The Spanish magazine "La Minte S Maraviosa" published a report, in which it shed light on the problem of hair loss caused by anxiety and psychological tension.
In its report, the magazine said that taking care of mental health, controlling mood, and dealing well with daily tensions is absolutely essential. In order to avoid many health problems, including hair loss.
The magazine emphasized that hair loss as a result of anxiety and tension is more common than we think, to the point that we may notice large amounts of hair loss during periods when we are undergoing tremendous psychological stress for a long time.
Hair loss due to anxiety: types, symptoms, causes and treatment
The magazine confirmed that anxiety affects the body in different ways, and can cause several health problems, such as muscle pain, stomach problems, headaches, spots on the skin, brittle nails, and hair loss.
Anxiety is not the only cause of hair loss. There are genetic factors and other causes, such as thyroid disorders, but it is the most common factor.
Several studies, including a study conducted at the University of Bologna in Italy, have proven that psychological anxiety is related to different types of hair loss, and that the association of hair loss with mental disorders is more evident in women.
Lack of emotional intelligence skills and an inability to deal well with daily tensions may lead to more hair problems.
How do I know if I am experiencing hair loss due to anxiety?
Heavy hair loss may be due to various reasons, such as postpartum problems, nutritional problems, hypothyroidism, iron deficiency anemia, or simply genetic factors.
The following are the different types of hair loss associated with a mental state:
Telogen effluvium: This is a change in the hair growth cycle. Intense and ongoing stress and anxiety causes a large number of hair follicles to remain in the resting phase. This means that not only does hair fall out significantly, it also stops growing for two or three months.
Trichotillomania: Trichotillomania is a compulsive disorder associated with a psychological state, meaning that a person pulls out his hair strands as a result of going through episodes of intense emotional tension, a problem that affects between 0.6 and 3.6 percent of the world's population.
Alopecia areata: In this case, hair falls out from different parts of the head in a period of slightly more than a week, and the spots do not appear in circles, but a vacuum appears at the level of the entire scalp.
Why stress and anxiety cause hair loss?
Constant episodes of tension and anxiety, which we cannot control, cause endocrine and immune system problems, and they can affect the follicles responsible for nourishing hair, which leads to its loss.
What happens specifically is that mental disorders make the body focus only on what it considers the most important vital functions, such as maintaining the level of oxygen and blood in the body, and in this way, it is common for the follicles to remain in the "regressing phase", which is the stage in which hair stops growing. .
Another factor may also appear, which is an imbalance in the secretion of cytokine protein, which are proteins that modify the immune responses of cells, and promote hair growth, and any change in their secretion levels affects the health of the hair.
Is there an effective treatment?
The magazine confirms that hair loss due to stress is treatable, and that hair can be restored within 6 months to a year, but on the condition that the psychological state is controlled, and that it does not succumb to anxiety and tension.
The magazine adds that a diet rich in vitamins, or resorting to treatments based on botox or biotin, will not be beneficial if the mental state continues to deteriorate day after day.
It is best - according to the magazine - to consult a doctor to know if the hair loss is caused by stress or other health problems.
And in the event that we are certain that the cause of hair loss is the constant anxiety that we could not overcome, it becomes necessary to undergo psychological treatment sessions, with the consultation of a dermatologist.