Hair Loss in Teenagers and Young Women

It is one thing to lose your hair when you are older but quite upsetting to be in your late teens or twenties and find yourself facing sudden hair loss. The younger we are the more concerned we can be about our appearance as we are still in our 'mating years.' Hair loss can be rehabilitating to the self-esteem of a young woman and significantly impact her emotional well-being.

Normally hair grows about a quarter of an inch per month and continues to grow for six years. Then that hair falls out and another grows in its place. In a young woman the hair can fall out sooner and cause a thin or balding look to the hair. The good news is that most young women this happens to do not suffer either complete loss of hair or permanent hair loss.

In young women sudden hair loss can be caused by emotional strain, anxiety and worry. It can be caused by feelings of being overwhelmed, by taking onto many projects at once and not leaving enough time to recover from fatigue.

Relationship and social problems of all kinds can also cause a young woman to become emotionally unstable and cause a malfunctioning of the metabolism and hormonal systems. The result can be the hair coming out in clumps in the brush or in the hand. Many women discover the hair loss when they take a shower and watch the hair swirl down the drain or they notice that when they part their hair the part seems a lot wider than usual.

Hormonal changes are usually the physical cause behind hair loss in young women. Hormonal changes can cause a young woman to produce too much of the DHT hormone. This hormone clashes with estrogen in the body and can cause the hair to suddenly fall out.

Rather than rush out and buy wigs or get hair transplants younger women are advised to wait the hair loss out. This is mainly because it is usually not permanent. Once the source of the stress disappears, whether it be a life situation, emotional reaction or a health problem causing it, the hair often grows back. Hair will typically grow back in three to six months times.

Foods that a young woman should eat to help remedy the situation are liver, fish, eggs, brewer's yeast, yogurt, liver, eggs, dates, raisins, avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil and fish.

A supplement rich in phytoestrogenic herbs such as black cohosh and nettle might also help restore hair. Phytoestregens stimulate the pituitary and endocrine glands so that the hormones in the body operate more efficiently and stimulate hair growth. However be aware that sometimes taking too many phytoestrogens.

To help the situation young women should be sure to take their vitamins, drink plenty of water and avoid crash dieting. They also need iron supplements and should stop being vegetarian as not eating enough meat can cause baldness as well.