.

Hair loss is a concern for both men and women and if you see a few hairs coming out, it’s easy to get carried away, envisaging a declining condition where you end up totally bald.

However, we shed hair all the time. It is a perfectly natural part of the growth process. Only when the rate of hair loss becomes excessive does it become a problem as the hair will not be replaced at the same rate as it is lost.

Most of us lose between 50 and 100 hairs a day. This sounds a lot, but your hair is constantly growing and at this rate, you will maintain a full head of hair. Certain things can cause you to lose hair more rapidly than this.

We tend to lose more hair at the end of summer, for example, while pregnancy will often see women’s hair thinning slightly. Some diseases will cause loss of hair, such as anaemia or lupus and low thyroid levels will have the same effect.

If you go to see your GP or a dermatologist, these are the kinds of things they will try and rule out when diagnosing you. There are many possible causes for hair loss, but this is also why it is so important to identify the right one.