The deadlines pile up. Family pressures close in. You can’t catch a breath, let alone a break.
Your heart races. Your chest tightens. You don’t want to admit it, but stress is taking over.
You’re not alone — 74% of people say stress overwhelms them to the point they can’t cope. And it doesn’t just affect your mind. Stress takes a real toll on your body, too.
Stress speeds up aging by elevating cortisol levels — leading to premature wrinkles, fatigue, and often, hair loss. If you’ve noticed more strands falling out lately, stress may be to blame.
At Hair Doc, located in Cow Hollow, San Francisco, we offer expert hair restoration services for every stage of hair loss and every budget. Whether you’re exploring minimally invasive treatments like the laser cap or seeking a full hair transplant, we’ll help you find the right solution.
Stress might be part of life — but hair loss doesn’t have to be.
“Stress” — even just the word can make you feel uneasy. Stress, in reality, is your body’s innate reaction when challenges or changes occur. Your body is built to encounter stress and adjust to new situations.
Extending beyond the mind, stress also shows up in your body, and one of the most notable places it affects is your hair. You may notice this by:
One common way your body reacts to stress is by sudden hair shedding, also called telogen effluvium. This occurs when your body is under pressure and it shocks your hair follicle into the resting phase of your growth cycle, causing excessive shedding for weeks or months.
Chronic stress can cause a spike in cortisol, also known as the “stress” hormone, produced by your adrenal glands. This can reduce blood flow to your scalp and create inflammation, leaving you with a dry, itchy scalp. Inflammation doesn’t make way for healthy hair growth and instead may leave you with thin and weak strands.
You don’t have to experience sudden hair loss to notice changes in your hairline. Chronic stress can make your hair look and feel different. You may notice it grows more slowly or becomes dull and brittle.
We understand hair loss looks different for everyone. Aaron Cheng, MD, and his expert team are committed to helping you find the treatment that makes you feel your best. This may include:
Are you experiencing severe to moderate hair loss? Hair transplants are a permanent and surgical way to restore your hairline. We use the most advanced technology, including the ARTAS® iX robotic system, to provide you with a natural, younger-looking hairline. If you’re ready for a lasting transformation, this is your option to turn heads with high-impact results.
Just place it on your head for 20-30 minutes three times a week, and watch your hairline replenish in 3-6 months. The laser cap is a non-invasive, at-home treatment that uses low-level laser technology to stimulate hair growth and improve hair health. This FDA-approved option provides consistent results without the downtime of more invasive procedures.
If you’re not ready for surgery but want to halt hair loss, you may consider medication. Two of the FDA-approved options we provide are Finasteride and Minoxidil.
Finasteride is a medication taken orally once a day that helps slow down hair shedding and maintain existing hair, especially around the crown and middle of the scalp. Minoxidil comes in a topical foam that is applied twice a day to the scalp to improve blood flow to the scalp and promote hair regrowth in thinning areas.
Platelet-rich plasma therapy uses your body’s platelets to stimulate hair growth by injecting concentrated plasma into your scalp. This promotes healing and increases blood flow to encourage new hair growth — all without surgery.
Stress-related hair loss is often reversible, but only if you catch it early. Many people wait, hoping it will fix itself, but this usually doesn’t work. When hair follicles go dormant for too long, it makes hair regrowth more difficult.
The sooner you come in, the quicker you can regrow your hair. That’s why we suggest you schedule a consultation at the first sign of thinning or shedding. It doesn’t mean anything drastic will happen; it’s just the first step for us to see what’s happening and to start mapping out a solution that works for you.
Call 415-907-7354 or book online.
Disclaimer: Photos used in this article are models and may or may not have had treatment.
