Postpartum Hair Loss: Ultimate Guide

Pregnancy changes your entire body. During pregnancy, you can experience a whirlwind of symptoms such as nausea, tender breasts, fatigue, intense food cravings, mood swings, frequent urination, and so many more! When your bundle of joy finally arrives, you might expect the symptoms to disappear, but that isn’t always the case. Postpartum hair loss is a common occurrence following pregnancy that can take women by surprise. In this guide, find out everything you need to know about postpartum hair loss, including what causes it and whether it is permanent.

What is Postpartum Hair Loss?

Postpartum hair loss is a specific type of pregnancy hair loss that occurs after the mother has given birth. Usually, the postpartum period lasts for six to eight weeks, so hair loss will happen anytime during then. Postpartum hair loss usually results in a widened parting, thinning hair, and sometimes even clumps of hair coming out altogether.

What Causes Postpartum Hair Loss?

Postpartum hair loss is caused by telogen effluvium, a type of hair loss that occurs due to stress. Your body goes through a lot of stress both during and after pregnancy. There are also all the hormone levels change, which triggers telogen effluvium. For example, it’s common for estrogen levels to drop after giving birth.

When Does Postpatum Hair Loss Stop?

The good news is that postpartum hair loss is not permanent! It’s a completely normal occurrence, and most mothers find that if they start hair shedding after the baby is born, then their hair starts to grow back in a matter of months. By the time the child turns one year old, most mothers have all of their hair back and the hair loss is just a memory.

How to Prevent Postpartum Hair Loss

Even though postpartum hair loss is only temporary, you will still want to minimise the risk as much as possible. While you will be more concerned with looking after your little one, it helps to feel good in your skin, especially after going through so many physical and mental changes. So, if you are pregnant or have recently given birth, here are some helpful ways to prevent postpartum hair loss.

Take Prenatal Vitamins

If you are still pregnant, consider taking prenatal vitamins. These are good for both mother and the baby, including essential nutrients like folic acid, iron, calcium, and vitamin D. By ensuring you are getting all these nutrients, you reduce the chance of losing your hair once the baby is born.

Eat a Healthy Diet

More than likely, your doctor has already told you to eat a healthy diet. Make sure you eat a well-balanced diet that includes a lot of vegetables and proteins, as this will help you and your baby. Of course, there’s also nothing wrong with giving into cravings!

Manage Your Stress

Managing your stress while pregnant and during the postpartum period may sound like a daunting task, but it is important. Your hair will thank you, as excess stress can trigger telogen effluvium and lead to even more hair loss.

How to Treat Postpartum Hair Loss

If you have already have noticeable hair loss, you might wonder, how can I stop postpartum hair loss? While there is no specific postpartum hair loss treatment, there are things you can do to treat it.

Treat Your Hair Gently

Avoid using harsh treatments on your hair. Instead, treat your hair gently. Don’t overdo the brushing, and avoid wearing tight hairstyles. While this won’t directly help you regrow the hair, it will prevent the hair loss from getting worse.

Using Volumizing Products

A volumizing shampoo can make a world of difference to the appearance of your locks. If you have experienced thinning after giving birth, use volumizing products to keep your hair looking great no matter what.

Experiment with a New Hairstyle

If you are used to having longer, thicker hair, now might be a time to experiment with a shorter hairstyle. Long hairstyles can highlight a hairs thinness, so opt for a short do while your hair isn’t as thick. You can always enjoy longer hair once it starts to grow back.

Low-level Laser Therapy

Low-level laser therapy is a non-invasive procedure that uses low-level lasers to stimulate blood circulation. This procedure can help stimulate hair growth. It can even be used in other ways during postpartum, including helping with pain and breastfeeding.

Treat Any Nutritional Deficiencies

It’s common to have nutritional deficiencies during the postpartum period. If you do, it’s best to treat it, as this will help your hair grow back. You can check for any nutritional deficiencies at your doctor and then take a supplement. One of the most common is an iron deficiency.

Speak to a Doctor

It’s always best to keep in touch with a good doctor during the postpartum period, especially if you are concerned about hair loss. They can help you find a treatment option that works.

Is it Postpartum Hair Loss? How to Tell

Are you unsure whether you are experiencing postpartum hair loss? Here are some of the signs that indicate you are.

Generally Thinner Hair: Sometimes, you won’t find a bald spot or see clumps where hair falls out. Instead, you’ll notice your hair seems overall a little thinner, which is very common with postpartum hair loss.

You’re Finding More Hairs: If you find extra hairs on your pillow, on the shower floor, and on your hairbrush, outside of its normal shedding phase, that’s a sign of postpartum hair loss.

Your Parting is Wider: While men tend to experience a receding hairline, women are more likely to get a wider parting. If your parting looks further apart than it did before, postpartum hair loss is likely to be the cause.

The Time Lines Up: If you experience hair loss directly following giving birth, that’s a sure sign it’s postpartum hair loss. On the other hand, if you experienced hair loss before you got pregnant, it might be due to something else.

Bald Patches: Severe postpartum hair loss can result in some bald patches. This can be particularly difficult for new mums to deal with.

Does Everyone Get Postpartum Hair Loss?

No – not everyone gets postpartum hair loss. However, it is very common, affecting almost half of all new mums. [1] So, if you are experiencing it, know that you are not alone.

What Other Symptoms Are Expected During Postpartum?

It’s not just hair loss that occurs after giving birth – there are a myriad of other symptoms that can occur, including:

• Hormonal Shifts
• Fatigue
• Swelling
• Enlarged Breasts
• Cramps
• Vaginal Bleeding
• Depression

If you are worried about any of these symptoms, speak with your doctor, as they will be able to help you. You don’t need to go through any of the symptoms alone.

What if it’s Not Postpartum Hair Loss?

So, what if it’s not postpartum hair loss? What if your hair hasn’t grown back even years after giving birth? In this case, it’s best to get to the root cause to understand your hair loss and how to treat it.

The most common cause is androgenetic alopecia, which is also known as female pattern baldness. In this case, the cause is genetic. There are several hair loss solutions for this, including hair loss medications (like minoxidil) and a hair transplant.

There is also the chance that you have an underlying medical condition or nutritional deficiency. You can find this out by speaking to your doctor, who can perform some blood tests. You are better equipped to treat your hair loss once you know what’s causing it.

Can Women Get Hair Transplants?

Yes – hair transplants are popular with both men and women. While a hair transplant is not the best solution for postpartum hair loss, they are ideal for androgenetic alopecia. That’s because postpartum hair loss is only temporary, whereas androgenetic alopecia is genetic and requires treatment.

A FUE hair transplant takes hair follicles from one area of the scalp and transplants them to the area that is experiencing hair loss. After around three months, new hairs will begin to grow through those follicles, eventually leading to a full head of hair once more. Check out our patients gallery if you want to see what the results look like!

Postpartum Hair Loss: In Summary

Postpartum hair loss is both common and temporary. It will usually look like hair thinning all over, and you may notice more hairs coming out when you shampoo and brush your hair. It’s a very unfortunate side effect and can emotionally affect women quite significantly, but it does not last forever, and there are ways to treat it. If you have any worries about hair loss, whether you are pregnant or have recently given birth, it’s always best to talk to a doctor, as they will be able to help.

It’s also important to know when hair loss isn’t caused by hormonal changes after giving birth. If you are experiencing a more permanent type of hair loss, get in touch with our expert hair restoration team today. We are knowledgeable in all things hair restoration, so we can assist you. Download our hair track app to gain access to our consultations and begin your journey to a full head of hair.

Sources:

1. https://www.michelegreenmd.com/postpartum-hair-loss#:~:text=While%20postpartum%20hair%20loss%20does,varies%20from%20person%20to%20person.