Temporary and Sudden Hair Loss, Hair Shedding, Clumps of Hair

Temporary and Sudden Hair Loss

Women, more than men, are susceptible to temporary and sudden bouts of hair loss characterized as hair shedding or "losing clumps of hair." For example, 95 percent of all male hair loss is genetic hair loss - male pattern baldness. In women, hair loss is roughly divided in half between Genetic causes, and Non-genetic hair loss causes.

When hair loss in women is sudden with heavy hair shedding, the cause is most likely, non-genetic and is treatable and reversable, often with improvements in 6 months. When hair loss in women, especially those 50 years and older, is Genetic, the hair loss is more gradual and happens over a longer period of time.

But let's back up some and get a better understanding of when and how hair grows by learning about the Hair Growth Cycle. Women should understand the 3 phases of the Hair Growth Cycle before understanding the causes behind temporary and sudden hair loss.

Non Genetic Cause of Hair Loss

Non Genetic causes of female hair loss fall under 7 broad factors:

1. Nutrional (diet, low iron, too little vitamin A, too much vitamin A)
2. Hormone (recently having a baby is the most common cause)
3. Medication (side effects of certain drugs)
4. Emotional & Physical Stress (death of parent, loss of job, surgery, illness)
5. Illness (Thyroid Disease, Lupus, high fever)
6. Hair Diseases: Alopecia Areata, Alopecia Totalis, Alopecia Universalis, and Tinea Capitis
7 . Traction Alopecia (tight hair styles, hair pulling, chemical processing)

Nutrional: Nutrional problems stemming from a poor diet, pregnancy or recently giving birth are the most common cause of sudden hair loss in women. According to a study conducted on 153 women from 1995 to 1998, iron deficiency was the most common cause of hair loss in women. (1) Please see our article: Iron Deficiency and Hair Loss

Hormone: Recently having a baby, where a sudden loss of hormones can occur, and/or there is also a sudden drop in iron and ferritin levels, can cause non genetic hair loss in women. "Blood loss during and after birth may cause a woman to become iron-deficient, which may result in anemia or hair loss." (2)

Besides iron, hormones may cause temporary hair loss during or after pregnancy. "The hormonal changes following pregnancy can cause an abnormal number of hair follicles to shift into catagen (sleeping) phase. ...once the placenta is delivered, with subsequent drop of high estrogen level, more hair shifts into catagen phase over months following the pregnancy." (3)

Medication: There are two types of hair loss that occur due to medications: Anagen Effluvium and Telogen Effluvium. (4,5)

Anagen Effluvium: Sudden and heavy hair loss that usually results from chemotherapy drugs in the antineoplastic agent class.

Telogen Effluvium: Telogen Effluvium, in general, describes any hair loss where more hairs than normal (50 to 100 a day) go into the telogen phase (resting stage of the hair growth cycle. Nearly all forms of non-genetic, temporary or transient hair loss are classied as (telogen effluvium). As it applies to Medication, telogen effluvium describes a type of hair loss that was slower, and is a direct cause of non-cancer related medication such as: birth control pills, blood thinners, some anti-depressants, gout medicine and drugs for high blood pressure or heart disease.

See our article: Drugs that Cause Hair Loss

A. Emotional Stress: A highly emotional and stressful event such as the loss of a parent, spouse or child, job loss and financial stress, and even stress over a physical accident or surgery, can cause excessive hair loss. The strange thing about stress and hair loss is that the stressful event usually precedes the hair loss by 3 months. That means, by the time you notice your hair falling out, the emotionally taxing event may already be over with. "Furthermore, there may be another three month delay prior to the return of noticeable hair regrowth." (4)

Why the 3 month time lag to lost hair, and 3 months for regrowth? It has to do with the Anagen, Catagen, and Telogen phase of the hair growth cycle.

The important thing to remember about stress and hair loss is not to self-diagnose yourself and try to pass off your hair loss to yourself as "Stress Related." - It may not be. It might be related to other important, health related issues.

"I have diagnosed nine women with systemic lupus, who did not know they had lupus but presented to the office because of thinning hair," Lynn Drake, MD reported in article for Dermatology Times. (6).

And finally, emotional stress can lead to Trichotillomania, a compulsive disorder more commonly seen in children and women where stress leads one to twist and/or pull on hair until it is damaged and breaks off, leading to uneven hair growth.

See our Stress and Hair Loss and Trichotillomania articles for more information.

B. Physical Stress: Much like emotional stress, physical stress on our body such as a major illness or accident, may cause hair loss. The reason for this has to be kept in perspective. Our hair serves no vital function for our health, other than to keep our head warm. Hundreds to 1,000s of years ago, this was useful. Today, not so much. When your body is in trouble it, "...shuts down production of hair during periods stress since it is not necessary for survival." (4).

In other words, your body decides it has more imporant matters to concentrate on healing than it does to make hair grow. Hair growth for survival, has a low priority.

Illness: Besides the stress of an accident or illness, some illnesses have hair loss as a characteristic symptom. This includes: Thyroid Disease (article), Lupus and high fever. Other diseases such as anemia and anorexia, may cause nutrional shortages which lead to hair loss.

Hair Diseases: Alopecia Areata is a type of hair loss characterized by round patches of complete baldness. Although it is unknown exactly how this disease is caused, some evidence suggests that family history, and possibly an auto immune disorder may have a role in forming this disease. Children who are affected by Alopecia Areata will usually regrow their hair back in appoximately 1 year.

Falling under this category of alopecia is Alopecia Totalis and Alopecia Universalis. Totalis causes a complete loss of hair on the scalp whereas Universalis causes a complete loss of hair on the scalp and the entire body.

Although no completely effective treatment method exists, the chances for a full recovery are excellent as the problem seems to go away on it's own. To help reverse the disease, doctors might treat patients with topical or injected steroids to stimulate new hair growth. (7)

Tinea Capitis is a type of hair loss caused by a fungal infection. It is more commonly seen in children but can occur in teenage girls and boys. See Hair Diseases for more information.

Traction Alopecia: Traction alopecia is another cause of hair loss and is caused by damage to the follicle and dermal papilla when hair is repeatedly fashioned into a style that pulls, tears and breaks the hair off, often permanently. Hair that is over processed by chemicals may also damage hair and cause it to be lost permanently. See our article Traction Alopecia for more information.

Sources:

1). D.H.Rushton, R.Dover, M.J.Norris. (2003) Is there really no clear association between low serum ferritin and chronic diffuse telogen hair loss?. British Journal of Dermatology 148:6, 1282-1284

2). Iron Deficiency and Hair Loss, Healthwise, Retrieved from SutterHealth.org, Jan 12, 1010

3). Temporary Hair Loss: It's Temporary But Can Be Worrisome, International Society of Hair Restoration Surgeons, 2005

4). Female Pattern Hair Loss, American Hair Loss Council, published date unknown, Retrieved on Jan 12, 2010

5. Telogen Effluvium, Elizabeth CW Hughes, MD, eMedicine.medscape.com, updated March 27, 2009, Retrieved on Jan 12, 2010.

6. Female Hair Loss: Don't Delay Search for Cause, Sharon Worcester, Family Practice News, 2000. Retrieved Jan 12, 2010.

7. Hair Loss Diseases in Children and Adults, HairLossLibrary.com, 2005

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