During the nine months of pregnancy, you got used to the fact that your hair is thick and shiny. That's why when you suddenly start to fall out after giving birth, you panic. Unnecessarily, because hair loss after pregnancy is normal and will soon disappear.
Every young mother has this problem. About three months after the birth of the baby , the hairbegins to fall out. Some women find that thehair loss processis short-lived and not particularly troublesome. In other people their hair falls out in handfuls.
Hair loss - causes
The hair life cycle consists of three phases. The first is the growth phase (aka anagen) which lasts from 2 to 6-8 years. 90 percent are in this phase. the hair we have on our head. Phase two, catagen, is a transitional period that lasts about two weeks. During this time, the hair stops growing and prepares to fall out (its end breaks away from the nipple in the hair follicle and moves closer to the skin's surface). The third phase, telogen, is the resting time of the hair follicle. It lasts from 2 to 4 months - during this time it contracts and rests. The follicle then grows larger as new hair begins to form in it. It pushes the old one that falls out.
Duringpregnancythe process is a bit different. The level of estrogen is elevated, so the hair follicles do not go into the catagen phase. Hair does not fall out, so there is more of it. Two or three months after giving birth, estrogen levels begin to drop, which is why the hair begins to fall out rapidly. You can lose 20 to 30 percent. hair. Among them are those that did not fall out during the 9 months of pregnancy and those that would fall out right now - that's why you feel that you are dropping them at an express pace.
When do you need a doctor's help?
If your hair is very thin (i.e. you can easily pull out a strand of hair), you have dandruff or seborrhea, you should consult a dermatologist or endocrinologist. In your case, hair loss may be a sign of illness or a serious deficiency of elements - calcium, zinc or iron.
Hair loss - how to strengthen your hair after childbirth
Postpartum alopecia is a hormonal problem and every young mother has to go through it. Don't be afraid of getting bald. We have an average of 100-150 thousand on our heads. hair and even if you lose one of themthird, the difference will not be visible. The problem will disappear on its own 6-9 months after giving birth, because then the hormonal storm subsides.
It will take a little longer if you are breastfeeding, because then there is a higher concentration of prolactin in the body - a hormone, too much of which is also the cause of hair loss . It is worth knowing that stress increases the production of prolactin even in women who do not breastfeed - that is why the period of hair loss lasts longer also in women suffering from postpartum depression.
To improve the condition of your hair and for better well-being, try to strengthen your hair. All the more so now, after the winter, they are weakened anyway. An appropriate diet, rich in micro- and macroelements and B vitamins, is of great importance for their appearance. Fish, eggs and seafood containing zinc, copper and iron are especially valuable, as well as wholemeal bread and pasta, coarse grain porridge, and paddy rice - rich in vitamin B.
It is also worth investing in a shampoo and conditioner to strengthen weakened hair. While washing your head, massage your hair with shampoo for two or three minutes so that the nutrients have time to penetrate the hair shaft. After washing, be sure to apply the conditioner. If, after rinsing, your hair becomes tangled and difficult to comb, you can massage a smoothing balm into it. Once or twice a week, it is worth applying a nourishing mask.
Once you massage it into wet hair, wrap your head with a warm towel and leave it for a quarter of an hour. The ampoules that strengthen the hair and nourish the bulbs are an effective, though long-term treatment. You have to rub them into the scalp every 2-3 days, and the full treatment lasts three months. If you are not breastfeeding, you can also ingest vitamin and mineral supplements. They contain complexes of vitamins and minerals that strengthen the hair, skin and nails. However, do not buy them if you already use some preparations for young mothers, so as not to accidentally overdose on vitamins.