Psychosomatics: hair loss - causes and methods of treatment

Hair loss in small amounts is the norm - this indicates natural processes, the replacement of old cells with new ones. However, active hair loss always indicates problems with health. If such a situation is a consequence of a hair and scalp disease, the trichologist will help normalize the condition. In addition, there are a number of diseases of the internal organs that may cause this symptom. To treat such ailments, there are special shampoos, masks and other medications, as well as massage procedures.

However, it happens that the treatment does not work, and the true cause of baldness can not be identified. In this case, there is a possibility that the disease is psychosomatic. Violations of the nervous system affect the hair to a large extent, and in everyday life, stress accompanies everyone. If the diagnosis is confirmed, the trichologist will not be able to help you - because the roots of the problem lie much deeper. To restore the beauty of your hair and bring your body back to normal, you need a long work to stabilize the psychological state.

Psychosomatics: what is it?

The common opinion that the cause of any disease is nerves is not so far from the truth. Psychosomatics studies the relationship of psychological problems to physical health. According to modern research, 75% of the diseases arising in man are psychosomatic and arise from anxiety and nerves. It is not difficult to explain this: the substances produced by the nervous system directly come into contact with the immune system, affecting its state. Mental diseases directly destroy the body's defense, causing numerous bodily ailments.

Hair loss, or alopecia, is one of the primary signs of a mental disorder. The cause of this misfortune can be conflicts in the family or at work, fatigue, stress and any other negative emotions. Consequences, along with the appearance of dandruff and seborrhea, can become more intense hair loss and even whole strands. In connection with the greater emotionality, this threat is often exposed to a weak, rather than a strong sex: according to statistics, every third woman has problematic hair.

Why does hair lose its stress due to stress?

Psychosomatic disorders can occur for one of three reasons:

1. Bad genes, which, supplemented by psychological reasons, aggravate the condition of the hair;
2. Directly external stresses: significant events, which caused a strong shock;
3. Permanent internal dialogue, which can be triggered by feelings of guilt, conflicts with oneself, complexes, old grievances and others. This is possible, for example, in the fear of rejection, which persecutes a person in society. The eternal fear of "doing something wrong", inability to take matters into hand leads to the fact that most of the energy is spent on anxiety, not on resolving the existing problems. Accumulated fear can also be a consequence of inferior sexuality and disharmony in the family.

There are two states of the nervous system capable of provoking such consequences:

1. Chronic stress. If an unstable emotional state accompanies you for a long period, this leads to malfunctioning of all body systems. As a result, the hair does not receive the right amount of blood and oxygen, which leads to weakening. With prolonged and clinical depression, complete cessation of hair growth is possible, since hair follicles, which do not receive the necessary nutrients, die with time. It will not be possible to restore the former kind of head of hair.
2. Sudden shocks. It's not an exaggeration to say about hair that they stood on end, it really happens with a sharp nervous surge. In this case, the contraction of the muscles, due to which the hair is held on the head, leads to their instability. The touch of the hands or the comb to the head at such a moment may result in the loss of curls. In the absence of relapse after such a shock, the hair will completely recover after 3-4 months.

In addition, with nervous anxiety, this state takes over and the body is in a relentless stress. Because of the unnatural position of the back, neck and limbs, blood circulation and metabolic processes are disrupted. A similar situation can arise with a "sedentary" lifestyle.

Interesting: Mental illness of trichotillomania is characterized by involuntary withdrawal of own hair from the head. This habit can lead to both external causes( lack of iron and copper in the body, craniocerebral trauma), and internal. The disease is often provoked by prolonged depression, increased anxiety or even schizophrenia. Trichotillomania requires an indispensable treatment of a specialist.

How to determine if the cause of the disease is neuroses?

In order to contact a specialized specialist, you need to know the cause of the disease. Of course, only the examination and diagnosis can give an accurate answer, but a number of symptoms can still give you a clue. You can safely suspect psychosomatics if:

1. Hair falls out gradually, over a long period, but each day their number is gradually increasing. If the alopecia has other, non-psychological reasons - for example, age, disease or genetic predisposition - it occurs dramatically, the hair thinning over a short period of time.
2. In addition to loss, the quality of hair changes for the worse. The head has to be washed more often than usual, since sebum is secreted in large quantities( normally the hair should look clean for two to three days).The appearance of the curls also leaves much to be desired: the color fades, the volume is lost. This is due to hormonal failure, which inevitably leads to a prolonged depression.
3. The condition of not only the hair, but also the skin throughout the body, as well as nails, has worsened. It is these three spheres that primarily affect the progressing neurotic states. The skin changes light, grows old, it is often possible to observe the falling off of small particles. Nails become brittle and layered.

Finding out the manifestations of all or most of these signs, contact your problem with a neurologist or a psychotherapist. This will help to identify the root cause of the disease and find a solution to the problem. Perhaps you will not be able to independently establish the relationship between the event that shook you and your health. Having found the source of the disease, you can change its course. But also to refuse treatment at the profile specialist it is not necessary: ​​to get rid of both the causes and manifestations of the ailment, you will need parallel observation.

Interesting: Often after finding this problem, the patient begins to have a strong fear of losing the rest of her hair. Additional experiences only aggravate the situation, and baldness continues. That is why, when faced with a symptom, it is important not to panic, but to start treatment in time.

How to restore hair after a nervous shock?

In addition to supervision of a specialist, and the use of prescribed medications, one should not forget about self-care for hair:

1. Vitamins A, Groups B, D, E are very useful for hair. Use foods that are high in them, or take them as preparations.
   

   Products with a high content of vitamins E, A, B, D

2. Regularly perform scalp massage, as well as neck - even the simplest. It can be done manually, but can be done with a special comb or other devices. Massage provides blood flow to the hair follicles and saturates them with the right substances.
3. Use masks based on oils and other natural ingredients, prepare broths from herbs as a conditioner. Recipes can be gleaned from traditional medicine or other sources.
4. Buy special shampoos and balms, designed to treat and restore fragile, weakened hair. There are special medical lines of funds, oriented to such situations. Do not forget about the individual approach to your hair type: for dry and fatty types you need different means.
5. Cut the tips every 1.5-2 months. After the final establishment of the diagnosis, you can even get a haircut, albeit not too shortly. Psychologists believe that haircut - a kind of way to lose the burden of the past and get rid of the associated fears. In addition, it is useful for the hair and the physical level.

An example of restoring agents that are easy to prepare at home:

1. The simplest mask is olive oil. You can even do without additives: it is enough to heat a quarter of the glass in a water bath and carefully rub it into your hair. The method can be used, including for prevention. The holding time is not limited - the best option is to leave the oil overnight.
2. Rub garlic and onion and mix the formed gruel. Apply the mask on the head and hold for an hour, then rinse in the usual way. If possible, the hair is best rinsed with a decoction of chamomile.
3. An excellent tool for strengthening hair - henna. If the usual henna and basma do not suit you, use colorless. For best effect, mix it with kefir, the density of the mass should resemble sour cream. Keep this mask for half an hour.

Important! For the duration of each mask, the head needs to be covered with a film( for example, a package), and wrapped on top with a warm towel.

Diet for psychosomatic hair loss

With alopecia, it is better to temporarily forget about diets aimed at weight loss. By depriving yourself of excess calories, you in parallel overlap the many useful substances the way into your body. They are necessary, so that the rehabilitation period soon ended. The greatest number of vitamins contain vegetables, fruits, oils, eggs, fatty fish, animal liver.

In addition to vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, normalizing the scalp, and protein are needed to combat baldness. This is the building material on which your hair is based, and which is indispensable for their restoration. When there is a lack of protein, the body automatically stops sending it to the hair to accumulate supplies for other vital organs.

It is desirable to fulfill the daily consumption rate of each element:

Vitamins	Containing products	Daily norm
Vitamin A	Fish oil, butter, milk, red, orange and yellow fruits and vegetables, greens	3300-5000 ME
Vitamin E	Cereals, leafy vegetables, vegetable oil	15mg
Vitamin D	Animal liver, dairy products, fish	100-500 ME
Protein	Lean meat, eggs, nuts, cottage cheese, leguminous crops	80 g
Zinc	Wheat grains, bran, seafood, mushrooms, meat, fish5-10 mg	5-10 mg
Magnesiumth	Dark chocolate, grains, beans, lentils, avocado	350-400 g

What is better to give up?

Many of the actions we do by inertia do not contribute to healthy hair. For the period of treatment it is best to avoid:

1. Too frequent washing of the head. This violates the natural microflora, deprives the hair of its own oils, designed to provide them with health.
2. Some drugs - for example, blood thinners, beta blockers, lithium-containing drugs, and some others. To accurately protect yourself from an unwanted combination, consult your doctor about the drugs that you take regularly. Most likely, you will be recommended an alternative or a lower dose. Aids for laying and waving. Do not use a hair dryer, do not paint hair, avoid anything that negatively affects their condition.
3. Shampoos, which includes sulfate, paraben and other chemical elements. It is better to choose make-up on herbs and other natural ingredients. Excellent influence on hair means with extracts of almonds, coconut oil, nettle, mother-and-stepmother, rosemary, birch.
4. Malnutrition - it does not matter, because of diet or lack of time. Take food at least three times a day, it is very important not to skip breakfast.
5. Chemically processed food, excess sweet, foods with high content of trans fats.
6. Emotional unrest before bedtime. Refuse to watch TV at this time - it is better to do relaxing procedures.
7. If possible, any stress and overvoltage.

Video - How to treat hair loss folk methods

Prevention of psychosomatic hair loss

The best way to prevent repetition or the appearance of hair loss is to work on your own stress resistance. A healthy lifestyle plays a significant role here. Exercising, exercising, regular exercises lead to blood circulation to normal and give the body enough energy for an early rehabilitation. A competent combination of periods of activity with rest is the guarantee of a harmonious mental state. Work should not adversely affect your health: follow the correct daily routine, reasonable load, quality sleep and nutrition.

Restoring after the endured stress will help travel, or just sally to fresh air. In addition, the complex work with a therapist will be able to smooth out problems in relationships, learn to accept reality and live harmony with others. By reducing the number of demands for peace around us, we also reduce the causes for stress and anxiety.