Hair Loss in Autumn & Winter: What is The Reason?

As with the trees, some women’s hair thins out in autumn: they lose more hair. What is the reason – and is that a problem?

Seasonal hair loss: Does that really exist?

A full, shiny shock of hair is considered an important beauty feature by women. All the greater is the worry if the hair suddenly falls out more.

Hair loss can have many – and unfortunately very complex – causes. One of the harmless reasons is the season: many women notice, especially in the autumn months, that there is much more hair in the shower after washing than usual.

What many of us notice in the bathroom has already been scientifically proven in Sweden: A study of 800 healthy women over a period of six years showed that many of them lost most of their hair in the autumn months.

And why is that?

The reason: 90 percent of the hair grows permanently, the remaining ten percent rests for two to six months before falling out. The researchers found that women have the most resting hair in July. This phase lasts about 100 days, and in October they finally fall out.

The long summer days ensure that especially many hair roots enter the resting phase: The dense mop of hair is supposed to protect the scalp from the strong sunlight. So in autumn you only lose the hair that was long overdue anyway.

The seasonal hair change is thus harmless, said the Berlin dermatologist and hair specialist Andreas Finner to the online portal “DerWesten.de”, because the hair grows again and again.

Seasonal hair loss: What to do if it does not stop?

It is normal that we lose up to 100 hairs every day. If you want to know if there are more, you will unfortunately have to count them.

If the mop of hair thins out strongly, one should consult a doctor in any case, because hair loss can be a symptom of a serious illness. Hair is a particularly good seismograph: If the body has to decide between hair growth and the supply of vital organs, the organs are in the foreground and the hair is left behind.

By the way, the right contact person for hair problems is not the family doctor or gynaecologist, but the dermatologist: hair is considered a “skin appendage”.