When a woman is pregnant, her hair continues to grow. The usual 50 to 100 hairs per day are not shed. However, after she delivers her baby, many hairs enter the resting stage of the hair cycle at once. Within two to three months after delivery, these hairs may all fall out together and be seen as large amounts of hair coming out in their brushes and combs.

Woman Combing Her Hair

Illnesses such as high fever or severe infections, major surgeries, or other significant life stressors contribute to hair loss. From four weeks to three months after a person has a high fever, severe infection, major surgery, or other significant life stressor such as death in the family, he or she may be shocked to see a lot of hair falling out. This condition usually corrects itself but may require treatment.

Thyroid disease is a major contributor to losing hair. Both an overactive and an under active thyroid can cause hair loss. The hair loss associated with thyroid disease can be reversed with proper treatment.

Inadequate protein and iron in diet can also slow down hair production. Some vegetarians, people who go on crash diets that exclude protein, and those with severely abnormal eating habits, may develop protein malnutrition. When this happens, a person’s body will help to save protein by shifting growing hairs into the resting phase. Massive hair shedding can occur two to three months later. Hair can then be pulled out by the roots. This condition can be reversed by eating the proper amount of protein. Iron deficiency sometimes produces hair loss. Low iron can be detected by laboratory tests and corrected with iron pills.

Prescription drugs and some over-the-counter medications can cause temporary hair shedding in a small percentage of people. Examples of such drugs are blood thinners, some drugs used to treat gout and arthritis, acne, or psoriasis, and some medications for heart problems.

Most drugs used in chemotherapy will cause hair cells to stop dividing. Hair shafts become thin and break off as they exit the scalp. This can occur one to three weeks after beginning chemotherapy. The patient may lose all of his hair, but this will usually re-grow after treatment ends.

Women who lose their hair when taking birth control pills usually have an inherited tendency towards hair thinning. This does not appear to affect women with a genetic disposition for hair loss.

Alopecia areata is a type of hair loss in which hair falls out in smooth, round patches. This disease may affect children, women or men of any age.

Androgenic alopecia is the most common type of hair loss and is often called “male- or female-pattern baldness”. The hair usually thins out first in the front of the scalp and moves progressively to the back and top of the head. It tends to be progressive. This type of hair loss also runs in families.

Infections such as ringworm, or tinea capitus, are a common fungal infection in children. Patches of hair may be lost and replaced with pink scaly skin.

It is highly recommended to see a doctor if you experience hair loss at the same time as you experience the following symptoms: unexplained weight loss or gain, breathing problems, fever, poor appetite, skin problems, vomiting, fever, pain, constipation or diarrhea.