November 30, 2021
Dealing with the Emotional Effects of Hair Loss
Discovering hair loss and hair thinning is more than upsetting – it can actually have a negative impact on your mental health. While the physical impacts of hair loss are the first things we notice, those underlying emotional effects can take a toll. That’s why it’s so important to take control of your hair loss with help of effective hair restoration treatments from the experts at the Hair Restoration Institute.
Once you discover thinning hair, you may start to notice a few aspects of the situation that affect your emotional state.
Denial. There are two different facets of denial: inside yourself and coming from those around you. If you’re like most people, you ignore the effects of hair loss when it first happens – after all, losing a few strands of hair each day is natural and expected. But as the thinning becomes more visible, you may keep trying to ignore it. That can be a problem because early treatment can help in many cases.
On the outside, the people around you may also downplay your hair loss. While they’re trying to be supportive, this can become a problem, especially when you take their advice and don’t get the early hair loss treatment you need. There is some advice that can be helpful, like when your friends reassure you that hair loss is not a life-threatening condition. Knowing this can help keep you calm and relaxed so you can refocus your efforts on taking control of your hair loss. But when well-meaning friends try to talk you out of getting early treatment, that kind of denial can be harmful.
Social effects. Most people who notice hair loss experience a difference in their social lives. This can stem from being self-conscious about your appearance and feeling like everyone notices your hair loss, even if it’s in its beginning stages. This becomes a problem for your mental health when you start to avoid social situations that you used to enjoy, becoming withdrawn.
Anxiety. For people experiencing hair loss, anxiety may be part of the social issues that might come up as you become more self-conscious about your appearance. You may start to think that everyone is judging you or that they will embarrass you just because of your thinning hair. As these feelings increase, they can lead to social isolation and depression. Sometimes anxiety is not social but something that comes from within yourself. If you’ve started to feel like you’re worrying about everything and feel tense all the time, it might be because you feel like your hair loss situation is out of your control.
Depression. Depression is a serious illness that can often be triggered by life events, and for some, hair loss can be one of those triggers. People who are depressed often feel tired all the time, have a depressed mood and lose interest in activities that they once enjoyed.
Getting help is crucial if you find that hair loss has become a serious problem for your mental health. If you have symptoms of depression or anxiety, get help from a professional therapist or psychologist right away.
And remember that there is GOOD NEWS for hair loss – you actually can take control! These days, there are plenty of options for restoring your hair at every stage of hair loss. Some of these options include:
- FUT and FUE hair transplantation
- Laser light treatments
- Custom wigs
- Scalp micropigmentation
- Hair loss prevention products
- Dermal Lens hair replacement systems
- PRP treatments
- And more!
