Do you lose your hair last? See what it is

If you have noticed in the last few months that your hair is thinning, do not get nervous. According to a new scientific study in the British Journal of Dermatology, hair loss is largely justified in the summer but also in the autumn.

For several years, empirically and in small studies, a relationship has been observed between the alternation of seasons and the density of hair . However, as many studies have dealt with this issue in the past, they have focused on specific population groups or specific geographic areas, so it was not clear whether the findings could be generalized.

This time, in order to form a clearer picture, researchers from John Hopkins University and Washington University gathered and analyzed data from eight countries in the light of the number of web searches for the keyword hair loss. The data cover the period from 2004 to 2016 and the researchers compared the number of searches per month and per period of time.

For all countries the results were exactly the same : Internet searches for hair loss or related words and phrases (eg hair loss) were much more in the summer and autumn months than in the winter and spring.

Although the researchers did not look for the underlying causes of the phenomenon, Dr. Shawn Kwatra, assistant professor of dermatology at John Hopkins and one of the authors of the study, says that from an evolutionary point of view the explanation can be simple: The main purpose of hair growth in any part of the body is to provide us with warmth and protection from cold. Thus, it is not so necessary in months when temperatures are high or too high, so its loss is to some extent reasonable and expected in summer and autumn.

According to Dr. Kwatra, seasonal changes in hair density tend to be more pronounced among women than among men, although in the context of the new study, researchers did not have data on sex searches online.

In addition to changing seasons of course, hair loss can be caused by many other factors, for example the strong stress to the body , the (e.g. due to childbirth or high fever) loss of several kilograms , a drastic change in diet or change in thyroid hormone levels . Finally, as Dr. Kwatra points out, hair loss can not indicate a health problem that has not been diagnosed, so if you insist for several months and you are worried about it, you should consult your doctor.