Keeping pets is a fun and happy part of life for many people. Pets provide us with love, friendship, entertainment and therapy. But did you know that keeping pets can have a negative effect on our hair health? Yes, you heard it right, the fungi that your pets spread to your hair can cause hair loss and you may go bald without realizing it!
If you are wondering what the fungi that your pets spread to your hair are, how they cause hair loss and how you can prevent hair loss while keeping pets, keep reading this blog post. In this post, we will explain the fungal infections that originate from pets, the damage they cause to hair and what you can do to prevent fungal infections. Don’t miss this post for your hair health and beauty!
Fungal Infections from Pets
Fungal infections from pets are also known as zoophilic fungal infections. Zoophilic fungal infections occur when fungi that live on the skin or fur of pets are transmitted to humans. These fungi usually cause infection on the skin or hair of humans.
The most common type of zoophilic fungal infection is microsporiosis. Microsporiosis is a fungal infection that is very common in cats. About 10% of cats carry this fungus and show no symptoms. But when it is transmitted to humans, it causes symptoms such as redness, itching, scaling, wound on the scalp. It also causes inflammation of the hair follicles and weakening of the hair roots. This causes hair loss.
Dermatology Specialist Dr. Assoc. Prof. Necla Eryılmaz stated that zoophilic fungal infections have been seen more frequently in recent years and said, “The reason why we see an increase in zoophilic fungi is our little friends that we keep at home. The source of this fungus is pets and especially cats.” Eryılmaz said that people who keep pets have an increased risk of hair loss and they need to be careful about this.
The Damage Fungi Cause to Hair
Fungal infections can cause other harmful effects on our hair health as well as causing hair loss. Here are some of the damages fungi cause to hair:
- Hair breakage: Fungal infections can cause hair strands to break or snap. Fungi irritate the hair follicles and cause the hair strands to weaken and break. Hair breakage causes the hair to look dull, matte and damaged.
- Hair greasiness: Fungal infections can cause hair to become greasy and dirty. Fungi cause clogging of pores on the scalp and increase sebum secretion. Sebum is a natural oil secreted from the scalp. But excess sebum causes the hair to look oily and dirty. It also impairs the function of hair follicles and causes hair loss.
- Hair tangling: Fungal infections can cause hair to tangle and mix. Fungi cause hair strands to become sticky and rough. This causes the hair to easily tangle and mix. Hair tangling causes the hair to be difficult to comb and break more.
What You Can Do To Prevent Fungal Infections
Fungal infections can be a serious problem for people who keep pets. But there are some things you can do to prevent this problem. Here are some things you can do to prevent fungal infections:
- Pay attention to your pet’s health: Make sure your pet has regular veterinary check-ups. If you see signs of fungal infection on your pet, get it treated immediately. Comb your pet’s fur regularly and keep it clean.
- Wash your hands after touching your pet: Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after playing or cuddling with your pet. This way you can get rid of microorganisms that may come from your pet.
- Don’t sleep with your pet: Try not to sleep in the same bed with your pet. Your pet’s fur, saliva or oil secreted from its skin can contaminate your pillow or sheet. This can damage your scalp or hair. Provide a separate bed or couch for your pet and let it sleep there.
- Wash your hair regularly: Wash your hair regularly with shampoo and conditioner. This way you can keep your hair clean and get rid of dirt, oil or microorganisms that accumulate on your scalp. Be gentle when washing your hair and massage your scalp. Don’t rub or pull your hair hard.
- Do natural care for your hair: Doing natural care for your hair can be beneficial for your hair health and prevent hair loss. You can make masks for your hair with natural ingredients such as olive oil, coconut oil, almond oil, aloe vera, honey, egg. These ingredients moisturize, nourish, strengthen and shine your hair.
- Stay away from stress: Stress is also a factor that can cause hair loss. When you are stressed, your body secretes hormones such as cortisol. These hormones impair the function of hair follicles and cause the hair roots to weaken. This causes hair loss. To stay away from stress, you can do activities such as meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, hobbies, sports.
Keeping pets is an experience that enriches our lives. But we should not forget that keeping pets can have negative effects on our hair health. The fungi that our pets spread to our hair can cause hair loss and leave us bald. To prevent this problem, we should pay attention to our pets’ health, wash our hands after touching them, not sleep with them, wash our hair regularly, do natural care for our hair and stay away from stress.
If you keep pets and have hair loss, don’t worry. There are many things you can do to solve this problem. You can also consult your doctor for more effective treatment methods. Remember, while living a happy life with your pets, you should not compromise on your hair health!