Heartbreak and hair loss aren’t two things you’d normally hear in the same sentence, but female hair loss and thinning hair caused by heartbreak, stress and grief is not as uncommon as you might think.
When Rachel Brown’s marriage ended unexpectedly she was devastated. Her husband had walked out, leaving her with their two young children and a month later, her beautiful shoulder-length blonde hair began to fall out.
“I couldn’t eat or sleep properly – all I could do was cry. My heart was well and truly broken. And to top it all, my hair was falling out in front of my eyes. It didn’t occur to me for one minute that the two might be connected.’
Rachel went to see a doctor who performed a blood test. The test showed worryingly high levels of androgen – a hormone that will often be produced in excess as a result of stress. A dermatologist came to the conclusion that Rachel’s hair loss was in response to the stress of the separation.
While extreme, Rachel’s experience of hair loss is not as rare as you might think. “It’s not uncommon for women to suffer hair loss after the stress of a relationship breakdown,’ says Dr Farjo, medical director of the Institute of Trichologists.
The release of excessive amounts of androgen can lead to androgenic alopecia (or female pattern baldness), which is a condition characterised by thinning hair all over the head, particularly at the top of the scalp, as seen with Rachel.
In other instances, neurotransmitters can trigger an auto-immune disease called alopecia areata, where white cells attack hair follicles, leading to patches of hair loss across the scalp – and in some circumstances, complete hair loss. According to Dr Farjo, women who suffer from alopecia areata tend to be genetically predisposed, but it can take severe stress to trigger it. Transitions Hair offers a range of hair replacement and hair restoration solutions for thinning or balding hair such us our innovative senigraft technology and beautiful bonded crown extensions.
Heartbreak alone is hard enough without the added stress of hair loss. Here at Transitions we are committed to providing you with quality hair replacement and restoration solutions to get you back on your feet and feeling like yourself again. Don’t wait any longer, give us a call on 1300 427 778 or click here to book a FREE confidential consultation.
