I seem to be shedding so much hair lately. What's causing this and what can I do before I go completely bald?

Normal daily hair loss is about 100 hairs. This figure can go up to 200 if the hair is groomed infrequently as shampooing and brushing also dislodges any loose or broken hairs. So for hairloss in excess of an average of 100 hairs per day, any number of internal causes can be considered (and no, we're not talking about male pattern balding here).

• Physical Illness: Including rapid weight loss, anemia, surgery or other illness.
• Severe Emotional Stress: In many cases, there can be a 3 month delay after the stressful event before the onset of the hair loss.
• Hormones: Again, there can be a 3 month delay following a hormonal status change, such as from postpartum, oral contraceptives, menopause, and hormone supplementation
• Oral Medications: Include blood-thinning agents, retinoids, antihypertension, and others
• Abnormalities: Involve the endocrine glands - such as hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, etc.

Aside from the above-mentioned internal causes, hair loss can also occur from external factors. Usually any existing abnormalities in the hair shaft formation is made worse by over manipulation of the hair. Chemical processes, in particular, damage the whole hair shaft.

Jeannie Wong, LME
www.juvessentials.com