Female Hair Loss

November 29, 2008

As a female, if you are facing thinning and losing hair, you are probably pretty stressed by it. However, you will not be worrying and causing more hair to drop once you understand some facts about female hair loss.

You see, in many cases, female hair loss is just a temporary occurance and hence, finding a hair loss solution to it is relatively easy.
Androgenetic alopecia is the hereditary form of baldness that affects 50 percent of men, and some women after 40. Female hair loss usually starts after menopause although it can begin earlier. The main reason for this is that estrogen levels decline. Hormonal changes cause hair to thin.

It is comforting to note that other than androgenetic alopecia, the most common cause of hair loss in women, is a result of metabolic and hormonal changes. Thus, the hair loss is usually temporary. Also, unlike men, women rarely become totally bald. However, what females generally experience is the thinning of their hair.

For example, in the case of pregnancy, hair loss is temporary and should stop about 6 months after birth. When a woman is pregnant, a large amount of oestrogen is produced causing the hair follicles to go into their growth phase. Once the baby is born, the woman’s hormonal balance is restored. The reverse now happens with the hair follicles going into a hair loss phase.

While nothing much can be done to prevent hair loss during this period, applying hair tonic to hasten hair re-growth can be a helpful solution.

Crash diets leading to rapid weight loss over a short period of time prompts excessive hair loss. Physical and emotional stress can cause hair loss but this usually only occurs after a prolonged period of time and in extreme cases. Once stress levels are restored to normal levels, hair loss should stop. Thus, a good hair loss solution is to find ways to reduce stress!

Certain drugs can also cause hair to shed. The most common medical treatment that causes hair loss is chemotherapy. The drug medication attacks the hair cells, causing hair loss from the scalp. Certain prescription drugs (for thyroid hormone deficiency, diabetes and lupus) and dieting supplements are also causes of hair loss. Once these drug medications are stopped, the hair loss problem should disappear.

Other stresses to the hair may include frequent dyeing and chemicals eg. perming solutions applied to the hair. Generally, healthy hair can undergo these treatments without showing signs of stress, if they are not done too often. But if hair is not allowed a chance to recover from the constant application of hair chemicals, then it becomes brittle and starts to break off. Hair loss treatment products to help strengthen the follicles should help when applied to the scalp.

Once you understand what is happening to your hair, then seek out the right hair loss solution. In most cases, if the cause is temporary, then you can be assured that your problem will pass with the right remedy actions. However, for the more serious cases, do seek the professional help of a licensed dermatologist for a complete diagnosis and treatment plan.

Female Hair Loss Treatments

Female hair loss treatments often differ to men’s, for a number of reasons. The main prescription hair loss treatment for men, the drug propecia, is generally not as effective in women, although an Italian study seemed to show some promise with it.

The study followed the experience of 37 women who were given 2.5 mg of propecia a day, as well as the contraceptive pill. As propecia can cause deformities in the development of a male fetus’ sex organs, propecia cannot be given to women who have a chance of conceiving, or who are pregnant.

Results were measured by taking photos of the women’s heads, and using a technique called computerized light videodermoscopy to measure the density of hairs. Women tend to have thinning hair when they suffer hair loss, and don’t often go completely bald.

After 12 months of treatment, 23 women (62%) had improvements in their hair thickness. Those women who had most hair loss down the middle of the top of the head, showed the most improvement. Only one woman was found to have worse hair loss.

But more studies on propecia as a female hair loss treatment need to be conducted before it is given the green light as a treatment option. Not only is there the issue of fetal damage, making it a risky drug for women, but this study is not conclusive as evidence that it will actually work for all, or most, women.
Generally, women are given topical treatments like minoxidil to encourage hair growth. Minoxidil has drawbacks in that it has to be applied to the scalp twice a day, and some women are allergic to it.

Unfortunately, scientists have not come up with a hair loss medication that will definitely work for women.
Another reason female hair loss treatments differ to men’s is that the causes of female hair loss often vary. Hair loss in women is often associated with hormonal changes like menopause, discontinuing birth control pills, and after pregnancy. There is a 3 month delay before signs of hair loss will appear, so if you’re noticing hair loss now, it was probably triggered 3 months ago. And it can take another 3 months before new growth starts to show.

Another factor in female hair loss is excessive dieting or sudden weight loss. Hair requires nutrients to grow just as any other part of the body does, What we eat can not only affect how shiny and healthy our hair appears, but also hair loss. Whilst men can suffer hair loss from similar weight loss, women tend to be more involved with extreme diets than men.

Female hair loss can also be an indicator of a medical condition, such as an underactive thyroid gland, diabetes, anemia, and PCOS. It’s a good idea to get these possible issued ruled out by a doctor first. If they are at the root of the hair loss problem, no amount of hair loss medications or topical treatments or hair vitamins is going to stop hair loss until that is treated.

Hair loss that is caused by physical or emotional stress generally resolves itself when the stressor is dealt with, without any female hair loss treatment. But because of the hair’s growth cycles, it can take 6 months before any improvement is noticed.

Hair Loss Products

So, you have a receding hairline and you are worried about it like hell? Well, let’s start with a small tip- massage your scalp. There is nothing new about this age old tip. Medical science has proved that what your barber did to your head after he was through with scissoring you hair mercilessly is clearly beneficial for the growth and health of your hair. Massaging stimulates the hair follicles and unclogs blocked oil glands giving you a healthier scalp. And a healthy scalp means healthier and stronger hair.

Now that we are over with the time, it’s time that we talked about the commonest kind of baldness. This is the kind that indicates advancing age. Most of the time this kind of baldness, in both males and females, has genetic reasons, but may also be caused due to hormonal imbalance. In such cases, correcting hormonal imbalance can put a stop to hair loss.

Correcting hormonal imbalance helps prevent hair loss, during pregnancy. Shortly after child birth many women start losing hair rapidly, and then the fluctuation of hormone levels is naturally controlled and the hair growth comes back to normal. The medical inference drawn is that hormonal imbalances can cause hair loss and this kind of hair loss can be corrected by correcting the imbalance.

You may, therefore, go to a dermatologist and take his opinion on whether or not your hair loss is a result of hormonal imbalance. If, after the tests, he finds so, you may go for a treatment to cure hormonal imbalance. And if your hair loss has got nothing to do with your hormones, look for some effective hair loss product.

Forget not, all hair loss treatments would take around six months to produce any visible effects. The tall claims of checking hair loss instantly are not exactly what you should go by. Have a careful look at the ingredients of the product. Find out how it seeks to arrest hair loss and then go for it. It is advisable that you approach a dermatologist for his opinion before trying any of the products. Better still, take his opinion on the product(s) you want to try. Once you get an approval from the doctor, you can safely use it.

Hair Loss Treatments

Many people feel that the problem of hair loss cannot be solved with the help of hair loss treatment products. They often get frustrated after spending too much money on ineffective hair loss remedies and their side effects with no positive results at all. In reality, hair loss treatment can be divided in two categories: Natural hair loss treatments and chemical treatments.

Here are some best hair natural hair loss treatments:

Aloe Vera
Indians, Native Americans and Caribbeans have used Aloe Vera to promote healthy hair and prevent hair loss since ages. Aloe Vera balances the pH of the scalp and heals from within. It is also helpful in cleansing the pores. A general remedy of Aloe Vera gel with coconut milk and small amount of wheat germ oil used as a shampoo has shown great benefits. Aloe Vera surely helps you stop hair loss.

Jojoba
If you are affected with hair problems like eczema, psoriasis, dandruff or seborrhea you are requested to use jojoba oil. Native Americans and Mexicans have used jojoba oil for centuries to prevent hair loss and to control dandruff. Jojoba oil works well for hypoallergenic skin, as is a good moisturizer. This is one of the best hair loss treatment products.

Henna
Henna is a traditional Indian herb, which is a good natural conditioner and works great as hair loss treatment product. It heals hair shaft by sealing the cuticle and repairing, stops breakage and restores the silky-shiny effect of your hair.

Capsicum – It stimulates hair growth by 50% and increases flow of blood to the scalp. This herb is effective in preventing hair loss.

Lemongrass – This herb helps stabilizing oil product in the scalp. It also provides nourishment to the hair. You can use oil of lemongrass for massage as well.

Dong Quai – Formation of DHT is the main cause of hair loss. Dong Quai contains phytoestrogens, which reduces the formation of DHT. Hence, Dong Quai is believed to be helpful in hair loss.

It is recommended that you consult an expert to know which hair loss treatment product is suitable for you.

Hair Loss Solutions

Hair loss and male pattern baldness is an affliction suffered by thousands of men, and can be a real source of insecurity and embarrassment for those not ready to lose their hair or shave their head. Even worse, and more devastating are the younger cases where the hair loss process begins long before a man even reaches his thirtieth birthday. So what are your options if you are one of these men, uncontrollably losing your hair before your time?

Well, you can do what many others do – shave your head for the sake of uniformity. Lots of men look great with a shaved head – it just fits their personality and style, and they seem comfortable that way. For those unwilling to give up on their hair, there are hairpieces or plugs, neither of which have been perfected to the point of being undetectable, and both having a societal stigma as being somewhat tacky and undesirable.

The other option, of course, is to try one of the hair loss products that several reputable manufacturers now offer, both in prescription and nonprescription form. While there is still no “magic pill” that can unflinchingly promise every man (and woman) who takes it will re-grow their hair, there are some very promising and effective hair loss products and treatments currently on the market and also in development.

Propecia, Rogaine (Monoxadil), Avacor and Proxiphen are just a few of the top prescription and nonprescription hair loss products on the market today, and they’ve all had varying degrees of success in re-growing their client’s hair. Since the demand for hair loss products is so great, there have been many non-prescription hair loss alternatives recently introduced in an effort to offer men (and women) a more economical and convenient alternative to re-grow hair and prevent further hair loss.

There are also several vitamins that have been specially formulated both for thinning hair and to promote the speedy growth of healthy, shiny hair. Vitamins for thinning hair and faster hair growth and re-growth are usually a varying combination of several key amino acids, biotin, vitamins B6 and E, and zinc. Many who take vitamins of this nature do report thicker, more lustrous and healthy hair, but if your goal is to actually re-grow hair and not just thicken thinning hair, then you would probably want to consider a more serious hair loss supplement or treatment that specifically targets balding and hair loss.

Here’s a little tip to help stimulate hair growth – massage the scalp. This is an age-old hairstylist tip to help stimulate the hair follicles, unclog any blocked oil glands in the scalp, and help promote a healthy scalp and new, healthy hair growth. Plus, it’s relaxing and it feels good, so it’s not such a chore!

Hair loss supplements can range from pricey to reasonable, tested and untested, and clinically proven vs. not clinically proven. You have to use good judgment and do a little homework on the internet, or by reading consumer reviews, testimonials and surveys to see what really should work best for your situation. Some even offer money back guarantees or some sort or money back for unused portions.

Now, let’s talk about being proactive in preventing future hair loss. Many times, the underlying cause for premature hair loss and male pattern balding is hereditary, but it can also be brought on by a hormonal imbalance of the male or female hormones, known as androgens and estrogens. Correcting a hormonal imbalance many times can stop hair loss. This example can be seen in women who notice hair loss shortly after they’ve had a baby. The cause for this is a drop in hormones that kept much more hair on the head than normal during pregnancy because the levels of this hormone are unusually high at this time.

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