You’ve struggled with hair loss and you’re looking for a solution, but maybe it’s unclear why you’re losing your hair in the first place.  Hair loss is commonly misunderstood and it’s easy to see why — myths and misinterpretations of science are commonplace.

Let’s debunk the three most common hair loss myths and unpack the real science behind hair loss (and what you can do about it):

1 – I’m Losing My Hair Because I Have A Stressful Life.

Many people believe hair loss is caused by stress.  Lead a stressful life and you’ll see hair loss.  Sound familiar?  The truth is much more complex. There are a few medical conditions that result in hair loss that are directly related to stress, namely trichotillomania, alopecia areata, and telogen effluvium.

Trichotillomania is usually a coping mechanism to deal with significant stress or tension, creating an urge to pull out hair.  It’s categorized as a mental disorder that creates an irresistible urge to pull out your own hair.  This can result in patchy bald spots.

Alopecia areata can be caused by stress when the immune system attacks hair follicles and the result is hair loss.  It’s a common autoimmune skin disease and affects as many as 6.8 million people in the U.S.  Hair follicles do not die with alopecia areata; they can regrow at any time.

Telogen effluvium is caused by significant stress and it moves large amounts of hair follicles into a resting phase.  Hair follicles in the resting phase may fall out within a few months.  Women often complain of hair loss in the form of shedding.  They see hair loss when they comb or style their hair, in the shower, or even just running fingers through their hair.  These are all signs of hair loss caused by stress, likely a stressful experience, event, or even phase.  The science behind this type of hair loss is simple – when our bodies are stressed we produce cortisol.  The creation of cortisol moves hair follicles from the growth phase into a transition phase, and then they fall out.

Very traumatic events can cause temporary hair loss, but typical, gradual, hereditary hair loss is not caused by stress. 

2 – I’m Losing My Hair Because I Wear Hats.

The second most common myth we hear from prospective clients is this – I’m losing my hair because I wear hats. Let’s be really clear here – even if you wear your hat all day, every day, your hat would NOT be the reason for your balding or thinning hair.  Hair loss patterns are tough to replicate with a hat and even trying with a hat would be difficult.  Rubbing or irritation from the hat could cause some thinning, but only temporarily.

However, a word of caution to wearers of dirty hats.  If your cap is dirty, it’s possible it may lead to a scalp infection and that could cause or accelerate hair loss.  Keep your hat clean and you’ll be in good shape.

True hair loss, long-term hair loss, is typically caused by the hereditary lottery – but we’ll get to that in a minute.  For now, keep wearing your hat whenever you want to. Hats DO NOT cause long-term hair loss. 

3 – My Mother’s Father Has Hair Loss, So I Will Too.

Ah, the oldest myth in the book!  Many people believe that male-pattern baldness is passed through a gene from a mother to her son (specifically, on her x-chromosome).  The myth basically states that you can look at your mother’s side of the family to see your future – hair loss or not.

The science we have today discredits this “my hair loss is from my mother’s father or mother’s side” idea.  While hair loss is hereditary, it can actually come from both sides of the family.  And, in several twin studies, hereditary accounted for about 80% of the predisposition to baldness.  No more blaming your mother’s father – hair loss is hereditary from both sides of the family.

What Are The Real Reasons For Hair Loss? 

Did you know that 20% of men in their 20s are affected by male-pattern baldness?  The percentage increases as men age with 30% of men accepted in their 30s and nearly 50% of men in their 40s.  By the time men reach 70, nearly 80% are affected.  Male-pattern baldness is hereditary and as we mentioned earlier, studies have shown that hereditary accounts for about 80% of the predisposition to baldness.

Male-pattern baldness, or female-pattern baldness, has predictable hair loss patterns and the hair loss is gradual with age.  For men, a receding hairline and bald spots are the most common patterns while thinning hair is what happens to most women.

Of course, temporary hair loss can happen for several reasons, some related to stress (like alopecia areata or telogen effluvium), but hormonal changes can also cause temporary hair loss.  For women, it’s common after pregnancy and during menopause.  Some medical conditions like thyroid problems or ringworm can cause temporary hair loss, and even medication can play a part (some medications used to treat depression, heart problems, gout, high blood pressure, etc. have side effects that attack the strength of hair follicles or put them into a resting phase and hair loss is the result).

It’s likely your hair loss is part of the majority and it’s hereditary. If you’re experiencing thinning hair, a receding hairline, or bald spots that are typical for male- or female-pattern hair loss, Scalp MicroPigmentation can help.

How Can Scalp MicroPigmentation Help With Hair Loss? 

Scalp MicroPigmentation, the application of tiny, permanent impressions into the scalp, with the right needle configurations and specialized pigments creates a natural-looking solution to hair loss. It can help in three main ways:

Hairline restoration – male-pattern baldness (that we know is hereditary and not caused by stress, hats, or only your mother’s side of the family), presents itself in typical patterns.  Scalp MicroPigmentation can help restore a receding hairline, whether the desired outcome is a feathered (soft and natural) or crispy (clean, sharp, fresh-from-the-barber).

Density – full density isn’t possible when hair transplantation surgery is the preferred solution to hair loss. Scalp MicroPigmentation offers a solution with soft, feathered impressions into the 2nd layer of the scalp (the dermis), giving the natural appearance of full density throughout the scalp.  Paired with hair transplantation surgery, SMP only adds to the dimension and texture that cannot be provided by each procedure alone.

Pigmentation – critical to the Scalp MicroPigmentation procedure, pigment will play a major role in the final result.  The higher the quality (you can see BRAVI’s rigourous development and testing here), the better the outcome.  At BRAVI, we only use a specially formulated, scalp-specific pigment that’s guaranteed to look natural.

At BRAVI, we help clients with Scalp MicroPigmentation.  Our technicians are highly trained and certified before they work on clients.  We have full medical oversight into all work with laser technology, prescription pharmaceuticals, and best-in-class equipment and facilities.  And, we offer complete transparency — you can speak to a real BRAVI client or meet one in person to see the results yourself.

To see BRAVI’s Full Gallery of Totally Unedited SMP Results, click here.