HAIR LOSS - WOMEN
Hair Loss for Women Explained
Most people normally shed about 50 to 100 hairs a day; however, when the shedding rate begins to exceed the rate of regrowth, you'll begin to notice some signs and symptoms of female hair loss. Female pattern baldness is usually noticed throughout the scalp, as parts of the scalp become more exposed. With Traction Alopecia, signs of female hair loss usually occur at the forehead and temples-the areas where hair is pulled the tightest in braiding and styling. With Alopecia Totalis, hair is lost from the entire head, and with Alopecia Universalis all hair is lost from the entire body. Hair loss occurs in isolated patches with Alopecia Areata.
While many think of hair loss as solely a male issue, 50 percent of women will experience hair loss before age 50. In fact, according to the University of Utah Health Library, an estimated 30 million women in the U.S. are affected by hair loss - which can develop from a number of different factors.
Some of the most common causes of hair loss in women include:
- Androgenetic Alopecia. Androgens are male hormones that are typically present in small amounts. Any number of factors may cause androgenetic alopecia: high androgen birth contol pills, ovarian cysts, hormones, menopause and pregnancy are all potential causes.
- Hormonal Imbalances. Hormonal imbalances can occur during menopause, postpartum, chemotherapy treatments, stress, depression, or as part of a disorder such as Alopecia Areata.
- Medication. Hair relaxers can damage hair and cause hair loss.
- Chemical hair relaxers. Hair relaxers can damage hair and cause hair loss.
- Tight hair braiding. Pulling hair too tight can damage the hair follicle, preventing hair from growing back properly.
- Hair pulling. Hair loss can result from a compulsive hair pulling disorder such as Trichotillomania.
- Poor nutrition. Eating the wrong foods or getting insufficient nutrition can lead to hair loss.
- Genetics or aging. If your family has a history of hair loss, you are more likely to have it as well. The likelihood of hair loss also increases with age.
Hair loss can have a significant impact on your self-image and your confidence. If you are experiencing hair loss symptoms and are considering treatment, our hair loss treatment experts can help to determine the factors affecting your hair growth to prescribe the most effective treatment possible. We have experience treating all types of female hair loss causes and can help personalize your treatment to achieve the results you want.
PATTERNS OF FEMALE HAIR LOSS
- Female hair loss occurs in more than one pattern.
- If you are a woman with loss of scalp hair, you should seek professional advice from a physician hair restoration specialist.
- In most cases, female hair loss can be effectively treated.
If you are a woman who has started to lose scalp hair, you are not alone if:
1. You are unpleasantly surprised by the hair loss, and
2. You don’t understand why you are losing hair.
The patterns of hair loss in women are not as easily recognizable as those in men.
Hair loss in men is likely to occur primarily between late teenage years and age 40-50 in a generally recognizable "male pattern" baldness known as androgenetic alopecia. Men with male pattern hair loss may have an expectation of hair loss if they have male relatives who lost hair in a recognizably male pattern.
Unlike hair loss in men, female scalp hair loss may commonly begin at any age through 50 or later, may not have any obvious hereditary association, and may not occur in a recognizable "female pattern alopecia" of diffuse thinning over the top of the scalp. A woman who notices the beginning of hair loss may not be sure if the loss is going to be temporary or permanent: For example, if there has been a recent event such as pregnancy or illness that may be associated with temporary hair thinning. If you are a woman who is worried about loss of scalp hair, you should consult a physician hair restoration specialist for an evaluation and diagnosis.
Self-diagnosis is often ineffective. Women tend to have less obvious patterns of hair loss than men, and non-pattern types of hair loss are more frequent in women than in men. Diagnosis of hair loss in a woman should be made by a trained and experienced physician.
In women, as in men, the most likely cause of scalp hair loss is androgenetic alopecia, an inherited sensitivity to the effects of androgens (male hormones) on scalp hair follicles. However, women with hair loss due to this cause usually do not develop true baldness in the patterns that occur in men. For example, women rarely develop the "cue-ball" appearance often seen in male-pattern androgenetic alopecia.
Patterns of female androgenetic alopecia can vary considerably in appearance.
Patterns that may occur include:
- Diffuse thinning of hair over the entire scalp, often with more noticeable thinning toward the back of the scalp.
- Diffuse thinning over the entire scalp, with more noticeable thinning toward the front of the scalp but not involving the frontal hairline.
- Diffuse thinning over the entire scalp, with more noticeable thinning toward the front of the scalp, involving and sometimes breaching the frontal hairline.
Unlike the case for men, thinning scalp hair in women due to androgenetic alopecia does not uniformly grow smaller in diameter (miniaturize). Women with hair loss due to androgenetic alopecia tend to have miniaturizing hairs of variable diameter over all affected areas of the scalp. While miniaturizing hairs are a feature of androgenetic alopecia, miniaturization may also be associated with other causes and is not in itself a diagnostic feature of androgenetic alopecia. In post-menopausal women, for example, hair may begin to miniaturize and become difficult to style. The precise diagnosis should be made by a physician hair restoration specialist.
It is important to note that female pattern hair loss can begin as early as the late teens to early 20s in women who have experienced early puberty. If left untreated, this hair loss associated with early puberty can progress to more advanced hair loss.
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