Evaluating your hair loss: How bad is is?
For women with hair loss, a sense of dread becomes a common state-of-mind. Dread when you wash your hair and count the number of hair strands in the sink. Dread when you see the hair that has collected on the bathroom floor. Dread when you see the strands crowding your hairbrush.
Part of the problem is in deciding what’s normal. Because the issue has so many emotional elements, it’s tough to know when you are experiencing significant hair loss, or perhaps reacting too strongly to hair loss that’s normal.
For now, it’s time to explore the facts.
Hair loss in women: Just the facts
First off, some hair loss is normal. We all lose hair everyday. It’s all part of the growth and resting cycle that our hair was designed to undergo. Normally, each strand of hair grows for between four to six years. For up to 90% of your scalp, the hair is in a growth phrase, growing about .4 of an inch on a monthly basis. This is called the anagen phase. At the same time, 10% of your hair is in a resting phase, and over a span of a few months will fall out and be replaced by new hair growth. This is called the telogen phase. The number of women with hair loss is staggering. Experts estimate that up to 50% of women will be affected by hair loss — that’s one in two. For most women, the loss occurs in their 50s or 60s.How Common is Hair Loss?
The number of women with hair loss is staggering. Experts estimate that up to 50% of women will be affected by hair loss — that’s one in two. For most women, the loss occurs in their 50s or 60s. A recent article estimated that one in three women — or 30% — are experiencing hair loss. But as they noted — few want to talk about hair loss. Others put the number at closer to 50% of women.How Much Hair Loss is Normal?
The experts offer a pretty wide range when it comes to the volume that’s normal for women with hair loss. Ranges vary from a low of 50 hairs shed per day to a high of 150 — all fall within the “normal” range.
Some experts suggest a seasonal link to hair loss, with more hair being shed in the fall and spring months.
Surprisingly, the (natural!) color of your hair can play a difference in the amount of hair loss that you have. Redheads typically have a smaller number of hair strands (90,000 on average) compared to blonds with an average of 140,000.
Those of us with dark hair typically have 110,000 strands on our head. Generally, the more hair you have, the greater the daily loss you are likely to experience.
In a nutshell — the daily ranges for normal female hair loss are a broad guideline at best.
