"The groundwork of all happiness is health." - Leigh Hunt

Here's how hormones and chemotherapy can change your hair.

Hair is available in many colours, shapes, and sizes, and hairstyles are sometimes an expression of private style or cultural identity.

Many different genes Determine the feel, thickness and color of our hair. But some people's hair changes after puberty, pregnancy or chemotherapy.

So, what could cause hair to turn out to be curly, thick, thin or gray?



Curly or straight? How the form of the hair follicle plays a job.

Made of hair. Keratin, a powerful and insoluble protein. Each hair strand grows by itself. Hair follicle which extends deep into the skin.

Asymmetry of each results in curly hair. Hair follicle and keratin In the hair

producing follicles Curly hair are asymmetrical and curved and lie at an angle to the surface of the skin. It sheds the hair because it first grows.

Hair follicle asymmetry also causes keratin to build up on one side of the hair strand. It pulls sections of the hair strand closer together right into a curl, which maintains the curl because the hair grows.

Follicles which might be smooth, round, and standing on the surface of the skin produce straight hair.

Each hair strand grows from its own hair follicle.
Masterpiece/Shutterstock


Life changes, hair changes.

Our hair goes through repeated cycles throughout our lives, with different phases of growth and shedding.

Each hair follicle comprises stem cells, which multiply and multiply Grow in hair strands..

Scalp hair spends most of its time inside. Stage of development, which might last for a few years. This is why the hair on the pinnacle will be so long.

Let's have a look at the lifetime of a single hair strand. After growth there’s a transitional phase of about two weeks, where the hair tension stops growing. This is followed by the resting phase where the hair stays within the follicle for the primary few months. falls off naturally.

Hair follicle Lives in the skin And the stem cells grow a brand new hair to repeat the cycle.

Every hair on the scalp is replaced. Every three to five years.

A woman with curly hair is working on her computer.
Every hair on the scalp is replaced every three to 5 years.
Just Life/Shutterstock

Hormonal changes during and after pregnancy alter the conventional pattern of hair growth.

Many women take care of their hair. Fat during pregnancy.

During pregnancy, high levels of Estrogen, progesterone and prolactin Prolong the resting phase of the hair cycle. It means hair Stays in the hair follicle for a long time.with less hair.

A couple of months after birth, the drop in hormones causes hair loss. This is resulting from all of the hair that was left within the resting phase while pregnant falling out in a reasonably synchronous manner.

Hair can change after puberty, pregnancy or chemotherapy.

This has to do with the genetics of hair texture, which is one example. Incomplete dominance.

Incomplete dominance occurs when a trait has an intermediate version. For hair, we’ve curly hair and straight hair genes. But when someone has one gene for curly hair and one gene for straight hair, they’ll have wavy hair.

Hormonal changes that occur around puberty And pregnancy Can affect gene function. This may cause the curly hair gene to be over-activated in someone with wavy hair. It can change their hair from wavy to curly.

Researchers have identified that activating specific genes can change hair in pigs. From straight to curly.

Chemotherapy It has very noticeable effects on the hair. Chemotherapy kills rapidly dividing cells, including hair follicles, which causes hair loss. Chemotherapy may additionally be used. Genetic influences which affects the form of the hair follicle. It could cause hair loss. Grow again with a different shape. For the primary few hair regrowth cycles.

Woman with wavy hair looking in the mirror.
Your hair can change at different stages of your life.
Igor Ivakhno / Shutterstock

Along with aging, hormonal changes also affect our hair.

throughout life, Thyroid hormones are essential for the production of keratin. Low levels of thyroid hormones could cause dry and brittle hair.

Estrogen and Androgens Also regulates hair growth and shedding, especially as we age.

Male pattern baldness is attributable to high levels of androgens. In particular, dihydrotestosterone (sometimes abbreviated DHT), which is produced within the body from testosterone, plays a job. Male pattern baldness.

Some women experience female pattern hair loss. It is attributable to a mix of genetic aspects in addition to low levels. Estrogen and high androgens After menopause. Hair follicles turn out to be smaller and smaller until they not produce hair.

The function of the manufacturing cells decreases. Melanin (the pigment that provides our hair its color) is what causes graying.