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Does Stress Cause Hair Loss

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The short answer is yes. Yes, stress can cause hair loss! However, it is crucial to note that the type of stress we're referring to here is not the day-to-day stress most of us go through. When it comes to hair loss, the type of stress that causes hair loss is the result of unexpected emotional shock or a disastrous physical accident.

This type of hair loss is called “telogen effluvium”. When an extremely nerve-racking incident occurs, what happens is that the hair follicles that are actively growing are abruptly pushed into the “regression phase”. Soon after, the follicles then start the “resting phase” and when the growth cycle of a hair follicle reaches this resting place, it falls out rather easily.

How fast this can happen? When someone experiences a physiological or an emotional event, hair does not begin to fall out anywhere from a few weeks to a few months after the event. But once it has begun, hair loss continues at a fast pace.

And as it takes some time for their hair to start shedding after the stressful event, the 'victim' is generally not aware that it is related to that past experience. It never occurs to them that the hair loss they're experiencing is not because of a new “sickness” or anything of the sort, it is simply the aftermath side effect of the stress they went through a few weeks or even a few months ago.

You want examples of severe stressful situations that would cause hair loss?

As stated before, “stress” in terms of hair loss doesn't mean the standard stress most people experience from work, financial, relationships, and what not. Instead, occurrences such as going through the sudden death of a loved one would be an example of a stressful situation that could result in hair loss. Getting a divorce would be another example. Having to take care of someone close to you who has a terminal disease may also fall into this category.

And naturally, physical experiences that cause a lot of damage to a person's body will also produce stress at such high levels that hair loss is an eventual side effect. For example,a heart attack or a major surgery may cause a person's hair to fall out. Sickness that keeps a person in a long period of deterioration, such as the flu or malaria, may cause hair loss. And also, accidents such as vehicle crashes or any other similar situation where the body undergoes sudden physical damage, may cause hair loss.