Why does a person have sparser hair on your edges and temples? Does it have anything to do with health problems or lifestyle habits? How can you treat this thinning hair problem? Find out the answers to the following questions by learning everything about hair thinning.
The Reasons Behind Your Thinning Hair on Edges and Temples
1. Super tight hairstyles
Sporting a neat and secured bun may give you a more dignified presence when facing other people, but the prolonged wearing of super tight hairstyles, such as buns, ponytails, braids, and cornrows, can ruin your hair instead.
A hair loss condition identified as traction alopecia is triggered when the hair follicles become stressed because of the extreme tugging of the strands. This disturbance may push them to rest, resulting in hair thinning and eventually shedding.
2. Postpartum Hair Loss
Mothers are among the greatest heroes. For nine months, they bear the unborn child's weight while undergoing drastic changes in their bodies. And even after giving birth, they still get to experience unwanted physical changes, including hair loss.
Telogen effluvium is a hair loss malady that usually happens due to stress, shock, or trauma. After pregnancy, a woman's body may undergo a state of 'shock.' Hormones can decrease during the process, forcing the anagen hair follicles to shift into the telogen phase to rest and cause shedding. The good news is that this alopecia problem is reversible, so there's no need for you to stress too much about your thinning hair issues.
3. Female-pattern Baldness
Thinning hair is the onset of female-pattern baldness, also known as androgenetic alopecia. Female-pattern baldness is hereditary; people with AGA have family members with the same condition.
Though women are less likely to go completely bald, women with AGA will still experience slower and sparser hair growth on your edges and temples. These symptoms will eventually cause a receding hairline if left untreated.
4. Autoimmune disease
A significant defect in the immune system can also mitigate healthy hair growth. For instance, alopecia areata is a hair loss condition that occurs when hair cells are mistakenly attacked as foreign bodies. This autoimmune disease can cause follicle deterioration, leading to hair loss.
Bald spots are the most evident signs of AA. However, people with this condition also experience having exclamation mark strands on the edges and temples. The shaft's bottom part is narrower and sparser, just like how an exclamation point looks.
If you think alopecia areata is the only condition that focuses on hair growth, you're wrong. Other autoimmune diseases, such as lupus, Hashimoto's disease, and psoriasis can also affect hair cells, which isn't good news for your locks.
5. Nutritional Deficiency
A low-nutrition diet can lead to unwanted health problems and physical changes, including hair growth. When your body suffers from nutrient scarcity, it allocates more of its stored nutrients to the most vital bodily functions, leaving the less important ones deficient.
For instance, iron deficiency can lead to a myriad of health issues. Your follicles need to be supplied with enough oxygen and nutrients to grow healthy strands; lack of iron can cause your hair thinning, starting from the edges and temples. When worse comes to worst, you may suffer from irreversible hair loss.
A lack of vitamins also allows free radicals to damage hair follicles and affect hair growth. Thus, it is of utmost concern to keep your diet checked to prevent your hair from becoming sparse and brittle.
6. Hormonal Imbalance
Hormones can affect your hair's health. They are essential factors that determine how healthy your hair grows well. Hormonal fluctuations usually happen, but extreme cases can cause hair growth catastrophes.
An increase in testosterone is not good news for your hair, for it can lead to the production of a potent androgen called dihydrotestosterone. DHT can bind and miniaturize your hair follicles, which prevents them from receiving nourishment. As a result, your hair, starting from the edges and temples, becomes thin and fragile until they can no longer hold on.
7. Heat Damage
Blow-drying your hair or basking under the sun makes it easier and faster for you to style your hair. However, heat exposure may be from the sun, or your hair drying tool is harmful to your strands. This culprit does not only make your hair dull and frizzy, but it can also cause moisture loss.
When your hair is not well-moisturized, the cuticles can get damaged, causing your strands to become sparser. Since your edges and hair on your temples are the most visible areas, they are prone to direct heat damage and, of course, thinning hair problems.
8. Moisture Loss
Moisture loss does not only happen due to heat damage. It can also be an internal problem, such as having a dehydrated body, or a hair care habit, such as negligence of hair brushing. Your strands are not fully protected against physical abrasions without enough moisture, which can roughen and thin the shafts at the end of the day.
9. Radiation Therapy
Some medical treatments may cause hair growth problems as a side effect. For instance, chemotherapy is a medical procedure that uses radiation to treat cancer. The radioactive waves target and destroy cancer cells. Yet, the process can also kill the healthy ones, including those residing on your hair follicles. That is why many chemotherapy patients experience thinning on their temples and edges, leading to total hair loss.
10. Chemical Treatments
Do you want to dye your hair? Or do you want to straighten your curled locks? If so, salon treatments can make your hair goals come true. However, many treatments involve the use of harsh chemicals which can damage your hair, some of which can even trigger alopecia.
There are also products that you can apply at home, such as hair dyes and relaxants. Besides having harmful substances, misapplication can also affect the quality of your locks. If you slather too much of the product on your hair, it can irritate the scalp. Frequent usage of these chemical treatments can dry the hair on your edges and temples, making them look dull and frail.
How Can You Treat Your Sparse Hair on the Edges and Temples?
Now that you have known the common causes of thinning edges and hair on your temples, follow some of these helpful tips to save your precious strands from becoming sparse.
1. Let your edges have a break from hairstyles.
Letting your hair down every once in a while can be a game-changer in your style. It will also allow your tresses to take a break from the tugging sensation caused by tight hairstyles. By doing so, you can prevent your edges from further thinning.
2. Moisturize your mane with hair conditioner.
Losing your hair's moisture calls for an immediate remedy to prevent your locks from becoming sparse. Thus, always maintain moisture retention with an effective hair conditioner.
3. Eat a hearty supply of nutritious foods.
A healthy diet is key to having healthy-looking hair. Therefore, always include a wide range of nutritious foods loaded with vitamins, minerals, iron, and protein in your everyday diet.
4. Skip on blow-drying your hair every once in a while.
Blow-drying makes hairstyling more efficient. However, your hair needs to rest from hair drying tools from time to time to avoid thinning your strands. Also, set your blow-dryer on a cool mode to prevent exposing your hair to too much heat.
5. Always hydrate yourself with water.
Hydration is a must to keep your body and your locks healthy. It will also moisturize your strands, thereby preventing hair thinning and strand breakage. Therefore, drink at least eight glasses of water every day for proper hydration.
6. Opt to buy hair products with safe chemicals.
It would be best not to compromise your mane's health over your hair's outward appearance. However, if you're itching to dye or straighten your hair, always choose products that are safe for your strands. Do not forget to check the list of ingredients at the back of the item to spot unwanted chemicals.
7. Seek medical advice if your thinning hair worsens.
If your thinning hair worsens, do not hesitate to consult a dermatologist to identify and treat the underlying root of your hair problem.
Save Your Strands from Thinning.
Tresses on your edges and temples add volume to your hair. Thus, it is vital to keep your hair away from typical and possible hair growth perpetrators. Live a healthy lifestyle so that you can save your strands from thinning.
Learn More.
Thinning hair isn't the only sign of a hair loss problem. Learn more about female alopecia and check out the best hair growth products to prevent your hair from losing its battle.