Hair loss in autumn: Too much sun as a cause?

Expert explains whether a "change of fur" is normal

Created: 11/21/2022, 2:00 p.m

By: Juliane Gutmann

The change of seasons can be the reason for increased hair loss.

"Many people have a periodically increased hair change," says Professor Hans Wolff.

Losing up to 100 hairs a day is normal, according to the

, a journal for pharmaceutical technical assistants .

Especially when you wash your hair or comb through it, you notice how much hair has left your head.

Especially with dark hair in the white sink, the question arises as to whether it is still “normal” hair loss or whether you have to worry about the continued existence of the mane.

There are a number of causes that can be responsible for increased hair loss.

Many are harmless, some require medical evaluation.

In the context of corona infections, patients also report increased hair loss months after the symptoms have subsided.

If your hair is falling out, it doesn't have to be a cause for concern.

Depending on the season, they can increasingly end up in the sink.

© Kia Cheng Boon/Imago

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Why is the hair falling out?

Changing seasons can also be the cause

Professor Hans Wolff, dermatologist at the Ludwig Maximilian University Clinic in Munich, has been dealing with the topic of "pathological hair loss" for many years.

In an article for the

, he names some factors that promote increased hair loss.

These include:

• taking hormones

• taking certain medications

• change of seasons

“Many people have a periodically increased hair change.

If this is particularly pronounced in spring and autumn, people even speak of 'skin changers',” says dermatologist Wolff in the

.

magazine

, increased hair loss in autumn can probably be attributed to the increased exposure to the sun during the long summer days.

This causes a particularly large number of hairs to move from the growth phase to the resting phase and fall out a few months later.

More precisely, two to four months later.

This is how long the telogen phase of the hair, also called the resting phase, lasts.

Hair loss survey

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Each hair follicle, as the anchoring structure of a hair is called, has its own biological clock, as dermatologist Wolff explains.

There is a growth, transition and rest phase.

In medical terms, there is talk of anagen, catagen and telogen.

The entire growth or anagen phase usually lasts three to six years, according to Wolff.

The hair cycle is completed by the telogen, i.e. resting phase.

In this phase, the hair remains on the head for two to four months and is then shed.

Influencing factors such as those listed above can promote the abrupt transition of the hair follicles from anagen to catagen and telogen and thus trigger increased hair loss after two to four months, according to Wolff.

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Diffuse or circular hair loss?

Seasonal hair loss should decrease after a few weeks, according to the

.

If this is not the case, you should consult a doctor or pharmacist, because unusually severe hair loss can also be a symptom of a disease such as an overactive thyroid gland, chronic liver and kidney disease or serious infectious diseases.

A distinction must be made between diffuse hair loss (alopecia diffusa) and circular hair loss (alopecia areata).

This form is often associated with autoimmune diseases and patients report stress as a trigger, but this has not been scientifically proven,