Hair Loss for Kate Duchess of Cambridge After The Birth of Baby George?

Kate Middleton the Duchess of Cambridge is likely to experience significant post-partum hair loss after the birth of her son, George the Duke of Cambridge. As Kate's hairdresser arrived at the Lindo Wing of St Mary's hospital to ready the Duchess for her journey from the ward to her home in Kensington Palace this week, many other new mothers may be wishing that they had the services of a hair dresser on call!

Post-partum hair loss is very common, and noticeable loss is more likely than not an issue that new mothers have to contend with. When women are pregnant, increased levels of the hormone oestrogen causes hairs to stay in the angagen (growth) stage for a longer period of time than is usual, resulting in more hairs remaining on the head.

Son and Hair

On average, we lose 100 hairs a day, but for pregnant women it can be half that amount, or even less. However, once the woman gives birth, oestrogen levels drop back down to normal, and hair loss occurs as the hairs in the anagen stage enter the telogen (resting) stage and shed.

The extent of post-partum hair varies from woman to woman, and is impossible to predict. In general the loss is diffuse, but it can sometimes be patchy. It can also be extensive, on account of hair follicles in the anagen stage making up around 80-90% of human scalp hair. However, despite this, post-partum hair loss is best seen as just one way that the body returns to normal after a pregnancy.

Hair Fit For a (Future) Queen

With this in mind, it stands that hair density should return to whatever is normal for you within around 6-12 months. However, if the hair loss is still occurring by your child's first birthday, it's best to visit a hair loss specialist. Because hair loss in women can be triggered by a variety of issues, from hormonal and nutritional balance to stress, it's best to have blood tests to rule out certain causes, too.

The type of hair loss known as diffuse thinning can be the result of the above causes, and once the underlying issue is dealt with, hair should return to its previous condition in the following months. Sometimes, though, hair fails to fully grow back, and this may be due to a genetic predisposition towards thinning.

Known as female pattern hair loss, this usually appears in women as an all-over thinning of hair atop the scalp. Whilst this often onsets after the menopause due to hormonal changes, an event like pregnancy can also potentially trigger its onset for the same reasons. This type of hair loss will not fix itself, and a hair loss treatment plan that contains minoxidil along with a variety of treatment boosters to maintain the hair's condition, such as nutritional supplement Hair Vitalics, offers the best chance of regrowing the thinning area.

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