As nature prepares for winter hibernation, so too do our bodies. Hair loss and regrowth is part of the natural ebb and flow of the seasons, just like trees shedding their leaves in autumn and regrowing in spring.
One of the regulators of extra hair loss in autumn is melatonin, a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain, which is responsible for maintaining the body’s circadian rhythms. Melatonin is produced in varying quantities based on how much light a person gets throughout the day as well as the kind of light they are getting. If you spend a lot of time working in an office environment, at night or under fluorescent lighting, you will produce a lot less melatonin than those who work outside in natural lighting.
Scientists have been doing research on various uses for melatonin. They noted that animals with high levels of melatonin were subject to fur growth at a faster rate than those that did not take melatonin (I am not condoning animal experimentation btw). And when applied to humans, there has been a lot of success with using melatonin for hair loss due to the changes brought on by low melatonin levels caused by aging or lack of sunlight.
Stages of Hair Loss
The anagen stage is characterized by hair cells dividing and growing rapidly. Normally hair grows about 1 cm every month during anagen. It usually lasts from 2 to 5 years.
The catagen phase is the transitional stage that marks the end of the active hair growth. It usually takes from 2 to 3 weeks for hair to pass through catagen.
Telogen is the stage of rest that usually lasts 2-3 weeks. During this period fully keratinized hair no longer grows.
All hair follicles may not be in the same stage at the same time but proportionally about 15 percent of hair follicles are usually in telogen. If you are losing excessive amounts of hair in the autumn months, consider a topical melatonin lotion that can be applied directly to the scalp.
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