Symptoms of Stress: Hair loss in women.

Stress and hair loss is closely linked. Increasingly hair loss is reported in cases of severe stress over a long period of time. Stress can follow losing jobs, death in the family or partner, divorce, miscarriage…the list goes on. Hair loss, however, is not noticed immediately because the stress chemicals cause the hair follicles to go into sleep mode. No further hair growth results. Hair is shed normally and you will notice that on your hair brush and normally a new hair will regrow from the hair follicle but during stress this does no occur.

You are not likely to notice significant hair loss but much later you will be aware that your hair is becoming thinner.  Once stress is eliminated it takes as long as six months for new hair to grow from these dormant follicles. Unfortunately if stress is persistent and long lasting, the hair follicles can die and when this happens, no further hair growth will occur from that follicle. So bear in mind that hair loss from stress is temporary but can be permanent if stress is persistent and intense.

Recent study has shown that stresses of modern life has left one in three women over 25 years suffering hair loss and experts think it is directly related to the modern women’s obsession with being thin. As a result they eat less as they vainly try to model their shape to those of skinny celebrities. This may result in poor nutrition and not getting enough of the essential nutrients necessary for good health.

This can result in hair loss and with this comes the stress of losing ones hair. Research show that 37% of women in UK have noticed hair loss and serious hair loss was noticed in as much as 4.8 million. Young women become stressed as a result of hair loss because they are not expected to lose hair until old age. This accelerates the stress level and hence further hair loss.

In a recent poll conducted on 3000 women aged 25, all said they are losing hair. A third admitted to being depressed as a result and a fourth said it is affecting their personal lives.

Dr. Linda Papadopoulos, a psychologist, stated, “In Western culture, hair is bound up in notions of femininity, youth and sexual attractiveness. Because a woman’s hair plays a big part in value judgements made about youth and attractiveness, the experience of thinning hair is bound to be anxiety provoking.”

The ultimate fear is going completely bald. This erodes confidence and will affect practically every aspect of a woman’s life. Hair loss is one symptom of stress that affects women seriously. So eliminate stress from your life. Take time to sort out the root of your stress and find a working solution. Eliminate this symptom of stress.