If you are wondering why your hair feels thinner, you may be one of the 85% of men or 55% of women who experience hair loss or hair thinning at some point in their life [1][2]. It can be naturally concerning to discover that your hair density or texture has suddenly changed, but it isn’t always a reason to worry.
While some hair shedding is normal, if you are losing more than 50-100 hairs a day, your hair may feel thinner due to a type of alopecia (e.g. androgenetic alopecia or telogen effluvium). Or it may be caused by one of the many common scalp problems, a hormonal imbalance, a systemic illness or environmental and lifestyle factors.
Fortunately, whatever the reason your hair feels thinner, there is a good chance that a trichologist can provide you with appropriate treatment recommendations.
Keep reading this article to learn more about:
When you say that your hair suddenly feels thinner, there are two aspects you may be referring to:
You may have noticed that your hair texture has changed, with your hair fibres becoming finer or wispier, as they seem to have a reduced diameter. This is due to a process called follicle miniaturisation [3], which makes hair strands shorter, lighter and thinner, due to ageing or an underlying condition, such as androgenetic alopecia (male pattern baldness or female pattern baldness).
You may have observed that your hair is not as dense, thick and full as it used to be. If your hair is getting so thin you can see your scalp, it can be a sign of hair shedding or hair loss.
This can be diffuse (spread all over your scalp), or it can be concentrated in specific areas (e.g. patchy bald spots or thinning around the hairline, temples or crown). There are a number of conditions which can lead to hair thinning, such as androgenetic alopecia and telogen effluvium.
Only a trichologist can tell you for certain why your hair feels thinner and whether your hair symptoms are reversible with or without treatment. However, if you are looking to get a better understanding of why your hair may be thinning, here are some of the main reasons why it may be happening.
Hair usually reaches its peak diameter and density in early adulthood, then a progressive decline is often noted after the age of 30. Advancing in age brings about natural changes to your scalp and hair follicles [4].
Normally, your hair growth cycle is comprised of four stages:
However, as you grow older, your hair follicles start to become smaller and stop producing hair. This is known as hair follicle miniaturisation, and is partly due to hormone changes and a reduction in follicle blood supply as you get older.
Hair follicle miniaturisation causes a reduction in both hair diameter and density [5][6][7]. A miniaturised hair follicle creates shorter and finer strands and it may stop creating them altogether if left untreated. So your hair may feel thinner because it actually is getting thinner with age.
Hair follicle miniaturisation leads to thinner, shorter strands
Moreover, ageing can also have other negative effects on your hair, such as [5][6][7]:
Changes in hair fibre curvature
Androgenetic alopecia is a condition which affects approximately 85% of men and 50% of women by the time they are 50 [1][8]. This condition is caused by a combination of genetics, enzymes and androgenetic hormones.
Androgenetic alopecia develops when a hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT) binds with your hair follicles, causing them to become miniaturised and produce thinner, shorter hair and eventually stop producing it completely [3].
In men, androgenetic alopecia usually affects the front and sides of the head initially, causing a receding hairline, an M-shaped hairline (receding hair at the temples) or hair thinning on one side of the head. Then, as the condition progresses, a bald spot on the crown may appear.
Frontal hair loss is more common in men than in women with androgenetic alopecia, who lose their hair in a different pattern. While women are usually spared frontal balding, they experience more diffuse thinning. Your normal hair parting width becomes wider and you may notice a Christmas tree pattern along your midline part.
Telogen effluvium is a temporary condition where you experience excessive hair shedding, as a result of stress and anxiety, illness or of having undergone physical or emotional trauma.
While telogen effluvium can cause diffuse hair loss and make your hair seem thinner (it can even reduce the thickness of your ponytail by 50%), it will normally not affect your hair diameter [9].
This condition is self-limiting, which means it will usually resolve on its own in up to 6 months from onset, provided the causes which led to it are removed. However, in rare cases, it can become chronic and span over several years.
This autoimmune condition is characterised by abrupt onset round bald patches on the scalp. However, there is also a variety of this disorder called diffuse alopecia areata which causes hair thinning across the scalp, rather than the tell-tale patches, making it more difficult to diagnose [10].
Alopecia areata causes follicular miniaturisation, meaning it can make some of your hair thinner and shorter, while diffuse alopecia areata can also significantly reduce your hair density. However, unlike with androgenetic alopecia, miniaturisation is temporary with this condition and your hair has a good chance of growing back to its original thickness and density on its own after a while [11].
Traction alopecia is a type of hair loss caused by excessive tension applied to the hair follicle. Frequently wearing tight hairdos, such as braids or ponytails can cause hair loss around the temples and the fringe area. Prolonged wearing of heavy extensions can cause hair loss as well.
You can see signs of hair follicle miniaturisation in the areas affected by traction alopecia [12][13]. This means that if you normally use tight or heavy hairdos and find your hair to be finer, thinner and shorter around the front and sides of your head or are experiencing temple hair loss, it could be due to this condition.
There are a number of scalp problems which can cause hair thinning. The most common of these are dandruff or seborrheic dermatitis. These are yeast infections of the scalp often caused by a fungus called Malassezia. They can make the scalp dry and flaky, and can cause hair loss through oxidative stress, which is often seen in patients with dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis [23]. But they can also lead to hair breakage and thinning through scratching your itchy, irritated scalp.
Other scalp conditions which can cause hair thinning – often amplified by breakage from rubbing and scratching – include:
However, while these conditions may lead to a decrease in hair density (on the entire scalp or just the affected areas), they are not likely to also cause a decrease in hair diameter. Learn how to measure hair fullness with a hair density test.
Since your hair health is connected to your hormonal activity, changes in its density and texture can occur when experiencing hormonal imbalances:
Multiple medications can cause hair shedding, but fortunately, regrowth usually happens once treatment is stopped.
The best known medication that can cause your hair to fall out is chemotherapy, which uses cytotoxic agents to combat cancer cells. It works by destroying cells, which divide rapidly, such as cancer cells. Since hair is made of rapidly dividing cells as well, it can also be attacked by these substances and balding can often follow [17].
However, while chemotherapy can cause hair loss, it is far from the only medication that can have this side effect. Here are some of the most common medication that may cause hair loss[17].
There are several illnesses which can produce hair thinning, such as:
Sometimes, you can experience changes in hair density and texture as a result of exposing your tresses to environmental damage, harmful chemicals or depriving them of their necessary nutrients:
Highly restrictive diets and eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa can cause your hair to feel thinner from the insufficient amount of nutrients it receives. Learn more about the link between Mounjaro and hair loss.
If you are wondering whether you are paranoid or your hair is really thinning, there are a few things that can point you in the right direction:
There are some causes of hair thinning that you can’t prevent, such as ageing or developing androgenetic alopecia. However, there are also some things you can do to keep your hair thick and healthy:
Whether your hair will grow thick once more without treatment greatly depends on what caused your hair thinning. You need to be examined by a hair specialist to be able to tell whether your particular condition requires treatment and what that treatment may be.
But as a rule of thumb, here are the conditions that normally need treatment and those that may resolve spontaneously:
The best thing you can do to get the right treatment for your thinning hair is to book a consultation with a trichologist from the first signs of hair thinning and balding.
They will conduct a thorough scalp examination, perhaps perform some tests, such as a dermoscopy or a scalp biopsy and provide you with an accurate diagnosis. Then, they may recommend one or more of the following evidence-based treatments:
Trichologists can point to several different ways to get volume in your hair. Getting treatment for your thinning hair in a timely fashion is very important, as it can keep your condition from progressing to the point where medications are no longer enough to stop hair loss.
However, if that happens and your trichologist suggests a surgical option, there is no need to worry, as often a hair transplant can treat thinning hair with excellent results.
Regardless of whether you opt for a FUT or FUE type of procedure, the best hair transplant clinics in the UK will help you get a natural-looking hair transplant, as they have a success rate of 97-100%. And unlike medication which you need to keep taking, a hair transplant is permanent.
So if you are considering getting a surgical restoration, take a look at our before and after hair transplant gallery and see for yourself whether this could be the end of your hair thinning problems and the fastest way to thick, luxurious locks.
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