Hair Growth During Pregnancy
Having a baby is a wonderful and joyous experience which most of the women go through but during their period of pregnancy, a woman often undergoes through many changes in their bodies. The higher rate of hair growth and change in hair texture is one of these changes which a woman experiences during pregnancy.
Pregnancy hormones can cause several changes in hair growth and hair texture during pregnancy. These hormones generally affect all of the pregnant women differently and the changes also differentiate, which causes some women to experience very fast-growing hair while other women often fail to observe any significant changes to their hair during pregnancy. The Androgen hormones generally increase the rate of hair growth of the body and facial hairs. The hormone Estrogen extends the hair’s growing cycle which leads to the thicker hair on the scalp. It is also seen that during the period of pregnancy new hair growth in unexpected places like the belly also occurs.
Most women usually start to experience pregnancy-induced hair growth during the first trimester of the pregnancy when the levels of androgens in the body are very high. While the rapid growth of hair can continue throughout the period of the pregnancy, the director of the Clinical Unit for Research Trials in Skin at Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women’s hospitals in Boston, dermatologist Alexa Kimball offers her reassurance that the hair would usually return to its normal hair growth pattern in three to six months after the birth of the baby.
Although women often report that their hair on the head appears to be more fuller during the period of pregnancy, there is not actual hair growth on the head. But instead according to The American Pregnancy Association that the increased levels of estrogen hormone in the body make the rate of normal hair fall much slower than the normal hair fall rate which leads to a thicker and more luxuriant scalp in the head.
During the period of pregnancy, there are a lot of things which can be done to ensure that the hair is strong and well supplemented during the pregnancy. The following are the habits which must be ensured :
- To ensure that the diet contains plenty of fresh fruits and green vegetables which are rich in hair growth-promoting nutrients and which would keep up the integrity of the scalp and keep the hair roots healthy.
- It has been observed that one of the main reasons that women often undergo hair fall is because they comb their hair straight after coming out of the shower. Our hair is the weakest when it is in a wet condition and thus, it should be lightly rinsed and then combed with a wide-toothed comb.
- Hairdryers may seem like a very helpful device to dry your hair quickly but according to Asgar Saboo, style director at the Daniel Galvin salon in London’s Mayfair, “wherever possible you should allow hair to dry naturally. Or, at the very least, change the setting to low”. This is because hair dryers exert heat directly to the hair which causes hair frizzing and make the hair dry and the hair loses its shine. So, it is best to dry your hair naturally instead of a heat-based hairdryer.
- Do not tie up the hair too tightly as it can result in stress to the scalp and hair roots. Using hair accessories that could clip the hair loosely should be used.
Thus, pregnancy is responsible for inducing many changes in the body which includes the changes in hair growth rate. But it is a completely normal phenomenon, and the hair growth rate goes back to normal after the pregnancy. Proper care should be taken during the period of pregnancy to ensure normal hair growth after pregnancy.
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