Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Why Millennials Seem to be Experiencing More Hair Loss

Hair loss is something we associate with aging, not a younger population, and yet more and more millennials say they're experiencing hair loss. When Diana Damian was just 32, she started noticing her hair falling out.

At first, she figured it was due to post-pregnancy changes, but then she realized it was something more. "Every time my hair would fall out, every time I'd look in the mirror, every time I'd brush my hair, especially in the shower, globs of hair would just fall down," said Damian. Initially, she tried drug store treatments and even looked up do-it-yourself remedies on YouTube. When nothing worked, she turned to dermatologist Candace Thornton-Spann.

"Millennial hair loss is something that I'm seeing quite a bit of in my practice," she said. Thornton-Spann said there is no evidence hair loss happens more to millennials than to earlier generations, but she thinks previous generations hid under wigs or just didn't question it. "In this generation, there is no taboo, there is only the drive to seek answers and I think that's probably what's driving the increase in numbers that we're seeing," said Thornton-Spann.

There are many known causes of hair loss in young women, including hormonal changes, autoimmune diseases, thyroid disorders and stress, which is what caused Damian's issues. She said, "I suffer from anxiety, from depression and especially when you notice that you're losing so much hair, the stress only gets worse." What you eat or don't eat can make a difference, too. "The trend these days is to exclude large parts of the diet.

So, I see young women who may have completely stopped eating meat. Hair is made of protein, so it makes sense that if you are not getting adequate protein, you cannot grow adequate hair," said Thornton-Spann. Treatments can range from supplements to surgery. Damian is happy she sought the advice of a doctor. "I'm so much happier now, I'm always just flipping my hair," she said. In addition to health-related causes of hair loss, experts say many popular hair-styling practices like tight braids, hot styling tools and other things can damage hair, too.

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