Your hormones control the activities of each cell in the body. Hormones are a chemical-like substance that flows through your bloodstream triggering various activities. They are typically controlled by your thyroid and adrenal glands. When they are not working well, a wide range of complications can occur. One of those complications is a lack of new hair growth, excessive hair shedding or even hair loss.

There are many types of hormones racing through the body to accomplish various tasks. It’s up to your brain to keep them balanced to ensure proper health and function. If you don’t feel well, for example, you lack energy; it is sometimes due to an imbalance of hormones.

The following are several hormonal imbalance causes that can impact hair growth. To find out for sure, your doctor needs to conduct basic blood tests to gather insight into what is wrong and why.

High Stress Levels

Stress hormones have an important role in your health. In a typical situation, the body releases these hormones to slow down unnecessary systems, like digestion and hair growth and puts extra energy to the brain and heart. It does this so you can react faster to potential problems. However, many people live in a state of constant stress. That causes ongoing problems for the body which cannot maintain that high level of stress for very long.

When you have too much stress hormone present, your hair is likely not to get all of the nutrients it needs. Instead, it will look limp and damaged. You may also see more hair loss and hair thinning occur than you normally do. You may also find less pigmented hair growing in place of your natural color, thus, causing early graying.

You Are Pregnant

Pregnancy changes the required hormones your body needs to take care of the unborn child and to help encourage your health through good blood circulation. Many women will experience significant hair loss after their pregnancy, though changes can also occur during it.

For example, during your pregnancy, you may notice that your hair looks healthier and shiny. Many women experience a significant thinning during the first few months after birth. This is because hormones are settling back into their normal routine. Since the hair growth cycle is about three months long, things tend to get back to normal within that timeframe. Your hair is likely to grow back as long as your hormone levels are balanced.

Menopause

Women also see a change during menopause when their hormone levels once again change. During this time, a significant drop in the amount of the hormone estrogen occurs. This makes it harder for the body to control the presence of testosterone hormone in the body. As a result of this, a higher level is present, and that changes the way your hair grows.

Disease and Health Conditions

Women and men can experience hair loss due to large medical stressors. This includes dysfunction of the thyroid, which is the organ that manages the production of hormones in your body. Thyroid tests can show that a hormone imbalance is occurring easily, allowing doctors to help you. Conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS in women, can also do this.

Sometimes, it is not the actual disease or condition causing the difficulty, but the treatment. For example, major surgery can trigger hair loss. The use of chemotherapy to treat conditions like cancer can also occur. In these cases, the body faces intense stress, leading to the need to refocus energy to where the problem is.

In many of these situations, it is possible to recover and see hair grow back to a normal, fuller level. However, the underlying problem needs to be corrected. This may include treatments for overactive or underactive thyroids, balancing diet, and using medications prescribed by your doctors. Often, balancing hormones can be a treatment, but it is not always simple to do.

Contact the hair specialists at Unique Hair Concepts to learn more.