Other Forms of Hair Loss
Post-pregnancy
Pregnancy hormones cause fewer follicles to enter the resting stage so hair growth is greater than normal and many women find their hair looks thicker at this time.
However these follicles do eventually go into the resting phase after a woman has given birth and the hormones start to return to normal. So around three months after the baby is born, a woman loses many more hairs than when while she was expecting. This is quite normal and these hairs do resume their usual cycle, allowing the hair to regain its normal volume.
Alopecia Totalis
Total Follicle scalp hair loss.
Please see our Hair Replacement page
Other Causes of Alopecia
Nutritional
Although rare, some women find that a deficiency in zinc or iron causes a generalised thinning of the hair across the whole scalp. We recommend that you request blood tests from your GP to establish if this is the case as it is important to note that if you have an inherited condition called Haemochromatosis then taking Iron can cause health problems.
In addition, malnutrition through extreme dieting can slowly lead to generalised hair loss.
Thyroid disease
Women can also lose hair because of hypothyroidism (myxoedema) and hyperthyroidisim (overactive thyroid gland). With correct treatment, however, this kind of hair loss can be reversed.
Major/chronic Illness
Any severe illness can lead to hair loss, but usually this effect is reversed some three or four months after recovery.
Discoid Lupus Erythematosus
Permanent hair loss occasionally affects the scarred areas of the scalp.
Psoriasis
Hair on the scalp can also thin following a flare-up of psoriasis, but in these cases, it normally re-grows once the attack subsides.
Hair styling
Hair breakage and thinning can result from excessive brushing, while some colourants may have the same effect. In addition, hairstyles that exert considerable pressure on the hair for long periods of time may lead to traction alopecia.
