Are you noticing a lot of hair in the drain after showering? Do you see excess hair on your comb or brush? Perhaps your hair part is getting wider or you are even noticing bald spots. 

Hair loss can definitely be concerning and if you are experiencing it, you may be wondering what is causing it. Let’s first start with the stages of hair growth. There are 3 main phases, growth, resting, and shedding. Under healthy conditions, 90% of your hair follicles should be in the growth stage. 

Let’s discuss what causes hair to leave the growth phase. The three I see most often are iron deficiency, thyroid disease, and PCOS, a condition marked by high levels of hormones called androgens that stop ovulation and cause hair loss.

There are many other potential causes including just giving birth, certain types of hormonal birth control, and alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease which causes patchy hair loss. 

You may have heard of taking biotin to help hair growth or to prevent hair loss. Biotin seems to only help if there is a deficiency. Biotin is found in many foods, including beans, eggs, meat, seeds, nuts, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms. Biotin deficiency is rare. The best way to treat hair loss is to find and treat the cause. If you live in California and need help finding the cause of your hair loss, schedule a free phone consultation.