A Change of Seasons
Dr. Rassman,
I have noticed an increased amount of shedding which started at the very end of summer till now. Is there such a thing as increased shedding during the change of season (specifically summer to autumn)? I am also approaching my fifth month on propecia, so I suspect that the increased shedding can be attributed to the medication? I remember you writing that you can experience increased shedding during the first 6 months. In any case, I was wondering if you could provide some insight into my situation. I appreciate your help Dr Rassman; your blog is extremely helpful!
I have heard some of my patients reporting that they lose hair during certain seasons. Humans have asynchronous hair cycling, which means that we generally shed uniformly over the entire hair cycle of about 36 months. We lose about 100 hairs per day and replace that number each and every day. Animals have synchronous hair loss, which means that they molt once a year, usually in the Spring when their hairs go into telogen (the sleep part of the cycle) and in the Autumn when they go into anagen (the growth part of the cycle).
Does that mean balding men should move to the tropics?
I notice that in late summer to autumn I have double the hairloss than at the rest of the year. This is noticeable to me as I now count the hairs due to prior hair loss caused by low ferritin levels.
i TOO HAVE SEASONAL HAIR LOSS USUALLY STARTS IN AUG AND RUNS TILL SPRING. iS THERE A REASON FOR THAT, THAT YOU KNOW OF?