Would you like to guess how long your hair thinning will last with our test: “Hair loss quiz: Is my hair loss permanent or temporary?” Every patient with hair shedding problems needs to know the duration of the loss to treat the scalp tissue and hair follicles.
Once you know the length of your hair loss cycle, you can consider a balding treatment like FUE hair transplantation that gives long-lasting results. For a healthy hair growth cycle, you can receive treatments such as PRP and iPRF, which can shorten the phase of hair shedding (exogen) and prolong the anagen (growth) phase.
Let’s learn your type of hair loss, and ways to combat shedding upwards of 100 individual hairs on a daily basis. 👇
How to know if hair loss is temporary or permanent?
Permanent balding and those caused by temporary conditions may show different symptoms and processes.
The underlying causes of temporary hair loss are usually:
- stress,
- medication use,
- nutritional deficiencies
- weight loss (diet),
- childbirth,
- excessive hair care,
- hair damage,
- burns,
- physical trauma.
Permanent hair loss is likely to be due to causes:
- genetic factors
- androgenetic alopecia (AGA)
- female pattern hair loss
- male pattern hair loss
- thyroid disease
- hormones [DHT (dihydrotestosterone)]
- anemia
- autoimmunity
- low vitamin levels
Temporary vs Permanent Hair Loss
| Temporary | Permanent | |
| What do dermatologists say? | If the reasons are temporary, the dermatologist will let you know. | If it is due to alopecia or other permanent causes, it is diagnosed. |
| When the triggers are eliminated, do the results change? | Yes | No |
| Are you experiencing the anagen (active growth) phase | Yes | Absent or lasts very short |
Hair Loss Quiz – Temporary or Permanent Hair Loss
Don’t you know the cause of hair thinning? There can’t be a one-size-fits-all reason for hair loss, so the crucial step is to learn the root of the problem before choosing surgical or nonsurgical therapy. Take the ‘Hair Loss Quiz – Temporary or Permanent Hair Loss’ to get a quick assessment and prepare yourself for a consultation with our Hair Loss Expert. 👇
Which one: Temporary or Permanent Hair Loss
Both types of loss have different effects on the dermal layer (dermis). Your clinician makes a treatment plan according to how your existing hair react over your scalp and hair follicles to certain diseases, stressors, vitamin deficiencies, and/or dehydration.
Birth Control Pills Hair Loss
Although not common, Mirena can cause hair loss in a minority of users as a long-term side effect. According to the Mirena product information, this is listed as a rare side effect, occurring in ≥0.1% to <1%. Other prolonged risks include pain during urination and sex, abdominal pain, fever, and fatigue.
Gabapentin Hair Loss
Gabapentin, used for neuropathic pain, is often associated with alopecia, though this has not yet been scientifically proven. Case studies report that shock-type hair loss can occur within a week of starting the medication.
Alopecia hair loss
Alopecia areata is a condition in which the immune system targets hair follicles and causes hair loss. Alopecia may affect the entire scalp as patchy hair loss. Hair falls out in small, round patches.
Trichotillomania hair loss
According to the DSM-V diagnostic manual written by the American Psychiatric Association, Trichotillomania is classified as an impulse control disorder combined with OCD. The patient repeats the act of hair pulling despite excessive hair loss. The patient resists this action but cannot control themselves. Therefore, the patient also experiences anxiety and nervousness before the act. These two conditions also trigger hair loss.
Menopausal hair loss
During menopause, hormonal changes cause hair follicles to shrink in women. This condition leads to finer hair growth and ultimately hair loss. There are scientific studies showing that it is possible to regain hair strength after menopause with a nutrition plan suitable for keratin hair protein synthesis.
Steroids hair loss
Steroids are medications that can sometimes cause hair loss. This is more common with anabolic steroids, which affect hormone levels in the body. Hair loss is usually temporary and stops when you stop taking steroids. However, long-term use of high doses of Prednisone may lead to permanent hair loss. Eating well, using natural hair growth products and undergoing a hair transplant surgery can help hair regrow.
Chemotherapy hair loss
Chemotherapy-related hair loss occurs when the powerful medications used in cancer treatment affect rapidly dividing cells in the hair follicles. They disrupt the natural hair growth cycle, and result in hair thinning and eventual loss. Hair tends to grow back once chemotherapy is completed. However, particularly with high doses, shedding can be permanent. This happens when the hair follicles are severely damaged, making it difficult for hair to regrow.
Depakote Hair Loss
Depakote, often used to treat epilepsy and bipolar, may cause hair loss. It can lead to biotin deficiency and lower zinc levels. This deficiency may result in alopecia. Depakote-induced hair loss is usually temporary, it may become permanent with long-term use.
Stress Hair Loss
Stress disrupts the hair growth cycle through a condition called telogen effluvium and can trigger loss. When you are under anxiety, it can prematurely push a large number of follicle units into the resting phase (telogen). After a few months, hair strands fall out, bringing about noticeable thinning or loss of hair. This is usually temporary and growth resumes when the stress is relieved.
Vaping hair loss
Vaping (e-cigarette) may cause hair loss due to the mix of nicotine, toxins, its inducing impact on oxidative stress and hormonal fluctuations. Nicotine is linked to hair thinning and hair loss, especially because it restricts blood flow. Nevertheless, there is no scientific evidence yet to demonstrate the link between vaping and hair shedding.
Dandruff hair loss
Dandruff does not cause hair loss because it is the shedding of dead skin cells from the scalp, but it can be a signal that you do not have a normal skin integument. Dry skin, excessively oily skin, fungal infections like malassezia, some unhealthy hair care products, and eczema cause it.
What is the most permanent hair loss solution?
Although there are many natural or surgical interventions for hair transplantation, there is no treatment except hair transplantation that has been produced as a direct solution to the problem and shows a 98% success rate.
There are various hair transplant procedures that are designed over time for individual needs of people with baldness. For instance, if you want a hair transplant without shaving, you can consider the U-FUE hair transplant as an option. In contrast, if you do not mind using a bandage, you can choose between direct hair implantation (DHI) or follicular unit extraction (FUE) surgeries depending on the number of grafts you need for a fuller look.
Is hair transplant the best solution for hair loss?
Hair transplant surgeries are the best solution for directly treating baldness. By harvesting your existing hair grafts from donor areas of your body and transplanting them to bald areas, you can have completely natural and lush hair in a few months. Whether you suffer from male-pattern baldness or just want to transplant patchy bald spots. From receding hairline to crown area hair transplant surgery, this treatment is available for all hair transplantation procedures you need.
Contact us today for your receding hairline, vertex area hair loss, frontal baldness, and any other hair loss concerns! We will design a personalized treatment plan with our hair transplant experts just for you to start your transformation right now!
FAQs about Permanent or Temporary Hair Loss
What is temporary hair loss after pregnancy?
The decrease in estrogen and progesterone hormones can lead to hair entering the telogen phase and results with rapid hair loss and thinning in postpartum child-rearing women, known as postpartum hair loss [around %92 of women].
Is covid hair loss temporary?
Just like stress and medicine use, hair loss due to telogen effluvium can be seen due to COVID-19 and other related infections. It usually starts 2-3 months after recovering from COVID, and is temporary.
References
- Eker HE, Cok OY, Aribogan A. Alopecia Associated with Gabapentin in the Treatment of Neuropathic Pain. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. 2009;37(3):e5-e6. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2008.09.001
- Nancy Garrick DD. Alopecia Areata. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Published April 4, 2017. https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/alopecia-areata#:~:text=Alopecia%20areata%20is%20a%20disease
- Melo DF, Lima C dos S, Piraccini BM, Tosti A. Trichotillomania: what do we know so far? Skin Appendage Disorders. 2021;8(1):1-7. doi:https://doi.org/10.1159/000518191
- Administration SA and MHS. Table 3.27, DSM-IV to DSM-5 Trichotillomania (Hair-Pulling Disorder) Comparison. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Published June 1, 2016. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519704/table/ch3.t27/
- Tosi A, Misciali C, Piraccini BM, Peluso AM, Bardazzi F. Drug-induced hair loss and hair growth. Incidence, management and avoidance. Drug Saf. 1994 Apr;10(4):310-7. doi: 10.2165/00002018-199410040-00005. PMID: 8018303.
- Hirose, Asuka PhDa,*; Terauchi, Masakazu PhDa,b; Odai, Tamami PhDa,b; Fudono, Ayako PhDa; Tsurane, Kotoi PhDa; Sekiguchi, Masaki PhDa; Iwata, Misako PhDc; Anzai, Tatsuhiko PhDd; Takahashi, Kunihiko PhDd; Miyasaka, Naoyuki PhDa. Investigation of exacerbating factors for postpartum hair loss: a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study. International Journal of Women’s Dermatology 9(2):p e084, June 2023. DOI:10.1097/JW9.0000000000000084
- Czech T, Sugihara S, Nishimura Y. Characteristics of hair loss after COVID ‐19: A systematic scoping review. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. Published online July 19, 2022. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.15218
Article Review By: Dr. Jyothi Shenoy V
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MBBS, MD – Obstetrics & Gynaecology, MRCOG(UK)
23 Years Experience Overall