There’s an old saying that stress will make you go gray, but can stress really make your hair fall out? Well, yes, but, there is more to it, or everyone would have hair loss!!!

Permanent hair loss isn’t caused by stress alone, but it can definitely lead to temporary hair loss in men & women. It’s important to know we aren’t talking about “day to day” stress when relating to stress and hair loss. It’s extreme stress that would cause hair loss, including life changing events such as serious illness, death, and sometimes even divorce. It’s difficult to determine the exact cause of hair loss, as the stressors can come from an assortment of places.

Hair can be forced into a resting state too early, which is what causes the abrupt loss of hair when stress sends your body into a state of shock. Since hair follicles cycle naturally on & off over time, we know that it’s normal to experience some shedding each day (100-150 strands/day). Follicles switch from ‘resting’ to ‘growing’ phase as new hair production pushes out the old resting hairs.

Don’t ignore it, or assume it’s a result of stress if you experience sudden or mass amounts of shedding. It’s difficult to self-diagnose whether hair loss is emotional or physical as it doesn’t happen instantaneously after the stress causing event. It many times happens weeks, or even months later. It is important to be assessed by a board-certified hair restoration physician, who can properly determine if the hair loss is stress related, or if it is a symptom of a more serious fundamental health condition.