Can Hair Dye Cause Your Hair to Fall Out?

Experiencing hair loss, or shedding, after coloring will always be cause for concern. But can hair dye cause your hair to fall out—or does the problem have another root cause?

The short answer is yes, chemical coloring products can cause hair loss problems. 

However, it’s often not that straightforward. Losing hair can take many forms, including breakage, thinning, and excessive shedding, right through to bald patches or even total hair loss. 

Hair Loss: The Link Between Hair Dye and Other Common (& Not so Common) Causes

• Why can hair dye cause your hair to fall out?
• Other reasons behind hair loss

Why can hair dye cause your hair to fall out?

Hair dye, no matter how gentle, uses chemicals to change the natural color. This also affects the integrity of the hair shaft, making it more porous and weaker. While this doesn’t cause hair to fall out from the root, it does increase the chance of breakage and shedding.

The more you color your hair the more likely this is to happen.

Happily, the dye only affects the hair that’s above the scalp—it doesn’t extend down into the follicle. If you stop dying your hair—or, at the very least, take steps to protect it during treatments—then the regrowth should be healthy and strong.

Other reasons behind hair loss 

There are plenty of other reasons that your hair might fall out, become thin, or shed more than normal. If you dye your hair, you might think that this is the driving factor. However, there are occasions where it only contributes to the problem, rather than being the sole culprit.

Other causes of hair loss include:

• Medical conditions: Such as alopecia, lupus, polycystic ovary syndrome, vitamin deficiencies, bacterial scalp infections, and thyroid disease. Eating disorders, like bulimia and anorexia, can also cause hair loss.
• Drugs and medication: Cancer drugs are one of the most widely known for causing hair loss. Other medications that can cause thinning, breakage, or shedding include some antibiotics, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, oral contraceptives, and anticoagulants. This is not an exhaustive list—hair loss is a rare side effect of many different medications.
• Excessive stress: High levels of prolonged stress can play havoc with your hormones. These play a vital role in the life cycle of hair, meaning that any interruption in healthy body dynamics can show in the condition of the hair and be a reason for hair loss.
• Genetics: Hair loss can be hereditary. This applies to men and women—both the typical “male pattern baldness” and general hair thinning.
• The menopause: Hormonal balance changes significantly during the years of peri and menopause. Many women find that their hair becomes thinner, more brittle, or sheds more during this period.
• Excessive weight loss: Losing large amounts of weight can also influence hormones, which—once again—can affect the growth cycle and condition of the hair.

Diagnosing the underlying cause of hair loss or shedding is key to treatment. Happily, in many cases, once this is addressed, normal hair growth usually recommences. 

While hair dye can be a contributing factor, it’s not usually the reason behind true hair loss. If you’re concerned about excessive shedding, hair falling out, or brittle, breaking hair, that you or your hairdresser considers unusual, then the next step is to take medical advice to determine the underlying cause.

Get Answers to “Can Hair Dye Cause Your Hair to Fall Out? & Other FAQS at Bayou City Dermatology

The field of dermatology covers skin, hair, and nails—all of which are built from a protein called keratin. The intrinsic link between the three means that, if you have an issue with any of them, a dermatologist should be your first port of call.

At Bayou City Dermatology, our highly experienced medical doctors specialize in all skin, hair, and nail conditions—including hair loss.

Visit https://www.bayoucitydermatology.com/ for more information and call us today to book a consultation.