Hair Loss

Hair loss and eventual baldness can be caused by a number of factors but heredity appears to be the main reason why men and women lose their mane. Hereditary hair loss in men and women happens to have the same main cause, which is dihydrotestosterone (DHT) attacking and killing our hair follicles. DHT is a metabolite of the male hormone testosterone but it also happens to be present in the female body. Men and women lose their hair not because of increased levels of DHT in their bodies but due to the susceptibility of their hair follicles to harmful DHT attacks, although the mechanism and reasons why some hairs, mostly those on the top of the head, are more vulnerable to such attacks are not yet exactly know.

The main difference between the male and female form of hereditary hair loss is in its shape. The male form has a characteristic horseshoe pattern whereas the female form is typically a diffuse thinning across the entire scalp and is thus less easily-recognised. The female form of hereditary baldness is, in its form, practically indistinguishable from hair loss caused by various other factors. The second most common reason for a woman to lose her hair is hormonal imbalances during and after pregnancy or menopause. Such changes are typically of a temporary nature and so also is the hair loss, although post-menopausal hair loss is in most instances permanent.

When it comes to treating hair loss in female patients there are certain specifics. First, most women do not make very good candidates for hair transplantation due to their diffuse thinning pattern, which makes it impossible to identify the hair that will be resistant to future miniaturisation. Secondly, finasteride, which is one of the only two FDA-approved hair loss treatments available today, cannot be used in women and neither can dutasteride, which is its closest and assumedly yet more powerful relative. Rogaine (generic name minoxidil) is the second FDA-approved hair loss treatment and its approved concentration for women is only 2% versus 5% for men. However, many doctors recommend their female patients use male formulations of minoxidil, with a concentration of 5%, such as Rogaine foam. Aminexil is a molecule similar to minoxidil and it is most often recommended to women who are pregnant or breastfeeding as a safer option than minoxidil.

Although some antiandrogens such as finasteride or dutasteride cannot be prescribed to women, there are other antiandrogen medications that can be effectively used to treat female pattern baldness. Spironolactone (trade name Aldactone) and cyproterone acetate (used in contraceptives such as Ginette 35, Diane 35 and Diane 50) are antiandrogens most commonly used to treat female pattern hair loss.

Another treatment with seemingly high rates of success is topical estrogen solutions such as Crinohermal, which use a female hormone, estradiol, as their main active substance. Estradiol is capable of inhibiting the conversion of testosterone into follicle-harming DHT. Hormone replacement therapy is another hormonal treatment suitable for women at menopause, with estrogens and progesterone pills and creams being the most common forms of treatment. Estrogen levels in the body decline with time. As women enter the menopause, estrogen levels decline and, therefore, more of the male hormone testosterone is then available to be converted into follicle-harming DHT.

This list of treatments for female pattern baldness is not exhaustive. A variety of other existing remedies are claimed to help promote hair growth in women, such as ketoconazole, fluridil, flutamide, alfatradiol, as well as various substances of natural origin. Despite the fact that there are female patients who will swear by some of these alternative treatments, none of them has ever been sufficiently clinically tested, let alone approved by any major national health supervisory authority as a treatment for female hair loss and the claims of their guaranteed effectiveness should be taken with a grain of salt.

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 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.