It affects 1-2% of the population, both men and women and children of any age. However Hair loss after pregnancy treatment and vitamins become very common among women who have just given birth, and one of the biggest concerns, since the amount of hair lost can be high. Known as postpartum alopecia, it affects a large number of women after pregnancy, with a greater or lesser loss of hair density. It is a normal symptom due to the action of hormones.
A solution can be applied to alleviate the fall and to take care of the hair, returning to recover the lost volume a few months after the arrival of the baby.
What is this profuse hair loss due to?
Or, What should we do to recover hair after childbirth?
Through this practical guide against hair loss, you will be able to easily detect if your case is excessive hair loss if it is normal, and what remedies or treatment is best for you. Find out exactly why this hair loss occurs, and how you should act to avoid it as much as possible and keep your hair radiant.
How long does hair loss after pregnancy last?
or How long does it last?
The duration of Hair loss after pregnancy can vary greatly in each woman. There are some in which the fall is barely noticeable, and the recovery is immediate, and in other more particular cases it can last for months and years, and even cause a chronic problem. In general, after giving birth, the vast majority of women who suffer massive hair loss usually recover their initial appearance before the baby is one year old.
Very few mothers go through a true alopecia problem that is aggravated by the changes that their bodies have undergone after having the baby.
Hair loss after pregnancy treatment and vitamins
As you can see, hair loss after childbirth is a normal process, but you can follow a series of tips to make it minor and less traumatic during the time that you see that your hair falls out more than normal. Let’s see what are the recommendations to fight against hair loss during pregnancy and its accentuation in the postpartum period.
Balance diet:
Following a proper diet is the way to take care of your hair from the inside, and provide all the nutrients it needs for its maintenance. The diet you follow after delivery will also be very important to take care of your general health and of course that of your baby.
Suitable shampoo:
You do not need to wash your hair with any shampoo for hair loss if you do not have any serious hair problems. It is enough that you use a mild shampoo with a neutral pH that is beneficial for your scalp and does not damage the hair fiber.
Take care of your hair:
It is better to avoid aggressive anti-hair loss treatments, and also the use of dryers, irons, etc. Avoid doing any aggressive treatment to your hair, such as dyes with ammonia, strong straightening, or permanent, and try to avoid rough brushes that can break your most brittle hair at this stage. A good postpartum haircut can be an excellent option to eliminate dry ends, restoring to your hair the strength and shine that it still maintains at the root. Take the opportunity to change your look and look great.
Control stress:
Lack of sleep and worries about the newborn baby are not good for your hair either. Try to keep them at bay as much as possible, since they can accentuate hair loss and affect your body at different levels.
Why does hair fall out during pregnancy?
Pregnancy is a time of great changes in a woman’s body, also in her hair. The hormonal changes of pregnancy influence the cycle of the hair follicles as the pregnancy progresses. During the first trimester of pregnancy, the action of progesterone usually generates slightly weaker hair, with less shine and that falls out more easily.
On the other hand, hair loss during this stage of pregnancy can be directly related to vomiting and nausea, which prevents pregnant women from continuing to eat normally and losing strength and nutrients. During the second trimester, the increase in hormones and estrogens will slow down natural hair loss and will cause it to remain in a constant “growth phase”.
That is, the increase in hormones during pregnancy prevents hair loss. In addition, in the third trimester, the increase in estriol will further improve the appearance of your hair, this is the reason why, during pregnancy, women tend to have abundant and shiny hair, wonderful.
However, when the postpartum period arrives, the hair enters a kind of “resting phase” which, added to the drop in hormone levels, suddenly causes a large increase in hair loss between 5 months after delivery.
During this stage, the return to normal levels allows the scalp to recover its regular cycle and, therefore, fall. That is the normal hair loss that was delayed during pregnancy suddenly falls. This is known as telogen effluvium., which affects 40-50% of pregnant women.
The good news is that, like most changes during pregnancy, it is temporary and resolves itself. In general, it is a natural shedding of the hair, which does not require treatment. Your mane will return to normal between six and twelve months after delivery.
How to prevent hair loss after pregnancy?
Although specialists say that hair loss disorders do not require treatment because they resolve on their own, it is worth learning about some habits that will help you keep your hair healthy and prevent hair loss during pregnancy.
Balanced diet:
The health of your hair is closely related to general health, and a good diet is essential, especially during pregnancy. It has been seen that diets low in protein and iron and zinc deficiency can contribute to hair loss. If hair loss is exaggerated and even baldness occurs on the head, we are possibly talking about a problem of lack of iron, minerals, or even vitamins.
To stimulate hair growth, choose a diet rich in protein, fruits, and vegetables, to ensure that you include the following nutrients:
Hair care products:
Try to avoid excessive use of chemical products during pregnancy and bet on soft and risk-free products. It is best to opt for neutral shampoos and conditioners without parabens and avoid treatments that may involve the use of chemicals, such as hair dyeing, straightening, molding, or hair loss treatments
Read more: immediate constipation relief during pregnancy home remedies
Causes of hair loss when giving birth
Excessive hair loss in women who have just become mothers does not only have a hormonal component. Other factors that influence postpartum alopecia to be taken into account when fighting against it. It is normal for hair to fall out due to hormonal change, but the following are also considered important causes of hair loss after childbirth:
Estrogen drop:
Estrogen is the essential female hormone during pregnancy that controls the health of the mother and the proper development of the fetus. Its action is also appreciated at the capillary level. For this reason, during pregnancy, it is common to enjoy more abundant and shiny hair.
Right after childbirth, estrogen levels begin to drop in women. It is after the second month when normal levels are recovered, causing an increase in hair loss that has not occurred in the past months. If during pregnancy you even notice that your hair did not fall out as before, it will be after giving birth when the normal cycle will recover.
All the hair that you did not lose in previous days will tend to fall out, and it will seem to you that you are losing more than you should. This post-pregnancy hair loss should not worry you as long as you do not notice that your hair has areas without hair. It is in these cases when estrogen levels can be so low that more hair is lost than normal in women.
Little by little, a normal hormonal level in women will be recovered again. Meanwhile, you can help your hair so that it does not look dull and brittle.
Stress:
The change in life that occurs after having a baby also influences health at different levels. Tension, nerves, lack of sleep, and permanent stress also cause the release of certain estrogen-antagonistic hormones, which cause increased hair loss. These hormones are androgens, present mainly in men. A hormonal disorder caused by stress in women can cause changes in the structure of the hair, favoring its fall just as it occurs in men.
Breastfeeding and hair loss
Some mistakenly associate increased hair loss with breastfeeding. It is just a false myth that can work against the mother’s choice to breastfeed her baby as her main food during the first years of her life. This is false. Both women who breastfeed and those who do not suffer equally from hair loss in the following months.
The amount of hair has nothing to do with breastfeeding or not and should not affect the decision to breastfeed or not, As we have already said, hair that becomes brittle during pregnancy is shed much faster after childbirth, causing massive hair loss to remove the worst-looking hair and facilitate the growth of new hair. Hormones return to a stable balance during lactation, and hair gradually recovers.
The main cause of hair loss after pregnancy
*First trimester:
In the first trimester of pregnancy, progesterone makes the hair weaker and thinner, and therefore it may fall more easily. Also, hair loss at this stage can be related to nausea and vomiting, since due to this, women do not eat normally because they do not feel like eating, losing essential vitamins and nutrients for hair.
*Second quarter:
In the second trimester of pregnancy, there is an increase in hormones and estrogens, which will cause our hair to slow down its natural fall or it will maintain a constant growth phase. Thus, the increase in hormones during pregnancy will prevent our hair from falling out.
On the other hand, it increases estriol which further improves the appearance of the hair, and for this reason, many pregnant women have shiny and abundant hair.
Nutritional deficiencies:
After giving birth, certain nutritional deficiencies also begin to appear. The deposits of nutrients in women that have been used for the growth and development of the fetus are low. One of the most important is iron, the main mineral in the formation of the hair structure.
A poor diet after childbirth could be unfavorable for the recovery of nutrient deposits. It is time to eat well following a diet rich in nutrients, to be able to cover the vitamins and minerals necessary for your body to function at 100%, and also be appreciated in your external appearance.
Nutritional supplements for hair loss after pregnancy treatment
There are special vitamin supplements to strengthen hair at this stage, which contain the necessary nutrients to maintain your hair health. Check with your doctor before taking any of the pills or treatments for hair loss, especially if you are breastfeeding.
It would be interesting to supplement your diet with iron after childbirth, to recover or prevent anemia. This treatment is important in the first month postpartum, although according to the doctor’s instructions, it can be extended for a while longer. Your doctor can also prescribe products such as Minoxidil, Pilexil… Etc.
Read more: Things to avoid during pregnancy that cause miscarriage
Some main symptoms of hair loss for supplements
The symptoms are very characteristic since one or several bald spots or smooth, oval, or round areas without hair emerge unexpectedly, the size of a coin, or even several centimeters. On the edges of these areas, short hairs in the shape of an exclamation point are usually observed and, on occasions, they are pulled out without difficulty, making the lesions larger.
Its evolution is unpredictable, varying depending on each patient and the circumstances surrounding it. In most cases, the hair grows back within the first year since the hair follicle has not been destroyed. However, there are situations in which it takes longer to repopulate what was lost, and, even, hair loss can be repeated in subsequent outbreaks.
Tips to prevent hair loss in pregnancy
For you to avoid hair loss during pregnancy, you can follow these tips.
Conclusion:
Using the dryer frequently can cause damage to the hair and make it weak and break more easily. The idea is to let the hair air dry or use the dryer with cold air and at least a foot away from the hair. On the other hand, the brush is also key to taking care of your hair.
In this case, the balance is a success: neither too soft to avoid having to brush it more than necessary nor too hard to prevent it from breaking the hair fiber. In addition, baggy up-dos are also recommended.
The pigtails or braids, not too tight, will help you avoid tangling and breaking when undoing the knots with brushing. These tricks will also help you take care of your hair at any time, not just during pregnancy.
The important thing in the face of hair loss during pregnancy is not to worry too much, after the postpartum your hair will gradually return to its natural state. But, if the fragility of the hair persists or you detect small baldness, do not hesitate to consult your doctor so that he can advise you in a personalized way.
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