Many women will experience hair loss following pregnancy. It is a perfectly normal occurrence, and doesn?t require any treatment, as your hair is simply returning to its pre-pregnancy state.
Normal Hair Growth
Hair normally goes through an anagen cycle ? the growth phase ? and telogen ? the resting phase. The anagen cycle lasts four to seven years, when you will experience hair growth of about half an inch per month. After the growth period, the hair enters the resting phase, which will usually last about three months. Then follows anagen again, growing a fresh hair and pushing the old one out of the follicle, so that it falls out. Some hair follicles can be in telogen all the time, and it is considered normal to lose 50 to 100 hairs a day.
Hair Growth During Pregnancy
One of the many things that makes a pregnant woman look beautiful is their thick, luxurious hair. This is caused by the hormones of pregnancy keeping most hair follicles in the anagen state, or growing. If you normally lose 100 hairs a day, and pregnancy lasts 280 days, the result is a lot of hair that you get to keep during that period.
What Happens After Pregnancy
Once the baby is born, however, hormones change rapidly, and all those hair follicles will go into the resting state, or telogen, at the same time. Telogen lasts about three months, so about three months after the baby is born, all 28,000 of those hairs will fall out at about the same time.
Unfortunately, this hair loss is happening at about the same time that you are experiencing a huge emotional letdown from pregnancy and you?re also sleep deprived. It can be enough to send a girl over the edge!
Taking Care of Yourself
When you experience hair loss following pregnancy, it?s time to do something for yourself. Have Daddy or a friend look after the baby for a few hours and get yourself to a good hairdresser.
The most effective (and enjoyable) way to manage hair loss after pregnancy is to treat yourself to an attractive new hairdo. Ask your hairdresser to give you a good cut, and maybe some highlights or new color as well. Ask for a style that is easily managed on your busy schedule, but that also looks great on you.
Why not try out some new volumizing hair products as well? Shampoo, conditioner, mousse, and hair serum can all make your hair look and feel thicker and fuller than it really is. Pretty barrettes and clips can also help you feel and look prettier.
Hair loss after pregnancy is a normal and natural occurrence. You?re not going bald - your hair won?t fall out completely. You?re just losing the ?extra? hair that you grew during your pregnancy. You are equally as beautiful as a new mom as you were prior to pregnancy, but you probably won?t have the same amount of time to spend on your hair. A new hairdo that?s easy to maintain can make you feel as lovely as you look. Go get it!
You can learn more about all aspects of female hair loss by going to our hair loss website. | |
