Can Hair Loss Be Caused by Stress?

Alopecia, or hair loss, is a general term for the loss of hair, regardless of the cause. The most common type of hair loss is androgenetic alopecia, which refers to male or female-pattern baldness. The second most common type of hair loss is telogen effluvium, or TE. TE is the reduction of growing hair follicles, and is diffuse across the scalp rather than concentrated in a particular area. The loss of hair follicles results in an overall thinning of the hair. According to the American Hair Loss Association, TE can also affect eyebrows and pubic hair. Other causes of hair loss are more rare and include autoimmune disease, infectious agents, poisoning, chemotherapy, chronic illness, cosmetic over-processing, hair-pulling disorder and defects of the hair follicle or hair shaft.

While nothing can be done to prevent androgenetic alopecia, TE is reversible. Because the causes of TE are most often temporary in nature, the hair follicles will be able to resume the natural rest and growth cycles. The development of TE can be rapid, such as hair loss after childbirth, or can be slower to moderate in nature, as in the case of a chronic illness.

Stress can be short, medium or long term and can have many causes, many of which can result in systems shock to the body. One cause of short-term TE is giving birth. Postpartum women experience a crash in hormone levels, which is sufficient to shock the body into a moderate amount of hair loss. Another possible cause of TE is dietary problems. Insufficient protein, calories, vitamins, or minerals can result in the shutting down of hair follicles. Dietary problems may be short- or long-term and the resulting hair loss could be reversed when nutritional intake is improved. Environmental shock such as a personal tragedy, a severe physical injury or another acute event can trigger a hibernation of hair follicles. This situation is temporary and, after the acute event has been resolved, the hair follicles will resume their natural growth cycles. Chronic stress can also cause TE, possibly by wearing down the immune system, and medications used to treat chronic stress conditions can contribute to TE.

Stress may be moderated or alleviated by diet, exercise, counseling or therapy, or by medication. If stress levels have increased to the point where physical symptoms including hair loss are noticeable, treating the stress could also result in a reversal of the hair loss.

Hair loss can be diagnosed by a dermatologist or general physician. Stress and related disorders can be diagnosed by a counselor, therapist, clergy person, nurse or medical doctor, psychologist or psychiatrist.

Preventing stress may also prevent temporary hair loss. While not all forms of stress are fully preventable, living a healthy life by eating a balanced diet, moderate exercise, seeking counseling and using medication where appropriate may provide relief when avoidance of stress is not possible.