Stress can have devastating effects on your physical and emotional health, from weight fluctuations and mood swings, to insomnia, anxiety disorders and an increased susceptibility to colds. If you're under severe stress, you may also experience significant hair loss, also known as telogen effluvium.
The average scalp contains about 100,000 hairs; it is normal to lose about 50 to 120 a day. Extreme stress, however, can interrupt the hair's growth cycle - your hair stops growing and 'rests' for a while, only to fall out a couple of months later and typically in clumps.
Apart from stress, your hair may fall out as a result of hormonal changes from pregnancy, major surgery, certain medical treatments like chemotherapy, medication (such as vitamin A, antidepressants, birth control pills, or drugs for high blood pressure), fungal infections (such as those of the scalp), or underlying illnesses such as diabetes or lupus. Hair loss in these cases is temporary; normal hair growth usually resumes once these interruptions to the growth cycle are minimised or stopped.
Hair loss as a result of ageing or genetic factors, on the other hand, is permanent. According to Gary Chow, managing director of Nu/Hart Hair Solutions, both male pattern baldness (also called androgenetic alopecia) and female pattern baldness are genetic and, therefore, inevitable. More men than women suffer from this form of hair loss, which is related to the production of certain hormones and their effect on the hair follicles.
Jonathan Tang, managing director of HIS Hair Clinic, agrees that nothing can bring your hair back once the follicles are dead. 'Unless you have alopecia, which might be due to stress or a medical condition, your hair isn't going to grow back. Lotions and potions generally don't work and are a waste of money, although there are a couple of brands on the market that do slow down hair loss,' he says. Tonics, herbs and pills are also ineffective at making hair grow again.
If you're lucky enough to have a full head of hair, you can keep it looking lustrous with a balanced diet. Charmain Tan, registered dietitian at Seventeen Nutrition Consultants, says hair needs protein, iron, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc and a very small amount of vitamin A to stay healthy and strong. 'Very low-calorie diets are often lacking in essential nutrients and can stunt hair growth or leave hair dull and limp,' she says. 'If the nutritional deficiency is significant enough, such as in the case of someone with an eating disorder, hair can fall out.'
Iron helps red blood cells carry oxygen to the hair follicles, and the best sources of this mineral include lean meat, spinach, tomatoes, beans, lentils and bran. 'It's been well-established that women suffering from hair loss or baldness have low levels of iron in their blood,' Tan says.