Hair Loss Hair Loss Basics

What's Causing You to Lose Those Locks?

Summary & Participants

Knowing what's causing you to lose your hair is the first step to treating the problem.

Medically Reviewed On: August 08, 2008

Webcast Transcript

ANNOUNCER: When Frances found too much of her hair on the floor, the first thing she did was to see a dermatologist.

ANDREA CAMBIO, MD, DERMATOLOGIST: When you approach a patient with hair loss, you need to kind of flush out the reason for the hair loss. I mean there is a gazillion causes.

ANNOUNCER: Although the most common is genetic, hair loss can be caused by everything from having a baby to going on a crash diet.

ANDREA CAMBIO, MD, DERMATOLOGIST: There are some medical problems that can also cause the hair to get thin and cause one to lose hair, such as thyroid disease or anemia. There are also medications, which can cause hair loss.

ANNOUNCER: Even how you style your hair can be a factor.

ANDREA CAMBIO, MD, DERMATOLOGIST: Any chemical processings, straightening, things like that, also wearing your hair in tight hairstyle like a tight bun or a ponytail can also cause you to lose hair. They put pressure on the hair at the level of the hair follicle and so after awhile, the hair just becomes very weak and it falls out.

ANNOUNCER: Even stress can cause you to shed those locks.

ANDREA CAMBIO, MD, DERMATOLOGIST: If you're going through either some type of physical stress like for example, a surgery or hospitalization, if your psychologically stressed, you can also experience your hair going into shock and falling out a few months later.

ANNOUNCER: The good news is that with the right care - these types of hair loss tend to be reversible.

ANDREA CAMBIO, MD, DERMATOLOGIST: You want to practice healthy hair habits and wash on a regular basis. So from that perspective, having a good diet, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, there is something you can do about it.

ANNOUNCER: So if you’re finding more hair on the floor than you want to, see your doctor.

ANDREA CAMBIO, MD, DERMATOLOGIST: You want to get to the source of why you're losing your hair. Not just assuming that you're getting old so your hair is thinning.

ANNOUNCER: Thanks for joining us on today’s Once Daily.