Hair Loss Solutions

Women who suffer hair loss may feel many negative emotions. After all, we usually accept baldness in men, but there is very little societal acceptance for bald women. Unfortunately, until recently there has not been a lot of choice in hair loss treatment for women.

Nonetheless, hair loss does occur in women. In fact approximately 25 million women in the United States alone suffer from Female Pattern Baldness (FPB). Generally speaking, women will experience hair loss in a diffuse (all over) pattern. This can be caused by heredity or a number of other factors such as an averse reaction to medications taken or medical conditions.

Inherited baldness in women is also called female pattern alopecia. This condition can be handed down from either parent. Additionally, this condition may be caused by a negative interaction of two enzymes – aromatase and reductase – which convert testosterone (found in both men and women) to a substance known as DHT. This substance causes gradual shrinkage of the hair follicles.

The fact that women have less reductase in their systems than men may account for the differences in female pattern baldness and male pattern baldness. It may also account for the fact that the treatments for baldness in men cannot simply be utilized as hair loss treatment for women.

In addition to inherited factors, there are a number of medical conditions that may cause hair loss in women. Among them are:

-Stress and anxiety
-Poor nutrition and/or anemia (often caused by dieting)
-Lupus or other diseases of the connective tissue
-Thyroid problems
-Conditions related to childbearing, menses and menopause

Aside from medical conditions, there are also quite a few medications that can cause hair loss in women. Among them are:

-Illicit drugs
-Excessive vitamin A
-Over-the-counter diet pills
-Medications for thyroid conditions
-Anti-depressants
-Gout medications
-Cholesterol and lipid lowering medications
-Dilantin and other seizure medications
-Warfarin, heparin & other blood thinners
-Prednisone and other anti-inflammatory medications
-Birth control pills high in progestin
-Chemotherapy

In addition to diffuse pattern baldness in women, local hair loss may also be experienced due to dermatological conditions such as scarring caused by radiation therapy or hair loss around the hair line following a face lift. Another type of dermatological hair loss may occur if the hair is under constant stress of pulling or rubbing. This could be caused by actual nervous pulling or constant wearing of a hat, wig, or other headgear or simply pulling the hair back too tightly on a constant basis. In any case, dermatological hair loss in women may be permanent; however, a hair transplantation is one form of hair loss treatment for women that may be able to address this problem.

You may hear of diffuse, non-scarring hair loss in women categorized by a system known as the Ludwig classification. This system of rating the severity of hair loss in women was devised because this type of hair loss is so common in women. The Ludwig Classification has three categories.

Mild loss is termed Type I and can be easily covered by simply styling the hair appropriately.

Moderate loss is termed Type II. At this stage, it is not possible to cover the loss as the bald patches on the top of the scalp become wider and more pronounced. In this event, it is quite appropriate to seek hair loss treatment for women.

Extensive loss is termed Type III. In this event the hair is generally thin – especially so on the top. The scalp can be seen overall.

In variations on this kind of hair loss, a woman may experience loss of hair at the top of the scalp; however, the hairline in front may not be affected. Additionally, the back and sides may or may not be affected. In some cases, women may experience hair loss in a “male pattern baldness” fashion. That is, they may lose the hair on top entirely and keep the hair around the sides and back of the head. Again, hair transplantation may be a good hair loss treatment for women with these types of baldness.

No matter what the cause of baldness, the most important thing is for a woman to get a correct diagnosis in order to identify the proper hair loss treatment for women. It would be quite a shame for a woman whose hair loss was caused by poor diet, anxiety, or an illness to undergo hair transplant surgery, for example, when her hair loss might be properly addressed by a change in diet and/or hair care or a course in meditation and relaxation!

In addition to medical hair loss treatment for women, there are a number of natural home remedies and preventions women may wish to try. These methods may promote hair growth and protect the hair a woman has and will surely not hurt anything.

Women experiencing hair loss may:

-Massage the scalp with an organic, natural oil such as olive oil or carrot oil
-Massage the scalp gently with the fingertips – not the fingernails – when washing the hair
-Use non-drying shampoos or simply using a natural conditioner as shampoo
-Use a natural hair thickening treatment that contains rich proteins and amino acids
-Avoid chemical treatments for the hair, such as perms, straightening, and dying
-Avoid harsh treatment of the hair, such as blow drying, use of curling irons and other heat devices
-Avoid wearing the hair pulled up or back tightly, and don’t use rubber bands
-Get ample light-to-moderate exercise to promote overall blood circulation
-Eat a natural, balanced diet of whole foods and drink plenty of pure water

All of these natural measures benefit a woman’s general wellness. If after trying these methods for 6-12 weeks a woman still notices no difference in her thinning hair, or if the condition worsens, she should surely consult with her health care professional to explore medical hair loss treatment for women.