The three major causes of hair loss in women each has a different treatment. Medical tests will determine the reasons for your hair loss and will help to determine which of the treatment options is likely to be the most appropriate and successful.
Androgenetic Alopecia
The same type of hair loss that affects most men, it looks different in women. Whereas men lose hair at the hairline or back of the head, women will usually notice a gradual thinning of the hair on the top and sides of the head.
As with men, androgenetic hair loss in women is inherited. Women with this inherited trait probably produce too much of the male hormone testosterone, or it could be that their hair follicles may be vulnerable to the effects of DHT (dihydrotestesterone), a byproduct of testosterone.
All women produce some testosterone, but women who produce an excess of it may have deeper voices, hair growth on their abdomen and face, and experience thinning of the hair on their heads. Hair loss, in particular, can also be seen when female hormones are changing, such as after the birth of a baby, during pregnancy or at menopause.
Telogen Effluvium
Your hair enjoys a natural growth cycle. The first stage, anagen, is during the hair growth. Hair normally grows about half an inch per month, and will continue to do so for four to seven years. Hair loss experienced in women who are undergoing chemotherapy is caused by anagen effluvium. This is where the hair falls out owing to the hair follicles being poisoned by the medication.
The next stage, telogen, is a resting stage that continues for a few months. The hair is no longer experiencing growth, but is still fully attached to the follicle. Telogen effluvium occurs when an abnormal amount of hair enters the resting stage and then falls out. This usually means that the hair loss is caused by something that happened a few months ago.
Telogen effluvium is a common form of hair loss experienced by women after the birth of a baby. This is caused by the hormones of pregnancy keeping hair in the anagen phase – this is also why pregnant women often have luxuriously thick hair. When the hormone levels return to normal after the pregnancy, all those aging hairs enter telogen and begin to fall out. Telogen effluvium could also be caused by a number of other items such as birth control pills, stress, thyroid deficiency and various medications.
Hair loss in women, the final stage, occurs when a new hair begins to grow in the follicle and pushes the old hair out. It is a perfectly normal occurrence to lose 50 to 100 hairs every day through this natural process.
Alopecia Areata
Alopecia areata can occur in both men and women, and shows as patchy baldness. Most doctors consider it to be caused by an autoimmune response, where your body rejects your hair. Hormone imbalances, arthritis and other autoimmune disorders, syphilis and other diseases, can also be the cause of it. Alopecia totalis is an advanced form of alopecia areata, where total baldness occurs. Alopecia universalis is an even more advanced condition, with loss of all body hair, including eyelashes.
Owing to the hormonal variations they experience throughout life, hair loss in women is harder to manage . Tests are normally necessary to determine the exact cause of the hair loss, and to find a particular treatment that will restore normal hair growth.
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