Hair loss is a common occurrence for many people, especially in autumn. In fact, the average daily hair loss in both women and men is around 50 to 100 hair follicles. The number could increase up to 150 depending on the change of season.
What is the hair growth cycle?
It is estimated that over the course of a person’s life, each of their hair follicles, the structures where hair is formed, will go through 25 growth cycles and it is expected that after these cycles no more hair will grow.
The hair growth cycle is divided into three phases:
- Anagen. This is a period of hair growth that usually lasts several years, so that, under normal conditions, approximately 90% of the hair is in this phase. Studies determine that hair grows at a rate of 1 centimeter every 28 days.
- Catagen. Transition stage, “stop” time. This stage has a duration of between 2 or 3 weeks in which the hair stops growing, but remains anchored to the hair follicle. This stage accounts for 3% of the total number of hairs.
- Telogen. Resting period of the hair follicle. It usually lasts about 3 months and at the end of this time, the hair is shed and a new one is born. Generally, between 6% or 8% of hairs are in this stage.
Why is hair loss higher in autumn?
This is usually caused by the fact that during the period of time from late summer to early autumn there is a high number of hair follicles that are in the telogen phase. Therefore, this seasonal hair loss is simply a natural hair renewal.
However, it is important to differentiate physiological hair loss as a punctual event caused by the telogen phase from hair loss as a consequence of a pathology. If you suffer from some type of alopecia, this could cause increased hair loss, and regardless of whether it coincides with autumn, it would not be related to the summer season.
Acute telogen effluvium is a type of reactional hair loss that results in the loss of a large number of hairs in a very short period of time, caused by the premature entry into the telogen phase of a large number of hair follicles.
An unbalanced diet, stress, certain medical treatments or certain diseases or postpartum period may be some of the factors that cause it. Normally, in this type of alopecia, hair loss is usually experienced between 2 and 4 months after the triggering cause.
On the other hand, in the case of progressive hair loss, the reasons are usually due to the variation in the length of the stages of the hair growth cycle. When the anagen phase is reduced, the cycles are shortened and the hair follicle disappears early, resulting in gradual hair loss.
Androgenic alopecia is often characterized by this. Lack of blood supply to the scalp, inflammation of the hair follicles or hair hyperseborrhea are some of the factors that lead to this type of alopecia.
Contact Meyer & Alcaide and its experts in hair dermatology will help you to know what pathology you have, as well as what treatment may be the most effective. Or if, on the contrary, it is simply a fall hair loss, a little more pronounced this year.