3. Prescription Medication
Prescription medication such as oral contraceptives, blood pressure medications, antidepressants, antibiotics, acne medications, chemotherapeutics agents, immunosuppressants and pain medications can all cause premature hair loss (4).
4. Nutritional Deficiency
Nutritional deficiency caused by prescription medication or digestive conditions such as Crohn’s disease and IBS, among others, can cause hair loss.
Deficiency in B-complex vitamins, zinc, vitamin D and protein are particularly harmful to scalp health (5).
5. Stress
Stress makes your body go into “fight or flight” mode, making it prioritize body functions linked to survival.
Blood flow to the scalp is decreased and hair growth is put to a standstill.
Stress can also trigger Trichotillomania, a mental health condition in which the individual plucks out hair as a self-soothing mechanism (6).
6. Autoimmune Conditions
Autoimmune conditions such as Telogen effluvium, a condition in which the body pushes the hair follicles into a “resting phase” so that they no longer grow and produce hair (7).
Alopecia areata an another autoimmune condition in which the immune system of the body attacks the hair’s follicles, causing large patches of hair to fall out (8).