Fall is often referred to as the season of reading, but it's also known as the season of hair loss. Why is fall the season of hair loss? Human hair grows in the spring and thins in the fall.

According to Professor Kwon Ohsang of the Department of Dermatology at Seoul National University Hospital on Friday, normal hair goes through a growth phase (three to five years), a regression phase (one month), and a resting phase (three months). However, in patients with hair loss, the growth phase becomes shorter and shorter, making it difficult for hair to grow long and thick.

The growth cycle also explains why humans experience seasonal molting. While animals grow the most hair in winter to counteract the cold, human hair grows more in spring and less in fall because it protects against intense UV rays.

Hair loss is the absence of hair in areas where hair should generally be present. It can include thinning or loss of hair in certain areas. There are two main types of hair loss: those where the hair follicles are retained (hereditary, resting, and circular alopecia) and those where they are not (scarring alopecia).

Hereditary (androgenetic) alopecia accounts for 85-90 percent of all hair loss. There are three leading causes: genetics, aging, and male hormones (dihydrotestosterone, DHT), and the number of people with hereditary alopecia is increasing as the population ages.

Environmental factors, such as Westernized eating habits, excessive dieting, and smoking, play a role, and obesity is also associated with hair loss, as inflammatory substances secreted by the fat layer can worsen hair loss.

In addition, there’s also the condition known as telogen effluvium, which is a temporary change in the hair growth cycle due to stress and nutritional deficiencies. It’s prevalent after childbirth, as the female hormones that increase during pregnancy decrease after delivery.

Women who have given birth usually lose the most hair around the 100th day of their child's life, and it usually recovers by the time the child turns 12 months old. Some women who don't recover may have female pattern baldness.

Other types of hair loss include alopecia areata, caused by an autoimmune disease, and scarring alopecia, caused by permanent destruction of hair follicles due to trauma, burns, or infection.

If your hair feels oily and brushes quickly, you're in the ‘early stages of hair loss’

In the early stages of hair loss, the hair on the crown and front of the head is thinner than the hair in the back. Also, the hair follicles are smaller, and the sebaceous glands are more prominent, which can lead to increased oiliness.

So, if you notice that your hair is greasier than usual and feels softer to comb, you may have hair loss.

Hair loss can be slowed down and significantly reversed if diagnosed early, and proper treatment is started. Other signs of hair loss include losing more than 100 hairs per day or a receding hairline.

Doctors diagnose hair loss by looking at the condition of your scalp, hair density, thickness, and bald patches. A dermatologist may examine 50 to 60 strands of hair to see if more than five (10 percent) fall out when gently pulled or use a dermatoscopy or hair imaging to check the density, thickness, and growth rate of hair. A scalp biopsy may also be performed to check the health of the hair follicles.

Hereditary hair loss is difficult to cure, but medication can slow down the process

Hair loss treatment depends on the type of hair loss. Hereditary hair loss isn’t easy to cure but can be slowed down or alleviated with medication. In the early stages, it is usually treated with “oral medications” (finasteride and dutasteride) that block the 5-α-reductase enzyme needed to produce the hormone DHT.

Once hair loss has progressed, topical medications, including minoxidil, stimulate hair follicles to enter the growth phase. The combination of topical and oral medications has a synergistic effect. Since anagen hair grows at about 1 centimeter per month, it takes about six months of treatment to see significant results, and hair loss can recur if you stop taking the medication.

For more advanced hair loss, autologous hair transplantation, which involves harvesting hair from the back of the head and transplanting it to the front, is compelling. The back of the scalp has relatively less androgen receptor expression than the forehead or crown of the head, so hair retention is better even when hair loss is severe. Protecting the remaining hair with medication after transplantation achieves the best cosmetic results.

In other cases, finding the cause of the hair loss is essential, as it can take months to recover once the cause is eliminated. Alopecia areata caused by an autoimmune disease is treated with topical steroids or immunotherapy. In scarring alopecia, the hair follicles are permanently destroyed, and it’s impossible to regenerate hair, so hair transplants are the primary treatment.

Rapid weight loss, obesity, diabetes, and kidney disease can also affect hair loss

In addition to treating hair loss, there are other things you can do to help manage it. First, it's important to maintain your weight, as both rapid weight loss and obesity can negatively impact hair loss.

You should also avoid a Westernized diet high in fat and sugar and eat plenty of antioxidant-rich foods. Aerobic exercise is recommended, as it helps to regulate the hormonal environment in women.

It's also essential for women with hair loss to manage their underlying medical conditions, as uncontrolled diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and kidney disease can hurt hair loss.

Also, since hair follicles have a biological cycle, it's best to go to sleep and wake up as soon as possible. Irregular sleeping patterns can lead to resting hair loss.

Quitting smoking can also help manage hair loss. This is because smoking is one of the main risk factors for oxidative stress, which causes aging and can also exacerbate hair loss. In addition, avoiding hair styling that involves tying your hair tightly or using excessive heat can help control hair loss.

“Hair loss is part of the aging process, and just like aging, it is difficult to completely cure hair loss. However, it can be improved through early detection and active management, so if your hair is thinning and falling out, you should visit a hospital for a consultation,” Professor Kwon said. “A balanced diet, regular lifestyle, smoking cessation, and stress management can help slow hair loss.”