hairline

Are Your Hair Products Causing Hair Loss?

Whether through a salon or through products purchased for use at home, hair products can damage hair, even lead to hair loss. Watch for these ingredients.

In the pursuit of naturally beautiful hair, Americans subject their hair follicles to a lot of substances that can actually harm them. This includes the possibility – probability, even – that these substances cause hair loss in both men and women.

Every city in America features multiple clinics specializing in hair loss solutions for women and men. Every small town has at least one hair loss treatment studio packed with clients. What’s particularly remarkable is so many such product ingredients that are allowed in the US are prohibited in Canada and the European Union.

The laxity in product ingredient regulations is not restricted to hair care. Products as varied as toothpaste, shampoo, household cleaners, and even cheese and fruit juices contain 1,300 chemicals in the US that are prohibited in the EU. For example, the carcinogen formaldehyde is allowed in hair straighteners and nail polish in American-made products but nowhere in Europe where the item touches human skin. Similarly parabens (in skin and hair products) and coal tar dyes (eye shadow) are allowed in the US alone.

Still, the American marketplace is open to innovation, so there are shampoos, conditioners, dyes, and straighteners that are made with less-scary ingredients. The conscious consumer is wise to consider avoiding the following for the reasons stated:

Some alcohols: there are several kinds of alcohols used in hair care products, some beneficial (in retaining moisture) and some not (make the cuticle lie flat, smooth and soft). The bad alcohols are ethanol, SD alcohol, isopropyl, propanol, and isobutene (when “prop” is in the ingredient name, particularly if it’s high on the list of ingredients, it’s generally a bad thing).

Benzene: Found in hair dyes, the American Cancer Society says it can be a causative factor in cancers that include leukemia, and it is toxic to the immune system. It can also cause developmental damage to fetuses.

Hydrogen peroxide: Anyone dyeing hair understands that hydrogen peroxide is a necessary first step for taking out the natural color, allowing a dye to replace it. For people wanting to take the color to a lighter blonde, it may be all that is used or it’s inside the dye solution itself. But too much time in application can damage the hair cuticle itself, leading to breakage, frizz, split ends and even loss of the affected hair altogether.

Metallic salts: Used to add waviness to hair, these leave a residual coating that can cause hair breakage.

Parabens: Identified on ingredient labels by different names (methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, isobutylparaben and others), parabens are generally used to prolong the shelf life of products, but, like phthalates, are endocrine system disrupters.

Phthalates: Credited with softening the stiffness in hair sprays, phthalates are believed to interfere with the endocrine system – affecting hormones that can adversely affect hair.

Polyethylene glycol: Known as “PEGs,” this compound is found to have carcinogenic ingredients and developmental toxicants (interfere with human growth and development). Used as a thickening agent in shampoos and conditioners, PEGs can also strip natural moisture from hair.

Triclosan: This is actually a preservative that prevents bacterial growth in products that have a long shelf life. The carcinogenic and hormonal disruption properties of triclosan are sufficiently concerning that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) bans it from use in antibacterial soaps – yet not in shampoos.

Important to note, the degree of exposure to these agents is important relative to their adverse effects, including hair loss conditions. But the degree for each varies, and in many cases it is unclear. Words to live by: Ask questions of your stylist and colorist, as well as look at the ingredients labels in over-the-counter products you buy yourself.

Toupees, Wigs & Hair Systems: Synthetic Versus Natural Hair

With both materials offering different advantages, it might make sense for the wearer to have one or more of both synthetic and natural human hair wigs for different occasions and purposes.

People have all kinds of reasons to purchase and wear a wig, a toupee, or other kinds of nonsurgical hair systems. Maybe they have unfortunate hair loss conditions due to any number of situations. Perhaps the person is undergoing medical treatment such as chemotherapy, and maintaining an attractive appearance is its own medicine. For members of certain religions, such as married Orthodox or Hasidic Jewish women, a wig suffices as a hair covering, a traditional notion of propriety. And in some cases, the individual simply enjoys trying new looks on occasions.

But in all cases, there is a fundamental question to answer, particularly as they buy their first wig, toupee, or hair system: should it be made of natural hair, or hair made from synthetic material? The following characteristics of both should help such individuals answer that question.

The hair moves and breathes differently. This is fairly intuitive. Human hair wigs, particularly those in longer styles, moves more naturally than synthetic hair wigs. That also applies to wet conditions such as swimming with them on, however that is not recommended because of the care required to style them (see next point). Human hair wigs are also lighter weight and breathe better.

Care and care-free. Human hair wigs are more versatile, but with that versatility (colors, styles) comes with the same work (cleaning, conditioning, styling) required of real hair. A synthetic hair system is what it is and as such needs to be cleaned but requires little else.

One style vs. your styles. With synthetic wigs, you pretty much get the style that you buy. With natural, human-hair systems it’s possible to color and curl it as you wish (take it to a salon for best results).

One lasts longer. For wigs and toupees worn every day, the life of a synthetic wig is about four to six months, assuming proper care is used in wearing and washing. Synthetic wigs are prone to tangling, shedding, and getting frizzy. A human hair wig should last a year without any of these problems and up to three years if worn only occasionally.

Cost and costly. Human hair wigs will almost always cost more than synthetics. But the difference between them varies according to the relative quality of either system. Promoters of human hair wigs will always argue, validly, that natural hair lasts longer because they are made better with more expensive materials.

Humidity. The advantage goes to synthetic hair where it comes to humidity. Real human hair curls and frizzes in humid conditions, where synthetic hair responds as would a paintbrush, which is to say not at all.

Where it comes from. This is where things get interesting. Synthetic hair is made from polymers and plastics, mostly likely derived from petroleum but sometimes from plant sources. Human hair (keratin) comes from many places, but historically most comes from India and China. This is due in part to economics – poor women make money selling their locks – and partly due to a religious ceremony. According to reporting in Cosmopolitan magazine (“9 insane Facts About the Human Hair Used in Wigs and Extensions,” December 3, 2015), religious pilgrimages to such places as the Venkateswara Temple (Tirumala, India) involve shaving of the head in a ritual. There, a literal production assembly line of barbers shaving heads, after which they sell the hair at about $700 per pound. Wigmakers buy it, clean it, and weave it into wigs. But naturally blonde hair, sourced from American and European women, is more valuable, where the person providing it can be compensated $1,500 for a wig that then might retail for $8,000.

Clearly, these present several options to the customer. And in those options is the opportunity to own several hair systems, perhaps with a mix of synthetic and natural human hair wigs.

Hair Loss and Hot Styling Tools

The heat is on! But what provides a good style for today – with hot curlers, dryers, and irons – could mean hair loss and breakage tomorrow. Proceed with caution.

Male and female hair loss can be caused by many factors. One might be poor nutrition, another is genetics, while traction alopecia can result from a hairstyle that pulls hair and damages the roots. One thing for certain: the local hair loss treatment clinic is always doing brisk business.

But the loss of hair can also be a result of using harsh styling tools and techniques. This is especially the case with hot styling tools, such as heated curlers, hair dryers and flat irons. The result might not include complete loss of the hair from the roots, but can make the shafts brittle and have an irregular texture. Not exactly the beauty treatment one hopes for.

The technical (biological) reasons this happens is that applying high heat to hair strips it of natural oils. Also, as hair is basically made of a type of protein called keratin, the structure of each strand is challenged when too much heat breaks down its hydrogen bonds.

Going way technical, these are disulfide bonds in the keratin; a partial reduction of disulfide bonds is what happens in the creation of a permanent wave in hair. To illustrate an extreme example, consider what happens to keratin in sheep’s wool, when heated to a high temperature. When water or a dryer reaches 190ºF, it causes irreversible shrinking. This is why wool products should always be washed in cold water and dried without a dryer.

Knowing this, it’s possible to still style hair with these kinds of tools. It just needs to be done in ways that minimize damage. That includes:

Apply heat styling to dry hair only. If hair is wet it is soaked inside as well as outside, much like a sponge. Applying a tool of any kind with heat high enough to boil water – 212ºF, by the way – can break hair due to expansion of water molecules inside each individual hair shaft. It’s like steam that literally bursts the shaft.

Use variable-temperature tools. The lower-cost styling tools (dryers, curling wands, straighteners) are sold without temperature controls; more expensive models provide those controls, and therefore you then have the ability to lower the temperature and approach styling in a gentler way.

Apply heat defense products prior to using hot tools. Just as hair can absorb water, it can also accept products that are designed to be protective. The products that contain silicone are most recommended, as that provides a protective coating to hair.

Change your style, and consider some looks as “special event hair.” Repeatedly doing the same thing to your hair on a very regular, even daily, basis has its downside. By altering your look, it not only protects your hair but it makes your own presentation more interesting. Save the curling or straightening for weddings, reunions, first dates, etc.

The bottom line is it’s good to be kind to your hair, just as you are with your skin.

Cannabis and Hair Loss

Does weed help, harm – or both? The research is scant, but relaxed marijuana laws and lots of industry interest, pro-hair solutions from cannabis might come soon.

For decades, the beneficial effects of cannabis – marijuana and hemp derivatives – were not subjected to rigorous scientific review. The best one could do in determining if a joint, an edible, creams, or other forms of cannabis delivery could do anything was to go on hearsay and whatever was reported in High Times magazine.

This is because it was (and still is on the federal level) considered a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act. This precluded any research as it was considered a drug “with no currently accepted medical use and a potential for abuse.” However, as 18 US states now allow adult use of marijuana for recreational purposes, and all but four states still outright prohibit it (the others permit medical use or allow CBD derivatives), there is greater attention being paid to how the components of cannabis can be used to solve medical issues.

Those issues might include hair loss, and cannabis might well become find its way into culturally acceptable hair loss solutions, in the form of over the counter products, medications, or treatments provided by hair loss treatment clinics.

But there are many kinds of hair loss. And there are several components of cannabis, each with its own properties. It would take higher degrees in chemistry and biology to understand the interactions of these variables, but here are indicators of how the two intersect in some meaningful way:

Components of hair interact with cannabis derivatives. Both THC (tetrahydro- cannabinoil) and CBD (cannabidiol, the non- “high” part) have nutrients, which can be ingested topically or orally (not likely through inhaled smoke or vaping). CBD has omega fatty acids, which in oil form keep the scalp and hair healthy with moisture content. It also promotes the production of collagen and elastin, which contribute to hair thickness. In an overall sense, CBD is an anti-inflammatory – that’s why it’s used in anti-pain salves and ointments – which might counter the effects of autoimmune diseases that lead to hair loss (alopecia areata, for example).

But there are more claims than solid research to back them up at this point. Considered an over-the-counter supplement, those claims do not need to be approved by the Food & Drug Administration.

Physical activity. By and large, healthy lifestyles (exercise and diet, avoidance of excessive alcohol, and cigarette smoking) contribute to healthy organs overall. The skin (scalp) is an organ, and the health thereof will enable the best hair possible, all genetic factors taken into consideration (i.e., the bulk of hair loss is androgenetic alopecia, or male pattern baldness, which no number of pushups and kale salads will stop).

What does that have to do with cannabis? The general expectation is that cannabis users are sedentary, prone to getting high, settling into a sofa, streaming shows and ordering pizzas. But that stereotype may well be wrong. A 2021 study published in Harm Reduction Journal (“Cannabis use, sedentary behavior, and physical activity in a nationally representative same of US Adults,” Ong, Bellettier, et al.) found that cannabis users’ sedentary behavior was no different from non-users. Further, researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder are conducting a study (“SPACE, Study on Physical Activity and Cannabis Effects”) to look at cannabis use mixed with exercise. A preliminary finding is that 80 percent of cannabis users mix weed with working out.

So, while the research is incomplete, there seems to be little risk in applying CBD products that make claims, however unsubstantiated, about hair restoration efficacy. And if you exercise while high, do so safely and perhaps your healthy glow and thicker hair will be the aesthetic improvement you’re looking for.

Folliculitis and Hair Loss

Not all bald spots are from genetics. A particularly patchy type of loss can result from folliculitis, a condition characterized by eruptions to the scalp.

It comes on, generally in the 30s and 40s, a good dozen years or so after the person thought he or she were past the acne years. And where it happens, mostly in the scalp, might be disconcerting, but initially it is easy to assume “It’s hidden by my hair.”

“It” is folliculitis. Sometimes referred to by the full name “folliculitis decalvans,” it’s a skin condition, a term for inflammation of hair follicles. In the initial stages the hair does not seem to be affected – and for the most part it isn’t. But over time, if allowed to persist and become severe, the inflammation can destroy the hair follicles permanently. The result is patchy bald spots.

The cause might be overuse of oils and greases that clog the follicles. However, the cause is most often from a variety of things that break the skin and enable bacteria to invade the hair follicles. Exposure to bacteria from clothing (hats) and impure water (hot tubs are often problematic if not well maintained) might be to blame. Other means by which the bacteria can enter the skin and hair follicles include: shaving, plucking, or waxing; topical application of medication such as coal tar to the skin; and in the case of folliculitis on parts of the body other than the scalp, obesity, tight clothing, or equipment required for sports or an occupation that touches the skin.

Getting a professional diagnosis is an important step in addressing the problem of folliculitis. This isn’t typically a condition that can be addressed by hair loss solutions offered by a hair loss treatment clinic. A dermatologist can usually identify it from an in-office observation.

The cure might simply include eliminating the causes. For example, if the skin eruptions are where the individual shaves, the dermatologist can recommend different ways to shave. Where clothing or hot tubs are to blame, shifting away to other clothes and cleaner (or none) hot tubs can make the difference. A dermatologist might also suggest applying a warm compress several times a day, for 15 to 20 minutes each time, to help clear the skin more quickly. In more severe cases, an antibiotic prescribed by a dermatologist might be the smarter route to go.

As for hair loss, the longer the problem is allowed to persist the greater the chance the hair loss will be permanent. It’s truly a case where an early intervention is the best cure.

So, if you want to keep your hair but are experiencing the pimple-like symptoms of folliculitis, see a dermatologist. He or she will be able to identify a smart treatment and, with luck, a way to keep your hair.

The Thin Spots: Where Hair Loss Concealers Work Best

Hair loss in men and women comes in varying degrees and patterns. It might be an overall thinning, as women tend to experience, or most often at the crown on men. Fortunately, for those who wish to combat sparse follicles there are several different approaches for doing so.

But not everyone wants to initially jump into such hair loss treatments as medications, hair restoration surgery, or hair replacement systems (wigs, weaves, extensions, toupees, implants, and the like). Sometimes, addressing thinning hair might be a matter of simply dressing up for special occasions, such as a wedding or reunion. Those are times when hair loss concealers might be appropriate.

The good news on hair concealers is they are easy to try. Also, they are relatively inexpensive, can be applied by the individual or friend (no professional skills are required). If the results are displeasing, use of hair concealers is reversible simply with a quick shampoo.

Different kinds of hair concealers

There are three types of concealers, categorized by the form in which they are made. The most common are fiber concealers, which cling electrostatically to hair and the surrounding scalp and are typically applied with a spongy applicator. Another form is liquid concealer, which are dyes sprayed on the scalp itself (some come in a cream or gel form). And the third is powder concealers, which are applied with a sponge or brush to the scalp.

The fiber versions of concealers are variously made of cotton, human hair, keratin (the protein that largely makes up human hair and fingernails), or wool. Keratin concealers appeal to many users because it’s basically adding hair protein to your own hair protein. It’s effective at thickening the hair, and if the right color is selected it, will likely be undetected by the casual observer.

Concealer made of components other than keratin can also be effective in their primary purpose, however some people have allergies to those ingredients.

Risks with concealers?

The concern some would-be users of concealer have is that it might be damaging to scalp health, even possibly leading to additional hair loss.

What helps alleviate this concern is all concealers by their nature are a short-term solution, removed with the next shampoo. Fiber concealers largely attach to hair and have minimal contact with the scalp.

Excessive use of concealers that essentially dye the scalp might cause some irritation and possibly infection. In the worst case, folliculitis might occur. But that would be fairly clear at the outset, so a user should be able to recognize the need to discontinue using the product.

A misplaced worry is that use of a concealer while waiting for a medication such as finasteride or minoxidil to take effect. In fact, a concealer is often recommended to patients using these products as an instant solution that will eventually be unnecessary as the hair thickens over a period of months. Bottom line: Thin spots don’t need to ruin your looks. The concealer you buy today at your local pharmacy is something you can use tonight – without worry.

Propecia vs. Rogaine: The Differences

These two very different medications were given regulatory green lights around the same time, transforming millions of heads. How do they differ?

The two primary medications for treating male pattern baldness – androgenic alopecia, which also affects women but in different ways – are finasteride (sold as Propecia, Fincover, Finalo, Finpecia, and Finax, among others) and minoxidil (sold without a prescription under the names Rogaine, Kirkland, Basic Care, Bosley, and several others). Both have been around for more than 20 years, with full approval from the US Food and Drug Administration, and as such have a documented track record. Both are considered viable medical hair loss treatments by hair loss centers and the hair loss treatment industry at large.

An important distinction between the two is propecia/Finasteride is taken internally in tablet form, while minoxidil/Rogaine is applied topically to the parts of the scalp where hair is thinning or gone.

The good news is both can be noticeably effective, although that varies by individual. But they have different degrees of efficacy and both carry side effects that the individual should consider before taking them.

First, how effective are Propecia and Rogaine?

Finasteride/Propecia in clinical studies is found to be effective with 80 percent of men taking a 1mg dosage. By “effective,” the study investigators look at preserving what’s there and, separately, regrowing what had been lost (at least some of it). Over the course of two years or more, studies find that regrowth occurs in 64 percent of men. Placebo groups (comparisons to people not taking finasteride) showed much higher rates of hair loss, indicating it’s the finasteride that did it.

Minoxidil/Rogaine efficacy is best for people under the age of 40 and in earliest stages of hair loss. The most promising study of the effects of Rogaine use (other brands are generically equivalent of course; this name is most recognized) looked at 984 men using a 5% formula. Hair loss was reduced in 62 percent of men in the study, with 85 percent of the patients self-reporting between moderate, effective and very effective results. About half the participants fell into the middle range of effectiveness; only 16 percent found it was ineffective.

Because women can use minoxidil, they have been studied as well and about 1 out of 5 (19 percent) report hair regrowth after eight months of usage. Forty percent of women see minimal regrowth from the medication.

What are the downsides to Propecia and Rogaine?

So why are women forbidden from using finasteride/Propecia? This is where side effects get really challenging. If a pregnant woman so much as touches a broken tablet of finasteride it can lead to a serious birth defect in a male fetus. Needless to say using finasteride is completely forbidden to women who could become pregnant.

So in addition to keeping your missus far, far away from your Propedia stash, you should consider the side effects of this medicine taken orally: chills, cold sweats, confusion, and dizziness are most common. Less common side effects are bloating, breast enlargement, hives, rapid weight gain (or, conversely, rapid weight loss), and skin redness. Short-term symptoms that more likely disappear after a while are decreased libido, sexual dysfunction, sleepiness, and sneezing.

The downsides of the topically applied minoxidil/Rogaine are scalp irritation, hair growth in adjacent areas (including the forehead), and changes to hair texture and color. Also, keep your pate out of the sun – applying Rogaine to a sunburned scalp could mean an unhealthy amount of absorption into the bloodstream.

As with finasteride, minoxidil is not recommended for women who are pregnant, could become pregnant, or who are breastfeeding. It has not been tested but the FDA deems it as “pregnancy category C,” meaning they haven’t been able to determine if it will have a deleterious effect on unborn fetuses.

A final note on both finasteride and minoxidil: If you plan to keep your hair the rest of your life, you will need to keep using the medication. The beneficial effects cease if you stop.

Handheld Laser or In-Studio Laser: Which Works Better?

The application of low-level laser light to the scalp to restore hair growth is not entirely new. But the options for how to get it can affect its effectiveness.

Addressing skepticism, several studies have investigated the efficacy of low-level laser hair loss treatment for hair growth. Researchers Pinar Avci, MD and Gaurav K. Gupta, MC, PhD, et al. published their study in the journal Lasers in Surgery and Medicine in 2015 (“Low-level laser (light) therapy (LLLT) for treatment of hair loss,” August 23 2013), and their findings were encouraging.

“LLLT for hair growth in both men and women appears to be both safe and effective,” say the authors, cautioning that the optimum wavelength and other factors were not identified in their clinical research on human subjects. The bulk of prior research on lasers and hair loss, which found that LLLT consistently stimulated hair growth, was with lab animals.

In-home vs. in-studio LLLT

Which begs the next question: is it better to pursue a LLLT treatment strategy in the home or in a hair loss treatment studio? It depends somewhat on the individual.

To decide, consider the following variables of LLLT:

Frequency of application affects results. About three treatments per week of 20-30 minute duration are recommended for most patients. Are you willing and able to visit a studio, at a cost, with that frequency? Alternatively, are you disciplined enough to do it on a regular schedule on your own?

Doing it correctly matters. A studio will have a more sophisticated set-up that includes a hood that directs the lasers at the correct distance from your scalp, applying a consistent concentration of light in the right places. A handheld, self-administered LLLT places that responsibility on the individual, aided by a comb that ensures the proper distance; that said, helmet versions are available for home use that control for this.

Diode power is important. Most in-studio equipment has 150 to 250 diodes per hood, but advertising for at-home lasers rarely provide this information at online shopping sites. This is likely due to the home versions being at lower power.

LLLT works best on male pattern baldness

Interest in LLLT as a hair-restorer goes back decades when use of the technology with laboratory mice incidentally stimulated hair growth. Over time, studies identified that that laser treatment increases blood circulation in the scalp to stimulate the growth of new hairs in humans. It’s generally most effective at addressing androgenic alopecia, male pattern baldness, where hair follicles are blocked from producing new hairs by the hormone DHT. Hair loss medications (finasteride and minoxidil) otherwise block or diminish the effects of DHT.

Stem Cell Research and Hair Loss

There is genuine reason to be excited over what human stem cells can do to regenerate tissue – and hair restoration might become a common application.

There are many kinds of hair loss conditions. But the one associated with aging is almost universal. Men and women alike lose their hair over time, some more so than others.

Recent research out of Northwestern University has recently uncovered the specific mechanisms for this. As published in Nature Aging (“Escape of hair follicle stem cells causes stem cell exhaustion during aging,” 4 October 2021, Rui Y, et al.) and subsequently reported by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH, October 19, 2021), age-related hair loss can be tied to stem cells that leave hair follicles.

“The findings give new insight into how hair and tissues age and how some diseases associated with aging may arise,” says the NIH.

The research notes that stem cells naturally present in all humans play an important role in repair throughout the body. With time, they begin to fail at their job, which is to renew tissue and organs, a process known as stem cell exhaustion. It’s why skin sags, organs fail, eyesight fades, and just about everything else that we attribute to getting old.

This is a nascent area of research likely to expand in the coming years. But notably hair follicles are relatively easy to study, in humans and laboratory mice. Close to the surface of skin, researchers were able to look at the compartment of the hair follicle known as the bulge. They specifically looked at hair in the ears of laboratory mice, which generates new hair after the shaft of hair falls out (which hair does in all humans, all the time, even those we don’t think of as experiencing hair loss).

Under a microscope, using a long wavelength laser able to penetrate tissue, researchers were able to see stem cells escaping the hair follicle bulge. Ultimately those stem cells vanish, likely consumed by the human immune system.

So what might this mean for those whose hair has thinned, perhaps prematurely? Might these studies yield promising hair loss treatments? Research involving stem cells and hair is happening on several fronts.

Researchers in Japan are working on a hair follicle regeneration technology involving cultivated stem cells. Their work specifically aims to employ stem cells in increasing the size of hair shafts, combating miniaturization that occurs in failing hair follicles.

Other research out of an independent biomedical research institute, Sanford Burnham Prebys, employs induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), according to the company’s 2019 press release: “Now we have a robust, highly controlled method for generating natural-looking hair that grows through the skin using an unlimited source of human iPSC-derived dermal papilla cells. This is a critical breakthrough in the development of cell-based hair-loss therapies and the regenerative medicine field.”

So while none of this is commercially available as of early 2022, it appears some such therapies might be available in the foreseeable future. Which is one less reason to fret the ravages of time and getting older.

What is Trichotillomania?

The obsessive, compulsive, and seemingly involuntary tugging and pulling of one’s own hair is a perplexing condition with complex solutions.

With so much social attention on healthy, lustrous hair, it might be hard for most of us to grasp the trichotillomania, one of the more troublesome hair loss conditions. It involves the chronic, compulsive-obsessive behavior of pulling out one’s own hair. The effects are patchy baldness and is generally considered disfiguring.

Both women and men experience this hair-pulling disorder, although ten times more women do it than men. Children sometimes have trichotillomania (TTM) as well. Research finds that between 0.5 and 2 percent of people have the disorder. Individuals suffering from this condition must address the condition before attempting to find a hair loss solutions provider to address the patchy hair loss.

How TTM happens comes with variation, however, in the following regards:

What causes trichotillomania: The precise causes are not determined, however it generally accompanies other conditions,which includes obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, depression, autism, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Where TTM occurs on the body: It generally involves pulling scalp hair, but can also occur when the patient pulls from the eyebrows, eyelashes, beard hair, body hair, or pubic hair.

The sensation of pulling the hair … : in general relieves stress and anxiety. For some, the satisfaction involves playing with the pulled hair, rubbing it across the face or skin, and chewing or even eating the pulled hair. But that often is followed by embarrassment, leading to more anxiety, leading to another cycle of hair pulling.

The official recognition of TTM as an illness: The official designation of this condition is published in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). TTM is when the patient engages in a recurrent pulling out of one’s hair, causing hair loss; conscious but failed attempts to quit the behavior; significant stress or social impairment, perhaps affecting employment; when the behavior is determined to not be related to another medical or mental health condition.

When TTM starts: In general, the condition begins between the ages of 10 and 13, although younger children occasionally have this disorder as well. It can be a chronic life-long condition, waxing and waning that can coincide with life events. Among the triggers can be menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and menopause (adult women are far more predisposed to trichotillomania than men).

Is it genetic?: As it tends to coincide with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and among first-degree relatives, there may be a genetic component. But that is not yet proven.

Can it be cured? Insofar as there being a pill to correct trichotillomania, no. There is no simple medication that can stop this complex and not entirely understood condition (although, the use of SSRIs and SNRIs to treat accompanying anxiety might help). Aside from wearing a hair replacement system of some kind, the person with TTM can (and should) pursue cognitive therapy that can explore the psychological underpinnings. Other self-help approaches can include behavior modification strategies (journaling), self-awareness training (become more aware of hair pulling patterns), and using alternative actions such as snapping an elastic band on the wrist or clenching one’s fists. If the condition is allowed to persist for a long time, the hair loss can be permanent. But if addressed early on, the hair can regrow.