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What Is Hormonal Hair Loss?


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Hormones are chemicals in your body that regulate many bodily functions. Hormones, also known as "messengers," move via your circulation and other bodily fluids to organs and tissues, instructing body cells on what to do and when to do it. Hormones coordinate and control many of the body's primary processes, including hunger, behavior, sleep, reproduction, and mood. 

A hormone does not act directly on the target cell, first it combines with the receptor on the target cell and forms a hormone-receptor complex. This complex induces various changes or reactions in the target cells. What exactly is hair loss due to hormonal imbalance ?

An unusual surge or decline in the levels of hormones can create disturbances in the metabolic functioning that is specific to the hormone action. This is also known as hormonal imbalance in the body which can lead to hormonal hair loss. 

Follicles which are between the dermis and epidermis, are the center from which every hair strand grows. Certain hormones that cause hormonal hair loss specifically target the part from where hair grows. Hormonal hair loss is a result of a direct increase or decrease of the hormones that affect the hair follicles. 


Which Are The Hormones That Cause Hormonal Hair Loss?

  • Androgens

Increased levels of the androgen DHT cause hair follicles to shrink, resulting in hormonal hair loss and baldness. It is one of the most common causes of androgenic alopecia, which affects both men and women differently. 

  • Estrogen and progesterone

These are female sex hormones seen in high concentrations in menstrual women. Both have a favorable effect on hair follicles and are necessary for long, luscious locks and to keep hormonal hair loss at bay. A decrease in these hormone levels allows DHT levels to rise, resulting in hair fall.

  • Prolactin

Hair loss due to hormonal imbalance also occurs during pregnancy and breastfeeding, when the hormone prolactin is released in large amounts. If these levels are  elevated over lengthy periods of time, it might cause hormonal hair loss as Prolactin can also cause androgen production.

The hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis, which regulates numerous metabolic processes, has a significant impact on human skin, including hair follicles and causes hormonal imbalance hair loss.

  • Melatonin

Melatonin is produced mostly by the pineal gland, although it is also found in minute levels in the skin, retina, bone marrow, digestive tract, brain, ovaries, and testicles. Abnormal levels can lead to hormonal imbalance hair loss.



What Are Other Hormonal Imbalance Symptoms?

The list of symptoms that are caused due to hormonal hair loss are plenty and the list is never ending. But here are a few common symptoms of hormonal hair loss.

  • Weight Loss

A person's weight gain or loss is often immediately attributed to a change in diet or exercise habits since it causes hormonal imbalance hair loss.

  • Frequent urination

Women's hormone levels fluctuate throughout their life, and increased or decreased levels of certain hormones can disrupt their body's functioning. A decrease in estrogen levels can have an effect on pelvic muscle strength. This is one of the main reasons why women experience urinary incontinence during menopause that lead to hormonal hair loss or hormonal imbalance hair loss.

  • Dry skin
Hair loss due to hormonal imbalance occurs when hormone levels diminish as you approach menopause, resulting in changes in your skin. Estrogen levels start falling, resulting in dry or itchy skin.
  • Puffy face

 This gradual rounding or swelling of the face, sometimes known as "moon face," is a common indication of elevated cortisol, which is defined by Cushing's disease. Your adrenal glands are unable to appropriately regulate your blood pressure,  resulting in edema and a puffy appearance around your face and shoulders as an inflammatory response. 

  • Fine, brittle hair or thinning hair

This is a common occurrence of hair loss due to hormonal imbalance. Hormones have a direct impact on the quality and vitality of your hair. Thyroid issues, for example, can lead to dry skin, thinning hair, and brittle nails. Hormonal imbalance hair loss can be caused by hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, or a parathyroid problem. In certain cases it may also cause androgenic alopecia if DHT in the bloodstream exceeds it's levels. 

  • Infertility issues

Related to men- Thyroid, Hypothalamus, Prostate, Pituitary and the Testes are responsible for male fertility. Any malfunction can cause problems with sperm production or quality.


And women- Hormones help with crucial tasks like maintaining body temperature, controlling metabolism, fertility, and assisting in the growth and development of the organs. Estrogen, progesterone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone are some of the most important hormones that control reproduction and menstruation in women.

  • Vision impairment

Estrogen and progesterone are two hormones that play a big role in this. Their fluctuating levels can impact the oil glands in the eyes, causing dryness. Estrogen can also make the cornea less stiff and more pliable, affecting how light enters the eye.

  • Anxiety

 The female sex hormone progesterone stimulates the portion of the brain that controls fight-or-flight reactions, which can cause anxiety. Low testosterone also leads to anxiety since it controls the region of the brain that assesses social dangers and other people's emotions. Certain hormones:  adrenaline and cortisol cause uneasiness. They are the stress chemicals, which can also be blamed for mood swings. They are produced to aid our body in dealing with danger by increasing our awareness and improving our reflexes. 

  • Lower sex drive

Fluctuations in the hormones affect your libido. For women during menopause and perimenopause, the hormones are constantly changing, hence there is a change in the libido as well. It is found that almost 70% cases of low libido are due to hormonal imbalances. 

  • Increased hunger

Ghrelin, cholecystokinin (CCK), and leptin are gut hormones that impact the rate of stomach emptying, induce hunger, and control how much food you consume until you're satisfied. When the body's hormones go wild, the hunger-stimulating hormone ghrelin rises while the hormone leptin, which promotes a feeling of fullness, falls. Thus the body feels the constant need to eat. 

  • Depression

To maintain a sense of homeostasis, or physiological equilibrium, your endocrine system collaborates with your neural system. The body craves this balance, when your hormones are out of balance, it affects your entire system, so you notice symptoms in both your body and mind, which leads to depressive episodes. 

If you are experiencing any of these above symptoms, it is likely that you are also facing hairfall due to hormonal imbalance, which is why you must take the free hair diagnosis today

How Do You Treat Hormonal Hair Loss?

Treating hairfall due to hormonal imbalance can be easy if you carry out regular lifestyle changes like eating and sleeping patterns or even a healthy diet which will definitely help to treat hormonal hair loss. Here's a list of things you can do to decrease hair fall as also hormonal hair loss. 

  • Consuming a healthy diet: The food that you eat has a huge impact on hormonal hair loss. Thus inclusion of certain nutrients and vitamins in diets is exceedingly necessary. 
  • Getting Sufficient Sleep: Less sleep is the cause behind a weak immune system and one of the reasons behind hormonal hair loss. Insufficient sleep can also cause increased stress levels and thus hormonal imbalance hair loss.
  • Yoga: Yoga is a holistic science, one that remedies most of our modern day problems. And though hair fall is triggered by various other factors, lifestyle choices heavily influence the rate at which you experience hair fall due to hormonal imbalance.
  • Talk to Your Doctor: Talk to your doctor if you are experiencing significant hair loss due to hormonal imbalance and you think that your medication might be the cause. 

However, if you wish to take a customized hair loss treatment for a condition like androgenic alopecia or hormonal hair loss, you can visit here for a free hair diagnosis.


Is Hormonal Hair Loss Reversible? 

Throughout our lives, hormones continue to perform vital functions for our overall health and well-being. But our bodies are imperfect machines and can either produce too many or too few of the hormones we need. These imbalances can throw normal processes out of order, including the natural hair growth cycle. The important thing to remember while treating hormonal hair loss is that it is manageable and not reversible. 


Traya is a natural hair care brand that offers a wide range of gut health supplements that is effective in treating underlying symptoms of various hormonal hair loss like PCOS, thyroid, or hormonal imbalances. Traya also offers natural hair loss kits and other natural products that can help you fight hair loss due to hormonal imbalance. 


Hair Ras: Inadequate sleep, diet and lifestyle can cause an imbalance of hormones. The adaptogenic herbs such as shatavari and ashwagandha help restore that. 


Minoxidil: Minoxidil is a vasodilator that temporarily dilates blood vessels to increase blood flow to your follicles to stimulate the regrowth of your hair. Minoxidil doesn’t directly block DHT but it helps reverse the miniaturization caused by DHT which stabilizes your hormonal hair loss.


Hair Root Serum: It activates the regeneration and metabolism of the follicles which allows them to heal and activates the anagen (growth) phase. Thereby reducing damage from DHT. The Redensyl formula also contains zinc which is a vital element for numerous enzymes, which allows the incorporation of keratin that will also aid in decreasing hormonal hair loss


Takeaway:

If you have detected hormonal hair loss symptoms, you will need natural and effective solutions for your hair fall problem. Traya's extensive natural hair care products can help. Traya offers Minoxidil 5% and Minoxidil 2%, hair fall shampoo, hair root serum, hair ras, herbal hair oil, scalp controller, or health traya. You can check out the complete range of hair care products here. 

 

FAQ's:

  • Is hormonal hair loss reversible?

Considering the hair fall is due to hormonal imbalance, it can be treated with synthetic hormones or dht blockers, it is not a guarantee that the hair fall will be reversed but much rather can be managed upto a point where the hair gets a chance to revive itself. 

  • What lack of hormones makes your hair fall out?
Androgens, Estrogen and progesterone, Prolactin, Thyroid gland hormones, Melatonin and quite a few others. These hormones have a direct or indirect effect on hair quality and other hormonal cycles.
  • What hormone helps your hair grow?

Mainly androgens such as DHEA(dehydroepiandrosterone) and testosterone, estrogen and progesterone, along with thyroid hormones are the ones that have an effect on your hair growth. These hormones are in direct proportionality with the hair growth cycle. 

  • How can I fix my hormonal imbalance naturally?

The basic premise on which you can treat your hormonal imbalance is by correcting your schedule. A daily routine consisting of good and simple meals at regular intervals, proper sleep for 7 hours and some exercising and practicing yoga can be a great start to rectify the gaps in your life that cause such problems. There are medications which are extracted from naturally appearing elements, these can be topical or oral for usage. 

  • How do you treat hormonal hair loss?

Various medications in the form of pills, patches, creams and oils are available for topical and oral use. But mainly the reason behind hair loss due to hormonal imbalance is the increase of androgens due to which the hair follicles shrink. Anti-androgen medicines are the answer to that problem.  A therapy called hormone replacement therapy which includes estrogen, thyroid and testosterone therapy. 

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Dr. Kalyani Deshmukh, M.D.

Dermatologist

Dr. Deshmukh is an MD (Dermatology, Venerology, and Leprosy) with more than 4 years of experience. She successfully runs her own practice and believes that a personalized service maximizes customer satisfaction.

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