How Much Hair Loss is Considered Normal?

Understanding the Difference Between Normal Shedding and Treatable Hair Loss

Lets be honest.  We all secretly keep track of how much hair we find in our brush.  And get a small feeling of panic when we run our fingers through our hair and notice a lot of shedding.  The feeling starts to build – is this normal?

Noticing the hair clumps in your shower drain or a hairbrush can feel incredibly alarming. The truth is the hair growth cycle includes a period of shedding and hair shedding is most often normal.  When excessive shedding occurs, it can be attributed to various factors such as medical conditions, hormonal fluctuations, elevated stress levels, and genetic predisposition. If you’re dealing with thinning hair or balding, it is important to seek the help of a medical professional to understand the root cause of the problem.  Our physicians at Midwest Dermatology can help guide you through the treatment options that can stop hair loss and potentially grow new hair.

Normal Hair Shedding

It is normal to shed 50 to 100 hairs a day. Every individual hair goes through four phases in the growth cycle:

• The Anagen phase –  hair grows in this phase, which lasts about 3-5 year for most.  Hair pushes out and continues to do so until it is cut.
• The Catagen phase – a very short period of time where your hair growth slows. The follicle begins to shrink.  This state lasts only about ten days.
• The Telogen phase  –  the months after Catagen where hair is in a transitional state.  It does not grow but it also does not fall out.  In this stage, hair prepares for that shedding process.
• The Exogen phase – This is an extension of the Telogen phase (some scientists group them together) when the hair actually falls out  at a rate of 50 to 100 hairs a day.  Fortunately, this cycle starts again to keep our hair long and thick.

Individual hairs are in different phases at different times, and at any given time, the majority of hairs are in anagen. Excessive shedding may occur when a larger than normal proportion of hairs enter telogen/exogen simultaneously.  Triggers include physical or emotional stress, and/or hormonal changes. There are also medical conditions causing hair loss either in distinct patches or thinning throughout the scalp that happen for totally different reasons and require different treatments.

So, what exactly is hair loss? Hair loss occurs when hair doesn’t grow back after shedding.

Medically Defined Hair Loss

Do not spend time attempting to count every lost strand. If you are concerned or would just like to learn about treatment options to increase your hair growth; do not hesitate to speak to one of our providers. Early signs of hair loss are best treated when acted upon sooner than later.

The most common causes of hair loss include:

• Hereditary Hair Loss
• Medical Conditions
• Medication Side Effects
• Excessive Hair Follicle Damage
• Autoimmune Disease

It’s important to consult with a dermatologist to determine the underlying cause of your hair loss and discuss the most appropriate treatment options. Some options for male and female hair loss include prescription medication like Finasteride and over the counter medications and topicals such as minoxidil.  Injections to the scalp and Keravive scalp treatment can stimulate new hair growth.  And research and development into hair loss supplements has earned the stamp of approval from scientists and dermatologists.

Viviscal Professional Cited as An Effective Hair Loss Supplement

A recent Dermatology Times article highlighted the results of an important supplement study.

The study revealed that Viviscal Professional was among the highest performing supplements and along with Nourkrin, Nutrafol, Lamdapil, Pantogar, capsaicin and isoflavone, omegas 3 and 6 with antioxidants, apple nutraceutical, total glucosides of paeony and compound glycyrrhizin tablets, zinc, tocotrienol ( a proprietary form of vitamin E), and pumpkin seed oil demonstrated the highest-quality evidence for potential benefit.

At Midwest Dermatology, we recommend Viviscal Professional to patients experiencing hair loss.  It’s scientifically formulated with Viviscal’s exclusive marine complex AminoMar®, which helps to nourish thinning hair from within and promote existing hair growth. Alongside AminoMar, Viviscal Professional hair growth supplements also contain key nutrients essential for healthy hair growth, including Biotin, Apple Extract and Vitamin C. Viviscal Professional is suitable for women and men of all hair types.

Viviscal Professional is available at all six of our Midwest Dermatology locations.  And at Midwest DERMaesthetics at Lakeside and Midwest DERMaesthetics at  Dodge, Viviscal Professional supplement is supported with Viviscal Professional Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner.  All Viviscal Products can be purchased on our website.

If you are noticing excessive hair loss or just want to take a supplement that supports healthy hair, we recommend that you give Viviscal Professional a try for at least three months to make sure you cover all phases of hair growth.  To schedule an appointment for your hair loss with one of our board-certified dermatologists, call us at (402) 933-0800 or schedule online at midwestderm.com.