By Doctor Specializing in Postpartum Hair Loss - Causes & Treatments
Karen and her husband had been trying for 2 years to have a baby. When they finally got pregnant last year, they were overjoyed to welcome this miracle into their home and begin the journey of starting their family.
With the blessings came overwhelming joy but also hardships - Karen suffered internal struggles with confidence. Not only had her body and lifestyle completely changed, but she was losing hair at a rapid rate.
Like any woman, her hair was a symbol of herself and having bald spots and thinning left her so insecure she wouldn’t leave the house without a hat on.
Since that day, she’s become a personal patient of mine and whose results were so impressive, it is easily my best work yet.
As a medical professional, I understand better than anyone that having a baby can come with a unique set of challenges and side effects to your body. One that isn't often recognized is the accelerated hair loss that affects 3 in 5 women.
SHE WASN’T ALONE
Karen who I mentioned above is the owner of Parlor Studio Hair Salon here in California. Not only does she have firsthand experience with her own hair loss, but she's noticed it in many of her clients' hair as well.
She posted a video on Instagram of herself gently removing a massive clump of a hair from her clients head just weeks after giving birth—and the post went crazy with millions of views!
“Nothing like that Post Pregnancy Shed!!!!” she captioned the video. This is something Karen sees in her salon constantly, although every woman’s experience can be different. “Some are worse than others; some not nearly so,” she says.
If she knew then that there was a natural solution to her hair loss, her client’s results would have been totally different.
“A salon visit can be devastating for women suffering from postpartum hair loss. It’s not easy seeing your hair clog the drain and feeling bald spots, especially out in public.” – Karen
What Karen, her clients, and about 60% of new moms suffer from is completely natural, but hardly desirable...
WHAT IS THE NORMAL AMOUNT OF HAIR LOSS?
Now that you know that you’re not alone and what is happening is totally normal, let’s talk about how much hair is too much to be losing…
Normally, your hair goes through three phases: growth, a transitional phase when growing stops, and a resting period (see above diagram). At the end of the resting period, your hair falls out of the scalp.
Generally, the average woman sheds between 50 and 100 hairs in the telogen phase per day, but stress to the body of giving birth, undergoing surgery, or losing a loved one can throw things out of balance.
“The stress of being a new mom can cause your hair to prematurely enter the telogen phase” the Mayo Clinic explains. “Then, when your body is stronger new hair can grow in a few months later, once it pushes out the weak hair which causes shedding”.
WHEN IS IT TIME TO WORRY?
Don’t go freaking out just yet...there are only a few signs to look for to know if you need help for your hair loss.
After the baby is born, your estrogen levels drop in the resting phase, which results in hair loss that's more noticeable. This is because it includes the hair that would have normally fallen out at normal rates during your pregnancy.
Karen’s hair loss during the resting phase was far more than I had seen before with any of my previous patients which was cause for alarm. This wasn’t another case that would get better with time, she needed some help and thankfully we found her some.
Like most women, she didn’t know what was “normal” or how much worse her condition was or that she needed to take action right away. Thankfully, she ended up in my office where I was able to recommend products that could work where others fell short.
HOW CAN YOU STOP POSTPARTUM HAIR LOSS?
Sudden hair loss can be scary, but for many people, it's totally normal right after giving birth.
Telogen effluvium typically starts three or four months after giving birth and it can take up to a full year for your hair to go back to normal.
It can definitely be distressing psychologically, especially with emotions already being high in the postpartum period, especially if it takes more than a year to grow back, which is the case in almost half of the women in America.
Unfortunately, historically there hasn’t been much you can do to prevent it. You may be tempted to use minoxidil (Rogaine) after you give birth to help get your hair back to normal, but the FDA warns that it NOT safe if you're nursing and has dozens of other side effects. As a medical professional, I tell my clients to keep taking their prenatal vitamins and suggest the Follipur line of products to provide a natural solution to minimize and possibly even prevent hair loss entirely.
If you’re really stressed about the possibility of losing some of your hair or it's not getting better with time, it's worth checking in with your doctor or a dermatologist. They may suggest a natural and gentle treatment like Follipur as a preventative measure to pregnancy and aging related hair loss.
That said, losing a bit of hair after giving birth is totally normal and temporary—not something you need to be ashamed of. Give it a few months and hair may return to normal or start using a safe and effective treatment right away with Follipur.
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About Follipur
Follipur is an award winning and natural hair regrowth system that cleanses, restores, regenerates and protects your hair. Our active ingredients are a combination of dozens of natural botanicals that are extremely high in antioxidants, vitamins, and amino acids. Follipur is based on a highly secretive 400 year old formulation that has been passed through the generations.
To learn more about the benefits of Hair Growth, Follipur's Complete 4-Step Routine, and Follipur Customer Testimonials, click below.
