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You are here: Home / Archives for female pattern baldness

female pattern baldness

Female Baldness-Why does it happen and can we stop it?

October 26, 2012 by Zenisha Leave a Comment

A common misconception is that only men go bald. Pattern baldness affects women too. Ladies can start to lose their hair just like men. However female baldness is more diffuse not forming a widow’s peak in front or a crown in the back of the head making it harder to notice. Some women can start losing their hair from the early age of 20, but this is a gradual process and may go unnoticed even until the woman is 30 years old. The hair loss may not have a genetic cause; it can be caused by diseases such as thyroid disease or anemia. Hashimoto’s autoimmune thyroiditis is a huge cause of hair loss in women everywhere. To make sure you do not have this disease all you have to do is take a very simple blood test. It is a known fact that men get the baldness gene from their mother and it is suspected that it is the same for women.

Some people used to think that wearing hats or certain head gear would cause hair loss but that is just a myth. What is truly harmful to your hair is the custom to brush it with 100 strokes. If you are already losing your hair those 100 strokes will do nothing but accelerate the process .Same goes for certain hair styles like tight braids, pigtails or dreadlocks. Other hair loss myths are that longer hair does not accelerate baldness by putting extra weight on the already weakened roots. Or that shampoo in excess is not bad for your hair and it only takes away hairs that were going to fall out anyway. Another myth is that coloring your hair does not damage or burn it.

A change in your hair can also be noticed during pregnancy. This is a very strange period for your body .Your hormones rage and fluctuate causing some women to actually get thicker, fuller heads of hair. The cause for this is unknown but it is suspected to be caused by the number of hairs that cycle in the resting period of hair growth.

After delivering the baby or about six month after that, there is a risk of hair loss. We do not know a way to prevent this pregnancy hair loss yet but it may be that you are just returning to your pre-pregnancy hair volume and all that you are shedding is the hair gained in the hormonal period.

Treatments for hair loss in women can be: Rogaine, hair powder fibers or Propencia.

Female pattern baldness like all conditions can be scary and overwhelming at first. My advice is, do not obsess over it. The stress you put yourself through when thinking about going bald actually makes you go bald faster. Take it easy, have a balanced diet, avoid fatty foods, and keep yourself hydrated and you can slow down the progress of your hair loss.

Filed Under: Hair Care Tagged With: baldness, Female Baldness, female pattern baldness

Common Causes of Hair Loss in Women

December 27, 2011 by Dr.Deepak Leave a Comment

Hair loss is a universal problem in all men and women. Though it is not life threatening condition, most women finds it worrisome and leads to stress and emotional disturbance that can adversely affect the quality of life.

Several conditions contributes to hair loss in women that may include stress, metabolic conditions, drug intake, environmental conditions, mechanical trauma, hair disorders and genetic factors. The most common cause that accounts for almost 90% of hair loss in women are due to disturbance in hair growth cycle (Acute or Chronic Telogen effluvium ) and due to disorder of hair follicle (female androgenetic alopecia or female pattern baldness) . While both conditions are treatable, several months of therapy may be required for effective results.

Acute or Chronic Telogen effluvium: It may occur at any age but is not common in childhood. It may be characterized by persistent shedding of hair that runs a fluctuating course over several months or years. It result from shift of large number of anagen (Growth phase) hair into telogen or resting phase, which will usually shed off 3 months after the shift.

This may be due to several underlying triggering factors. Most common factors are listed below:

  • History physical or emotional stress
  • Childbirth
  • Sustained high fever
  • Surgery
  • Low protein diet
  • Chronic iron deficiency
  • Heavy metals such as arsenic or selenium
  • Systemic diseases
  • Inflammatory scalp disease (eg. seborrheic dermatitis, erythroderma)
  • Severe infection
  • Drug (Anticoagulants, retinoids, beta- blockers, cholesterol lowering drugs)

Post partum telogen effluvium: It occurs due to hormonal changes which causes sudden shift of hair cycle from anagen phage to telogen phage. This condition usually subsides after 4-6 months with regrowth of hair spontaneously.

Treatment Modalities:
Acute cases of Telogen effluvium is usually self-limiting and resolves with in few months of avoiding or treating the triggering factors. Although in case of chronic telogen effluvium, complete recovery may not be possible but good cosmetic outcome can be achieved with proper treatment. The most important factor in treatment in to find out the contributing factor and treat accordingly. In case of low protein or iron deficiency adequate protein intake and iron supplements should be taken. Surgical treatment like hair transplant is not effective in case of telogen effluvium.

Female Pattern Baldness: Female pattern baldness is a genetically mediated biological process determined by sensitivity to androgens. It results in gradual and progressive thinning, depigmentation and decrease in volume of hair which permits the scalp to be seen. It usually presents as diffuse thinning of hair on the crown. Unlike male pattern hair loss, women pattern hair loss never reaches to complete baldness.

Female pattern baldness is a multifactorial condition which may be due to aging, changes in level of hormones and family history of male or female pattern baldness.

Treatment Options:
Although several treatment options have been tried for female pattern hair loss, 2%-5% Minoxidil is the only drug approved by FDA for treatment of female pattern hair loss. Other options that have been considered are:

  • Oral anti-androgens (cyproterone acetate, spironolactone)
  • Topical 17?-estradiol
  • Finasteride
  • Hair transplant surgery

Treatment with either of the medications or procedure is expensive because you must continue the medication for at-least 6 months to see the effectiveness and hair transplant is expensive. Hair loss may start again after you stop using the medication. If you are comfortable with the hair loss you can use some cheap measure to deal with it like change hair styles, use hair wigs or any other visual deception methods.

References:
1.Fitzpatrick’s Dermatology in General Medicine
2.Rook’s textbook of dermatology

Filed Under: Hair Care Tagged With: causes of hair loss in women, female androgenetic alopecia, female pattern baldness, female pattern hair loss, hair loss in women, Telogen effluvium

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