Hair loss among adolescent girls is becoming more prevalent and is happening at an alarming rate. Girls as young as thirteen are confused and scared when they find more strands of hair on their brush, on their pillow, in the shower, and scattered all over the floor. At the same time, they also notice that they have less on their minds.
Looking good and fitting in is especially important for teenage girls. Excessive shedding with a noticeable decrease in volume can be a devastating and frightening experience, especially since it is not something that they expected. After all, who has ever heard of teenagers losing their hair for no apparent reason? Until recently it was almost unheard of.
There are several reasons for this sudden increase in hair disorders in adolescence. Some of the most common causes are the following:
HORMONAL CHANGES
Hormonal changes are a common cause of hair loss in adolescents and adults. From the onset of puberty during adolescence, girls experience dramatic hormonal fluctuations. During this time, the body needs additional support. Good nutrition, vitamin supplements, exercise, adequate sleep, and ample relaxation will help a girl get through these hormonal changes.
Teenagers are known to have poor eating and sleeping habits. They often prefer to spend their time socializing on the computer, leaving little to no time for fresh air and exercise. These bad habits wreak havoc on the hormonal system and lead to hormonal imbalances that can affect the entire system. These imbalances can disrupt the hair growth cycle, causing unhealthy hair growth, thinning, and excessive hair loss.
BIRTH CONTROL PILLS
Birth control pills are often started during adolescence, which creates even more hormonal changes that can affect hair. This side effect does not happen to all girls who use the pill. A person will not know how they will be affected until the drug has been in the system for several months.
EXTREME DIET/ANOREXIA/BULIMIA
Many teens are body conscious and will go to extreme measures to fit into size zero jeans. Extreme diets, including anorexia and bulimia, are common causes of unhealthy hair growth and excessive hair loss among girls.
MEDICATIONS FOR ACNE
In order to control acne embarrassment, teens are often prescribed retinol-based oral acne medications. This is a very powerful prescription drug. Oral acne medications can affect hair growth in a number of ways. By reducing the size of the sebaceous glands, less sebum is produced. Without adequate sebum, hair becomes dry, brittle, weak, and more likely to fall out or break. This drug can also cause various nutritional imbalances that can lead to shedding, thinning, or tearing.
Due to possible side effects, adolescents using this type of medication must take birth control before, during, and after the course of treatment, further increasing the chance of hair loss.
OTHER MEDICINES
Any medication can cause undesirable hair loss, breakage, and texture changes, even if it is not listed as a symptom. If the teen is on medication, it could be the cause of any changes in her hair.
VACCINES
Hair loss has been reported as a possible result of vaccinations. The majority of reported cases involve female patients.
TRACTION
Pulling hair back into tight styles is often required for cheerleaders, dance team members, etc. causes sustained pressure on the scalp and follicles. This pulling can loosen hairs from their follicular roots and cause hair loss. Prolonged pulling can eventually cause permanent hair loss. Girls who must wear these tight hairstyles to compete should wear their hair down the rest of the time and massage the affected areas to restore blood circulation.
These are just a few of the many possible causes of teen hair loss. The hair growth cycle is very sensitive to changes or disturbances, so there could be many possible contributing factors.
Most of these conditions involving adolescent girls can usually be improved or reversed once the problem is identified and addressed. Using natural methods like scalp massage and aromatherapy treatments can stimulate hair growth and minimize hair loss in teenage girls.