Dr. Robert Leonard, chief surgeon
and founder of Leonard Hair Transplant Associates, is questioning
the results of a new study which found stress can cause hair loss in
women. Leonard says the study, which is of only about 200 people, is
better described as an observational study rather than a true
medical, double-blinded study, and while it is interesting, it is
not at all conclusive.
According to the study, extreme stress created by divorce or death
of a spouse increased the likelihood that a woman will suffer from
hair loss. The study also states that excessive sleeping patterns,
having multiple children, smoking and the stresses of getting
married also contribute to hair loss. The study goes on to say it
found women who protected their head from excessive sunlight by
wearing a hat faced a lower overall risk of hair loss.
“In the vast majority of cases, genetics and not stress is
responsible for long-term, progressive hair loss,” said Dr. Robert
Leonard, New England’s foremost authority on hair restoration. “The
myth that stress can cause hair loss has existed for a long time,
and while it is often perpetuated by medically-trained doctors, it
remains simply untrue.”
Leonard continues, “Certainly, as pointed out in the study, reactive
hair loss (or telogen effluvium) is self limiting and can be caused
by stressors to the body such as pregnancy, exposure to general
anesthesia, and major trauma. By and large, this is not the
progressive hair loss that is observed in the vast majority of men
and women suffering from hair thinning and baldness.”
Dr. Leonard, who has been in practice for more than 25 years, says a
person will not realize they are suffering from clinical hair loss
until 50 percent of their hair has already fallen out. Because some
physical traumas, such as child birth, can cause hair to shed,
people will associate the trauma with causing their thinning hair,
when the reality is that their hair started thinning years before.
“50 million men and 30 million women suffer from clinical hair
loss,” Dr. Leonard continued. “That’s a large segment of the general
population, and it’s no surprise that some of those people may have
had a divorce, smoke, or spend time in the sun. Still, it’s not the
major cause of their hair loss.”
Dr. Leonard says there are a host of myths related to hair loss,
including:
• Cutting your hair short will make it grow back longer and
stronger.
• Excessive washing or shampooing damages the follicle, causing your
hair to fall out.
• Overexposure to the sun will turn your hair brittle, leading to
hair loss.
• Wearing a baseball cap or hat will cause thinning hair or
baldness.
• Swimming in chlorinated or salt water will dry out your hair,
causing it to fall out.
Dr. Leonard says there are multiple treatments for people suffering
from male pattern baldness and female pattern hair loss, and the
best course of action can be developed after consulting with a
specialist who is an American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery (ABHRS)
certified physician. Options include non-surgical medical therapies
such as Rogaine® or Propecia®, low level laser theory, or hair
transplantation.
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