Adequate exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. It helps to keep your weight under control, increase your level of energy, improve your mood, and even allow for a better night's sleep. Is there such a thing as too much of a good thing? Can your gym regime lead to hair loss? This is everything you need to know about your gym workout and its effect on your hair.
Can Your Gym Workout Cause Hair Loss?
In short, the answer is no. Hair loss will not result because you exercise. However, if you do not take care of your body properly while exercising, it can lead to hair loss. The good news is that any hair loss associated with a poor lifestyle during exercise is typically temporary.
How Can Exercise Have an Impact on Hair Loss?
Nutrient Deficiency
Reducing your caloric intake is great if you are trying to lose weight. However, if your exercise routine is consuming all the nutrients in the body, and they aren't being replenished, it can lead to nutrient deficiencies. When your body is experiencing a nutrient deficiency, it allocates nutrients to the most essential systems first. Hair growth is not considered essential for survival and therefore considered an elective process in the body. It is important to make sure that you eat a healthy diet with an adequate amount of nutrients needed for proper hair growth.
Chronic Stress
Excessive amounts of exercise can place your body under high amounts of stress for long periods of time. Stress can have an effect on every aspect of your health, including your hair. Chronic stress can lead to hair loss. Normal hair growth should resume to normal once your body is no longer under extreme amounts of stress.
Sweat Build-Up on the Scalp
When you exercise, you sweat. This sweat can build-up on your scalp, which clogs your hair follicles. This build-up of sweat inhibits the hair follicles from being able to produce normal, healthy strands of hair. Washing your hair and scalp following an exercise session will help to clean the hair follicles and allow for normal hair growth.
Swimming
Swimming is a great way to exercise because it uses every muscle in the body and is easy on your joints. However, pools often contain chlorine and other chemicals to ensure it is clean and sanitary. These chemicals have a tendency to dry out your strands of hair and make your hair follicles brittle. This slows down hair growth and hair that does grow is typically very brittle.
Increase in DHT
Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is an androgen that is derived from testosterone. High levels of DHT in the body causes hair to grow thinner, makes each strand more brittle, and shortens the hair strand lifecycle. This causes each strand to fall out faster. Once DHT is free in the bloodstream it links to receptors on the hair follicles. This causes the hair follicles to shrink which renders them incapable of growing healthy hair.
When Hair Loss Is More Than Just Exercise
Hair loss and thinning from exercise is a temporary state. If you suspect that your hair loss is related to more than just exercise, it is important to seek professional help. New Look Institute specializes in treating hair loss, no matter the cause. We offer a variety of hair loss solutions to fit your needs, preferences, and budget. Our expert stylists will conduct a thorough hair and scalp analysis and provide you with viable options to restore your full head of hair. Contact us today to schedule your free hair analysis!
