Female Hair Loss - The Facts

Research has revealed that up to two thirds of the women population faces hair loss problems at some stage in their life. A luxurious head of lustrous hair is an integral part of a woman's self image. Hence, hair loss can lead to emotional stress and it is generally a traumatic experience for women.

Factors that are related to hair loss in women are usually not just genes or heredity. Hair loss in women may be triggered by such issues like pregnancy, constant worry, chemotherapy, certain diets, thyroid hormone deficiency, some medications or infections of the scalp. Unlike men, women hardly ever go bald. However women may experience considerable thinning and diminution of the diameter of their hair shaft especially around the forehead and crown of the skull. This is noticed more in aged women... Fortunately for women, the hair loss is more often than not temporary and a healthy re-growth can be achieved over time.

It is imperative that the exact cause of hair loss be known before selecting a remedy.

Causes of hair loss include:

Genetics: This is also known as androgenic alopecia and is hereditary. This is the leading cause of hair loss in women. The onset can be any time after puberty, but usually occurs by the time a woman reaches forty years of age. The hair loss may increase at the time of menopause. Overall thinning of hair may occur in women but it is accentuated at the top of the scalp, where hair loss can result in baldness. This type of alopecia can be inherited from either side of the family.

Childbirth: the increased level of the hormone estrogen produced during pregnancy cause the hair follicles to shift to their growth phase. After parturition, the normal hormone levels are restored and the hair follicles all at once go into the cessation of growth phase, causing increased hair loss after childbirth.

Alopecia areata: The exact medical cause is unknown but research has shown the existence of auto immune disorder where the body erroneously attacks its own hair follicles. The follicles and the surrounding regions get inflamed and the follicles retreat in to the deeper layers of the skin. This cuts off the supply of nutrients to the follicles, and hair loss ensues.

Drugs or Supplements - Anagen Effluvium: The most common medical treatment that leads to copious hair loss is Chemotherapy. The harsh medicines used in this treatment assail the hair cells of the matrix, poison he hair follciles and the scalp turns bald. Prescription drugs like blood thinners, hypertension medicines and drugs for cholesterol are also known to cause hair loss. Certain diet supplements can also lead to thinning of hair.

Stress, Dieting or Surgery - Telogen Effluvium: Women may experience extreme hair loss when a lot of healthy hair enters the resting phase or telogen simultaneously. This hair falls off and until new hair grows back, the shaft appears thin. This type of hair loss in women can also be the result of prolonged illness, constitutional problems like thyroid disorders, emotional stress, or intake of birth control pills.

Hair pulling: Also known as trichotillomania. This is actually a psychological disorder in which the women, due to some deep-seated dissatisfaction or depression, pull out their own hair. Counseling can aid in curing the patient.

Hair loss in women may have something to do with declining levels of estrogen. Previous to menopause, estrogen neutralizes the effect of male hormones called androgens, which turn into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). After menopause, more androgens are transformed into DHT. This adversely affects hair follicles. This disorder occurs mostly in women having a genetic predisposition to this form of female hair loss.

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