How to Cope With the Emotional Impact of Hair Loss
Hair loss has many potential causes from hormonal changes and stress to underlying health issues like thyroid disorders and autoimmune conditions. But no matter what the culprit behind your falling strands might be, persistent hair loss can have a serious impact on your emotional well-being.
If you’re struggling to cope with hair loss, you are not alone. And if you need support, there are several things you can do to help lessen the emotional and mental burden of losing your hair. Read on for helpful tips on coping with the emotional impact of persistent hair loss.
Talk to a Therapist
Losing hair can be a very isolating experience. Many people are hesitant to go out in public and be social when they’ve lost considerable hair, which can quickly affect emotional and social well-being.
If you’re finding it difficult to manage your emotions around hair loss and your feelings are negatively impacting your self-confidence and day-to-day life, speaking with a therapist can help. A licensed talk therapist can help you navigate the emotional challenges related to hair loss while helping you reframe your self-worth.
Talking through tough emotions with a compassionate and understanding professional can help you identify and address deep-seated concerns about your image. A trained therapist can also help you develop tools you can use outside of therapy to manage difficult emotions or anxiety that you may deal with regularly or occasionally.
Learn More About Your Hair Loss: 5 Common Causes
Developing a thorough understanding of the underlying cause(s) behind your hair loss can help you in several ways. Knowledge is power, and learning about your condition can empower you emotionally and help you find ways to manage your hair loss.
Chat with your doctor about getting testing to confirm the cause behind your hair loss and seek information from reputable sources, such as studies and medical sites. The more you know, the more power you have to manage your condition and move forward emotionally.
Hormonal Causes
Hormonal changes of many kinds can cause hair loss. Some of the hormone issues that promote hair loss include pregnancy, menopause, thyroid problems, and hormone changes due to age.
If hormonal changes are prompting your hair loss, you may be able to treat the underlying cause and prompt those fallen strads to grow back. In some cases, hormone replacement therapy options can be the answer. In other situations, scalp micropigmentation can add the appearance of hair through a special tattoo method.
Autoimmune Conditions
While hormonal changes are often the cause of hair loss in both men and women, various health conditions, such as autoimmune disease, can also lead to hair loss. Many people with lupus and diabetes can have issues with hair loss.
And if you have an autoimmune condition that causes irreversible hair loss, you can learn about ways other people with the same condition have been able to manage it. Scalp micropigmentation may be an option or platelet rich plasma therapies.
Hair Care Products or Styling Habits
If you often pull your hair into tight hairstyles, you could end up with traction alopecia, which is a type of patchy hair loss. It’s also possible to have negative reactions to certain hair pre outs or to hot-oil hair treatments.
If your hair care and styling habits are the culprits behind your hair loss, you can educate yourself on healthier ways to care for your hair. If any product causes hair loss or allergic reactions, stop using it immediately and reach out to a healthcare professional.
Age
Age is one of the most common causes of hair loss, especially in men. While many people have thinning hair as they age, you don’t have to live with hair loss. There are ways to treat hair loss and help you feel more comfortable.
Stress
Having an extremely stressful time period of your life or a significant trauma can lead to hair loss. In these difficult situations, it’s important to get the mental and emotional health you need to recover from the anxiety and trauma. Often, your hair may re-grow. If not, hair loss procedures can help you restore your confidence.
Get Involved in a Support Group
According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, an estimated 80 million people in the U.S. are living with some degree of hair loss. So if you’re one of them, you are certainly not alone.
And if you need a safe place to express your emotions and concerns, you can find that in a hair loss support group. Here are some helpful resources you may want to check out:
Social media – Facebook in particular – is another great resource for finding hair loss support groups. If you chat with your doctor about your condition, they may be able to point you in the direction of local groups, too.
Consider Hair Loss Treatments
Whether you’d like to improve the appearance of permanent hair loss or are looking for hair loss solutions that can help regrow lost strands, you’re in luck. Scalp micropigmentation is a wonderful hair loss solution that involves tattooing the scalp with super-tiny dots that give the appearance of healthy, full hair.
Tricopigmentation is a similar option with temporary results, which can help you determine if a more permanent hair tattoo is right for your needs.
Scalp Micropigmentation
Scalp micropigmentation, also known as hair tattooing, is a new intervention for both men and women. Similar to a tattoo, this treatment involves placement of a custom pigment into the epiermal layer of the skin on the scalp. This creates the appearance or illusion of hair ,and it’s an excellent treatment for thinning hair.
PRP for Hair Loss
Another effective treatment, PRP for hair loss, involves scalp injections of platelet-rich plasma, which helps heal damaged follicles, so they can regrow healthy new hair. This hair loss therapy can help damaged hair follicles and spur hair growth for many patients, regardless of the underlying cause of the hair loss.
If you’re interested in this minimally invasive procedure, check out What Makes You a Good Candidate for Platelet-Rich Plasma Hair Loss Therapy? for more information.
Schedule a Free Hair Loss Consultation in the Twin Cities
If you’re dealing with hair loss that makes you feel uncomfortable, our team at Medical Tattoo Centers of America would love to help you. We specialize in a variety of hair loss solutions, including scalp micropigmentation, tricopigmentation, and PRP hair restoration, and offer free consultations to help you determine the best treatment for your needs.
To learn more about our services or schedule a consultation, feel free to call our Blaine, Minnesota clinic at 612-770-0000 or request a free consultation online, and we’ll get in touch to get you scheduled.