Facts About Human Hair

Hair, much like skin, is an indicator of overall health and, sometimes, a marker of age. If you are sick, and aren't even aware of it yet, your hair may be giving you an indication. Life events and stress take its toll on the human body, including the hair. Hair is programmed to grow a certain amount in a certain time frame. However, lifestyle choices, medications that you are taking and other factors can interfere with the natural process.

The Pattern

• There is a definitive pattern to hair growth: It comes in, it rests and then it falls out, according to Michael S. Lehrer, M.D. Although some variations may occur depending on the individual, approximately 90 percent of a person's hair is growing at any given time, while 10 percent of the hair is resting. The growth phase lasts between two and six years, whereas the resting stage lasts between two and three months. The shedding (falling out) stage follows the resting period.

What to Expect

• Humans shed anywhere between 50 and 100 hairs a day. This is considered absolutely normal. When a hair falls out, a new hair pops up in that follicle. Hair grows approximately one-half inch per month.

Composition

• Hair is made up primarily of protein. Consequently, if you are protein-deficient, your hair can't thrive. If you want healthy hair, fingernails and toenails, make sure that you're getting enough protein in your diet. Eat fish, eggs, cheese, dried beans, grains, nuts, meat, chicken and tofu.

What's Going On?

• If your hair is falling out in bunches, this is not normal. It could be due to an underlying health condition--alopecia or metabolic issues, to name two. Stress, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, certain medications and/or a poor diet can also cause your hair to thin and/or even fall out. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, hormonal upsets, such as menopause or giving birth, can cause loss of hair. If you have a fungal infection or have recently experienced a major illness or underwent surgery this, too, can cause hair to shed. Specific medicines that may wreak havoc on hair include birth control pills, antidepressants and chemotherapy medications. If you have too much vitamin A in your system, this will result in hair loss.

Age

• When a woman reaches her forties or fifties and ventures into the "change of life" transition, her once bountiful hair may begin to thin and fall out because her hormones are running amok. She no longer has adequate amounts of estrogen and progesterone, the reproductive hormones, which are also crucial to bone health, heart health and hair and skin. Male hormones, androgens, begin to rule the roost and women begin to experience hair loss similar to what men experience.