I’m often asked, “Why is my hair falling out?”

To understand why we lose hair, and to determine if it’s normal or abnormal, we need to first look at the normal hair growth cycle.

When we’re born most of us have between 100,000 to 150,000 terminal hair follicles on our scalp. Although some of us may have appeared to be bald at birth, eventually those terminal follicles on our scalp produced hair that is larger and thicker than the hairs on the other parts of our body.

Normally, our follicles cycle through three phases: Anagen, Catagen, and Telogen.

During the Anagen phase our hair grows about one-half inch per month and as we get older that growth rate will slow. At any given time, about 85 to 95 percent of the follicles on our scalp are in the Anagen phase. The Anagen growth phase can last between two and six years.

The Catagen phase is when our follicles are at rest. About one percent of the follicles on our scalp are in Catagen phase, which lasts for about two to three weeks. At the end of the Catagen phase the follicles shed their hair.

During the Telogen phase your follicles will lose their hair, but don’t worry, they usually grow back. Roughly ten percent of our follicles are in the Telogen phase at the same time. The Telogen phase lasts about three months and at the end the same follicles shed their hair begin to grow new hair as they enter the Anagen growth phase again to complete the cycle.

Although it may sound like a lot, it’s not unusual to lose between 50 and 100 hairs a day. These are the hairs we seen on our pillow, in our hairbrush, and in the shower after we towel off.

If you think your hair loss is excessive, or if you have noticeable thinning of your hair, you should consult a Dermatologist who specializes in hair loss and restoration. Excess hair loss can have many different causes. Sometimes your hair will spontaneously regrow without intervention, but it’s always more prudent to consult with a Dermatologist.

Most people can be helped by a timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment. It’s always better to try to prevent hair loss than to wait until hair restoration is the only option.