Can Too Much Stress At Work

Kill Your Hair?

by Jasmin Arsenio

Stressing over things at work is definitely a canon event for everyone who is just starting to establish their professional image and experience. That is how it has been for working Filipinas, especially the younger generation who are just navigating their work life. However, this might be the perfect timing for you to acknowledge that constant overtimes, demanding superiors, and even thinking about duties beyond working hours might be the very reason why your hair is getting thinner and thinner.

The gender expectations imposed by the Filipino society on working Filipinas is significantly heavier than those on men¹. Women are expected to be presentable at work, incessantly prove their skills and expertise in the office, all while also balancing other priorities in life. A survey involving 630 Filipinas employed in electronics and garment manufacturing industries reported that the majority of them experienced heavy occupational stress which affected their overall health and wellbeing, which resulted in 50% of the employees reporting sickness absenteeism. In the general context, women are also expected to be more docile than men, making them preferable as employees in the manufacturing industry–although adding onto the detrimental gender stereotypes and expectations on female workers.

Once women are exposed to constant stress in their workplace, abnormal hair loss is bound to happen anytime. “[Stress] can enhance the loss of hair if you have a genetic problem on the scalp, and it can also lead to hair fall if you have other problems related to hair…”, said by Dr. Grace Carole T. Beltran, one of the prominent dermatologists in the local industry who have been handling alopecia cases for more than three decades.

“Another balding problem that is triggered by stress is androgenetic alopecia for males and female pattern androgenetic alopecia for women…if you inherit these [illness] and you are also stressed, your hair will definitely fall off…”, Dr. Beltran explained.

So, can stress actually have the ability to kill your hair? No, but it can be one of the triggers for severe hair loss. It may not be as physically damaging as other illnesses, however, it can also cause detrimental effects on your emotional and psychological wellbeing.

To know more about how to check if you are experiencing hair loss, head on over to our Hair Check Tab to do the Hair Check test now.