To BE hairy or not to BE hairy that is the
question.
Well, it might be the question, but really
what choice to we have?
Sorry to say but it’s already kind of decided whether or not you’re gonna have a lot of
body hair, if you’re going to go bald early or how soon the grey’s will appear.
Can all this hair be trying to tell us something about our health?
Should we be paying more attention to what our hair is doing?
We’re gonna answer these hairy questions and more in today’s video.
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First of all, having lots of body hair, or a certain type of hair on your head doesn’t
mean you’re unhealthy it’s more about your genetic makeup.
What the hair on your body and head can do is give you an idea about what’s going on
under the surface.
Here’s some things your hair might be trying to tell you.
You’re Getting Older.
Going grey is a common sign of getting older and we think you should wear it as a badge
of honour!
Sometimes we go grey really early, and that’s just because of your genetics.
If you are going grey before your time, maybe take a look at some old photos of your parents
or grandparents.
You might be surprised to find that they too, have probably gone grey early too.
Have you heard that plucking out your grey hairs will make even more grow back?
It’s not true.
Plucking one grey hair, will only result in another grey hair growing back in its place.
You hair turns grey because the pigment cells die.
It’s actually recommended you don’t pluck the greys from your head as that could lead
to bald patches, or infection.
Imbalance In Your Hormones.
Hormones can do all sorts of things to a person's body and when they’re out of whack you’re
going to notice.
Experiencing a boost in testosterone levels, which both men and women possess, can increase
hair growth on the body and on the face.
While this may be more noticeable to women who don’t usually grow a lot of hair on
their faces, men can experience this too.
The condition of unwanted male-pattern hair growth on women in known as hirsutism.
Male pattern is hair that grows above the belly button, the chest, upper back and face.
On the other hand, raised levels of testosterones in women can also cause baldness in women,
too.
This sometimes happens when menopause begins, and estrogen levels naturally decrease.
Like we said when your hormones are off the charts, you’re probably gonna notice.
Adrenal Gland Disorder.
This disorder is very rare, and is also known as addison’s disease.
Your adrenal glands can be found just above the kidneys.
When these glands produce too little cortisol or aldosterone, that’s when addison’s
disease can develop.
The onset of this disease is usually very slow, and can take many months until you notice
symptoms.
This can make identifying this disease even harder because it’s often mistaken for just
being stressed out.
Symptoms of this disease include the loss of body hair, but also a strange craving for
salt, feeling extremely tired, weight loss and many other hard to diagnose symptoms.
Autoimmune Problems.
Again, this is another rare one, but losing hair on your head or body in weird circular
patterns could be what’s called alopecia.
This can mean hair loss of the scalp, or hair loss on your body, including your eyebrows
and even your eyelashes.
Unfortunately there is no known cure for this disease, but it doesn’t actually damage
the hair follicles and isn’t contagious.
Researchers believe this could be the result of an autoimmune disorder that makes your
body attack your own hair follicles, which then will make your hair fall out.
Scientists are still trying to figure out how someone develops this disorder, while
they do believe it can be caused by problems with your immune system, it’s also said
that it can be genetic.
If both parents carry the gene they can possibly pass it down to their kids.
There’s also the idea that someone’s environment can play a role in hair loss as well.
There was a study done that showed when looking at twins, it’s possible for only one of
them to develop alopecia, which means it has to come from an outside source if not genetic.
However we still don’t know what these specific environmental triggers are, researchers think
it’s probably allergens, hormones, toxins or all of the above.
You Could Be Low in Iron.
This happens to women more than men because of that glorious time of the month, and the
fact women can lose a lot of blood.
It can also happen when folks are on certain diets that omit foods rich in iron like red
meat, dried fruits, and kale.
Not having enough iron in your body can create all sorts of health related issues including,
you guessed it, hair loss.
Hair loss is actually one of the most common symptoms of an iron deficiency.
Basically, without enough iron, your body can’t produce enough of the protein hemoglobin
in your blood.
This hemoglobin carries oxygen to your cells and helps with growth and repairs.
Hair needs oxygen to grow and if there’s a lack of it, these cells that take care of
hair growth can’t do their job.
This could also mean that you’re eating too much fast food.
There’s very little in the form on nutritional value when it comes to a happy meal, and if
you eat fast food on a regular basis, you’re probably missing out some key vitamins and
minerals your body needs.
If this happens you body can react in negative ways like hair loss, but also can increase
your risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease among other things.
Hypothyroidism.
Hypo..wha??
Hypothyroidism.
Your thyroid is a gland that sort of looks like a cute little butterfly in the front
of your neck.
It releases hormones, regulates your metabolism, heartbeat, breathing rate, body temperature,
menstrual cycles (if you’re a woman) and cholesterol among some other things i’m
sure we didn’t mention.
It’s really important and when it’s out of whack, it can cause some real problems.
Problems like a hormonal imbalance and eventually hair loss.
It’s said that everyone has a “hair cycle” which is a time of year that you shed more
than others, and it’s different depending on the person.
But when the hair loss becomes worrisome on your head or body you could have a thyroid
issue.
Symptoms can be losing the hair on your head, but also the eyebrows.
You can have your blood tested to see how your hormone levels checked out if you’re
worried.
Other symptoms that go along with this hair loss can include weight gain, problems remembering
things, eye trouble, and fatigue.
If you’re experiencing anything on this list that you’re worried about make sure
you talk to a medical professional.
Your hair could be one of the first things to notify you when something funny might be
going on under the surface of your body.
Maybe we should be giving the hair on our bodies a little more credit?
Did anything on this list surprise you?
Let us know if your hair has ever given you a hint when it comes to your health in the
comments section below.