Pet owners often joke about shedding season for their mammalian pets, usually as the weather changes in the spring and in the fall. But most of the time, they do not think twice about it. After all, shedding is a normal stage for dogs and cats.
The same is true of humans, except that normal shedding in humans is gradual and fairly constant… so often people do not even notice it – until they do. On average, a human loses 50 to 100 strands of hair a day all the time. It is when that amount increases that there is a problem.
How Much Hair Loss Is Normal?
The American Association of Dermatologists says losing 50 to 100 strands of hair a day is normal when your hair is in the exogen phase. That phase lasts between two and four months as the body expels the old hair and then prepares to start the hair lifecycle over, growing new hair.
To many people, that makes it sound like people – like other mammals – should have a shedding season, but it is far more complicated than that. According to the Cleveland Clinic that is less than one tenth of one percent of the hair on your head.
“You have around 100,000 (or more) hair follicles on your head. So, routine hair shedding is just a drop in the bucket,” they explain. Each follicle may have between one and four hair strands, so the exact number of hairs that an average person sheds daily can vary pretty wildly.
Most people also are not counting the number of hairs that fall out every day. Often the question of whether shedding is normal or not comes out of a perception, real or imagined, that you are shedding more than you did previously. That perception often leads to fear of balding and that leads to the real question:
Should I Be Worried About Hair Shedding?
Whether to worry about hair shedding or not is complicated and depends a lot on why your perception of your hair loss changed.
Suddenly seeing more hair on your collar, pillow, or shower floor might just mean you are just paying more attention to normal shedding. Or it might be the first sign of something causing irregular hair loss. If it has progressed to the point that you can see or feel bald spots or spots where your hair seems thin, it might be time to be concerned about your hair shedding.
One important note is that even if you cannot exactly pinpoint why feel like you are losing more hair than you should, it never hurts to get it checked out by our staff here at Hair Restoration of Lehigh Valley. Many forms of hair loss can be successfully treated or at least slowed down when they are detected early.
Excessive hair shedding can be caused by simple things like dehydration, excessive styling (that causes breakage), nutritional issues, or even stress. When caught early, those things can usually be reversed. But for the untrained eye, knowing the difference between a simple issue that can easily be reversed, and a growing problem can be difficult.
Hair Restoration of Lehigh Valley Helps Stop Hair Loss
The staff here at Hair Restoration of Lehigh Valley can help you determine the cause of your hair loss and potentially stop it. When stopping the process is not an option, we offer hair restoration treatments ranging from medication to hair transplants. You do not have to wait and see what happens. Contact us today to ease your mind and save your hair.
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