Postpartum Alopecia: Dealing With Hair Loss After Childbirth

As your due date draws near, you’re probably pulling out all stops to welcome your little one to the world whilst looking forward to bidding goodbye to the extra baby weight. But there’s another pregnancy outcome that will not receive the same enthusiasm when it does leave: your thick, shiny pregnancy locks.

Contrary to popular belief, stress derived from motherhood isn’t the primary cause behind the loss of your thick and luscious locks. In fact, the main culprit is none other than the changes in your hormone levels! Before you fret about the idea of potentially going bald (don’t worry, you won’t), we’re here to give you the lowdown on what you can expect of postpartum alopecia and what you can do about it.

Hormonal Changes During Pregnancy And Postpartum

Before we can dive into anything postpartum related, we’ll first need to learn how the body has changed during pregnancy.

The human body is tenacious and resilient. To safeguard both mother and child’s health, the body will alter its physiology to support both. One of the changes that the body will undergo is the shift in hormones both during pregnancy and after the baby’s delivery. For one, levels of female hormones progesterone and estrogen will reach their ultimate peak – progesterone levels will increase 10 to 18 times whilst estrogen levels reach nearly 1,000 times higher. This increase explains the various aesthetic side effects during pregnancy, such as pregnancy glow, and thicker and healthier hair.

Once the baby is born and the placenta is removed, the female hormone levels will plummet. Within the first 24 hours after childbirth, they will return to pre-pregnancy levels.

Postpartum Alopecia

The rise and fall of the female hormones, in particular estrogen, is the reason why the majority of postpartum women suffer from thinning hair and hair loss. The increased production of female hormones will keep the follicles in the active growth phase (anagen phase) for far longer than usual. Not only does this mean longer and thicker hair, but it also means that less hair fall.

However, after childbirth, the aforementioned drop in female hormones will push the overaged hairs into a resting period (telogen phase). It is worth noting that each follicle has its own rhythm and is usually out of phase with their surrounding neighbours. A significant number of hairs is pushed to the telogen phase at the same time – what this means is that when the follicles release the said strands, a substantial amount will fall out. This phenomenon will usually occur 2 to 5 months after childbirth.

As the body adjusts to post-childbirth, the hormones will return to its pre-pregnancy levels and the follicles will once again start their anagen levels. After an additional 6 to 9 months, your hair will begin to grow back as per normal. As such, rather than a pathological side effect of pregnancy, postpartum hair loss is the restoration of normality.

Postpartum Hair Treatments

Despite being temporary, there are a few women who experience changes or complications regarding their postpartum hair growth. Some women may experience slower hair growth and less hair density, with some having little to no growth entirely due to compounded stress and complications. If you’re having trouble with hair growth, or simply wish to enjoy thick and luscious long hair again, here are a few tips that can help you grow out your hair.

1. Prepare Well-Balanced And Nutritious Meals

No doubt, the first thing you’d want to do is replenish all the nutrients your body has spent trying to grow your baby. When your body isn’t getting enough nutrients it needs, it will tap into your stored nutrients and direct it to channels that require them the most, for instance, the running of organ systems. As such, secondary functions such as hair growth, will not receive the same support. Thus, you’ll want to make sure that your body gets enough nutrients for it to perform both its core and secondary body functions.

When preparing your well-balanced meals, you can include dark leafy greens (for the vitamin C and iron), shellfish and legumes (for the zinc), and always make sure you have enough protein consumption as well since hair is made almost entirely of protein, and consuming enough is essential for good hair growth.

2. Eat Your Vitamins

Vitamins are by no means a meal replacement. They do, however, help as a supplement, especially if your diet is not well-balanced. If you’re looking for specific supplements that help in hair growth, you may look into your B vitamins such as biotin, vit B12, vitamins C and D, and minerals such as iron and zinc.

You’re advised to continue your prenatal vitamins after childbirth, especially if you’re breastfeeding. However, since large doses of minerals can compete with each other to be absorbed, you’ll want to consume either prenatal vitamins or general vitamins at any one time – but never both. It’s best to discuss with your doctor before you do so.

3. Low-Level Laser Therapy

If the above tips don’t wield results, low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is an option that’s worth looking into. By using focused light energy, this FDA-approved hair loss treatment will help stimulate biological reaction and initiate cellular repair in the hair follicles, ultimately leading to hair growth.

Safe and tolerable, LLLT is the perfect solution for those who prefer to go for other routes outside of prescribed medications and surgical procedures.

4. Follicular Unit Extraction

If your hair has yet to return to its former glory, especially if you’ve done the aforementioned tips, and still suffer from a thinning head of hair despite giving adequate time for recovery, you may want to take the next step: hair transplant surgery. For those who suffer extensive hair loss patterns, opting for a multifaceted approach may require viable surgical options. This is usually more suitable for patients with background female pattern hair loss, and is not suitable during active telogen effluvium and should not be used to address regular postpartum alopecia. Active hairfall should be addressed first, and adequately worked up before proceeding with surgical options.

One such surgical option is Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE), which involves the shaving of an area of your scalp and excising follicular unit grafts. Using a sharp and small cylindrical punch (between 0.8mm to 1.1mm in diameter), the skin around each hair follicle will be cut into before it is carefully teased out with a fine forceps. These follicle unit grafts will then be transplanted into the thinning areas, promoting long term hair growth.

The method of removing these individual follicular units will leave tiny dot scars, but they are hardly visible. But you’ll want to ensure you have sufficient supply donor hair, which will be advised by the doctor, before moving forward with the procedure.

At Angeline Yong Dermatology, we understand the aesthetic side effects of childbirth and motherhood, and the toll they have on one’s self-esteem. As such, we strive to deliver solutions with a multifaceted approach to help you regain your confidence.

On top of being a fully accredited dermatologist specialising in diagnosing and treating all hair disorders, Dr Angeline Yong is also a USA fellowship-trained hair transplant surgeon. She was also previously the founding consultant and lead of the hair transplant service in the National Skin Centre.

Understanding that there is no one-size-fits-all solution, Dr Yong will thoroughly assess your condition before customising a treatment plan that suits you best. Whether it’d be LLLT, FUE or other treatments, Dr Yong will consider all options to give you optimal results.

Take the first step into motherhood with thick, luscious hair! Contact us at AYD to get started.

References

Whitney Crouch, R. D. N. Postpartum Hormones Mediate Depression, Memory Changes, and More.
Lynfield, Y. L. (1960). Effect of pregnancy on the human hair cycle. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 35(6), 323-327.

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Postpartum Alopecia: Dealing With Hair Loss After Childbirth