Common causes of hair loss in adolescents

January 29, 2023 0 Comments

Hair loss among adolescent girls is becoming more prevalent and is occurring at an alarming rate. Girls as young as thirteen are confused and scared when they find more strands of hair in their brush, on their pillow, in the shower, and all over the floor. At the same time, they also notice that they have less in their heads.

Looking good and fitting in is especially important for teenage girls. Excessive shedding with a noticeable decrease in volume can be a devastating and frightening experience, especially since it is not something they expected. After all, who has ever heard of teenagers losing their hair for no apparent reason? Until recently it was almost unheard of.

There are several reasons for this sudden increase in hair disorders in adolescence. Some of the most common causes are as follows:

HORMONAL CHANGES

Hormonal changes are a common cause of hair loss in adolescents and adults. From the onset of puberty through adolescence, girls experience dramatic hormonal fluctuations. During this time, the body needs additional support. Good nutrition, vitamin supplements, exercise, adequate sleep, and ample relaxation will help a girl overcome these hormonal changes.

Teenagers are known to have poor eating and sleeping habits. They often prefer to spend their time socializing on the computer, leaving little to no time for fresh air and exercise. These bad habits wreak havoc on the hormonal system, leading to hormonal imbalances that can affect the entire system. These imbalances can disrupt the hair growth cycle, causing unhealthy hair growth, thinning, and excessive hair loss.

BIRTH CONTROL PILLS

Birth control pills are often started during the teen years, which creates even more hormonal changes that can affect hair. This side effect doesn’t happen to every girl on the pill. A person will not know how they will be affected until the drug has been in the system for several months.

EXTREME DIET/ANOREXIA/BULIMIA

Many teens are body conscious and will go to extreme measures to fit into size zero jeans. Crash diets, including anorexia and bulimia, are common causes of unhealthy hair growth and excessive hair loss among girls.

MEDICATIONS FOR ACNE

In order to control embarrassing acne, teens are often prescribed retinol-based oral acne medications. This is a very powerful prescription drug. Oral acne medications can affect hair growth in a number of ways. By reducing the size of the sebaceous glands, less sebum is produced. Without adequate sebum, hair becomes dry, brittle, weak, and more prone to falling out or breaking. This drug can also cause various nutritional imbalances that can lead to shedding, thinning, or rupture.

Due to potential side effects, teens using this type of medication must take birth control before, during, and after the course of treatment, further increasing the chance of hair loss.

OTHER MEDICINES

Any medication can cause hair loss, breakage, and undesirable texture changes, even if it’s not mentioned as a symptom. If the teen is on medication, it could be the cause of any changes in her hair.

VACCINES

Hair loss has been reported as a possible result of vaccinations. Most reported cases involve female patients.

TRACTION

Pulling hair back into tight styles often required for cheerleaders, dance team members, etc. causes sustained pressure on the scalp and follicles. This traction can loosen the hairs from their follicular roots and cause hair loss. Prolonged pulling can eventually cause permanent hair loss. Girls who must wear these tight hairstyles to compete should wear their hair down the rest of the time and massage the affected areas to restore blood circulation.

These are just a few of the many possible causes of hair loss in teens. The hair growth cycle is very sensitive to change or disturbance, so there could be many possible contributing factors.

Most of these conditions involving adolescent girls can usually be improved or reversed once the problem is identified and addressed. Using natural methods such as scalp massage and aromatherapy treatments can stimulate hair growth and minimize hair loss in adolescent girls.

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