For anyone experiencing hair loss, the first step to taking control of the situation is knowing the hair biology. After this, you can confidently separate if you are experiencing a hair loss or it is a temporary situation that can improve after the issue is treated. This blog aims to simplify the science of hair and the factors that lead to hair loss.
Hair Structure
In a broader sense, the hair is divided into two parts: follicles and shafts. The former remains inside the surface while the latter stays above it. Hair follicles are responsible for supplying nutrients and moisture to the hair, nourishing the cells, producing sebum, and conditioning the hair.
First, we'll discuss follicles, a pipe-like structure of the outermost skin layer or epidermis that enters the layer beneath the epidermis or dermis. Situated at the bottom of follicles is papilla that nourishes the cells. The papilla is surrounded by the bulb—the living part of the hair—in which the cell division rate is faster than any other cells in the body! The follicle is made up of an inner sheath and an outer one. These layers form the growing hair shaft. The inner sheath goes down to the epidermis into the sebaceous gland, which plays an instrumental role in hair growth as it conditions the hair and skin. Humans begin to produce lesser sebum as they age.
The hair shaft is made up of keratin and is divided into three layers. Keratin is a dead protein, which makes the hair a non-living structure. The three layers are the medulla (innermost), cortex, and cuticle (outermost). A hair shaft has the cortex in a large proportion than the other two laters. The cuticle makes a protective external layer consisting of overlapping scale structures. The other two layers are responsible for containing the hair pigment while giving it color.
Hair Cycle
It is widely believed that the hair on the scalp grows about 6 inches a year. Unlike other mammals, human hair doesn't follow a routine shedding. It can occur anytime, depending on the causing factors like pollution and stress. The three stages of growth and shedding for human scalp hair are anagen, catagen, and telogen.
Anagen - It makes an active phase of the hair. The cells in the bulb are divided aggressively; the new hair replaces the club hair (the hair that exits the anagen phase) to the follicle, causing the hair to shed. The hair in our head stays in this phase for almost 2 to 6 years.
Catagen - It is a transitional phase that lasts for 2 to 3 weeks. Studies suggest that about 3% of scalp hair remains in this phase at any time. This is a stage where hair growth stops, and the outer root sheath gets smaller and attaches to the hair root.
Telogen - It is the resting phase that lasts for around 14 weeks for scalp hair and takes longer for eyebrows, eyelashes, arms, and legs. During this phase, the hair follicles remain at rest, and club hairs get matured. It is common for humans to shed 25 to 100 hair strands from the scalp every day.
What causes hair loss?
Different people have different growth periods for scalp hairs; this is why few people can grow hair till the lower back while some can't grow them below the armpit level. But this is a different case than why you might be experiencing hair loss. Several factors lead to hair loss, such as:
Abnormal levels of hormones (like androgens) in the body.
Parents' gene is a deciding factor for the balding pattern in their progeny.
Factors like stress, illness, and childbirth can trigger temporary baldness.
Chemotherapy drugs can cause people to lose hair.
Burns and injuries can cause permanent hair loss, mainly driven by the scar.
Similarly, certain medical conditions like thyroid, diabetes and iron deficiency can cause temporary hair loss. In such cases, treating the disease can reverse the hair fall.
A low protein diet is often associated with hair fall.
This blog aimed to make you understand that each individual has a unique hair condition, depending on how they have conditioned it. Therefore, the trick that might have helped your colleague or cousin with hair fall issues might not help you. Therefore, it is advisable to consult a dermatologist before trying out any hair loss treatment available in the market,
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