Hair Help for Women with Post-Partum Hair Loss

Childbirth is a huge event in a mother’s life but the post-partum hair loss that women face can dampen the joy of it all.

Most women experience post-partum hair loss. Hair fall always is a cause of alarm and just when you heave a sigh of relief after the roller coaster ride of pregnancy — with its mood swings and delivery followed by nursing — the fact that you are also losing hair can be a shocking damper.

Dermatologists and trichologists say that the average head loses 80 to 100 hairs a day. During pregnancy, hormones keep those hairs from falling out. But when those hormones drop back to normal, the extra hairs drop, too. A cosmetic surgeon says, ‘Hormonal changes are a common cause of hair loss. Many women don’t realise that hair loss can occur after pregnancy or following discontinuation of birth control pills. It is important to remember that hair loss may be delayed by three months following the hormonal change and another three months will be required for new growth to be fully achieved’.

Causes

One dermatologist explains, ‘The culprit is the female hormone oestrogen. When oestrogen levels are high — when you are pregnant and breast feeding — they send a message to hair follicles to hold on to your hair that would have normally fallen out if you weren’t pregnant. Once oestrogen levels dip, hair slips into the resting or telogen stage and all those “resting” hair follicles begin to fall out. This occurs between three and six months after pregnancy’.

Another reason for hair loss is the use of oral contraceptives till the time of conception, say experts. Discontinuing birth control may cause hair loss in women for the same hormonal reasons. One hair loss expert shares, ‘In a pregnant woman, levels of the hormone progesterone are unusually high, and this has the effect of forcing hair into the resting phase prematurely. After pregnancy, when hormone levels re-balance, new hair begins to grow and eventually pushes the resting hair out. When the hair begins to fall, it is a good sign that new growth is on the way. However, the fall can last up to six months and some women discover that their hair never regains its former luxurious thickness’.