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How Long Does Somebody Need To Be Dead Before Their Hair Falls Out?
HI, my father has recently passed away, unfortunately he was dead for some time before he was found. I went to his unit & saw that around where he was lying all his hair had fallen out. I know this may sound bit morbid, but how long does somebody need to be dead before their hair falls out?? Rizzo
Mon, 19 Jan 2015
hello there,
When a person dies his body starts to lose water to the surroundings. as the body is 70% water this means a significant loss can occur. This leads to shrinking of the body and hence hair roots get exposed and fall off. It can take between 3 days to 1 week for the hair to fall off unless the body has been kept in a controlled environment and has embalming fluid applied to it where hair loss is minimalized.
Hope this answers your query,
Dr Arun A
When a person dies his body starts to lose water to the surroundings. as the body is 70% water this means a significant loss can occur. This leads to shrinking of the body and hence hair roots get exposed and fall off. It can take between 3 days to 1 week for the hair to fall off unless the body has been kept in a controlled environment and has embalming fluid applied to it where hair loss is minimalized.
Hope this answers your query,
Dr Arun A
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