Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Hair Loss in Women: Types, Causes, Treatments

what causes female hair loss

Without medications or treatment, hair loss due to female pattern baldness is permanent. The most common type of hair loss in women is a condition called female pattern hair loss (FPHL), also known as androgenetic alopecia. It affects up to 30 million women in the U.S. — most of them in their 40s, 50s or 60s.

Laser therapy

Women may notice that their part is becoming wider or that their scalp is more visible. Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) is a distinctive form of diffuse hair loss that occurs in women with androgenetic alopecia. Around 40% of women by age 50 show signs of hair loss and less than 45% of women reach the age of 80 with a full head of hair. Many start to notice the early stages of female pattern baldness after menopause.

How Is Female Hair Loss Treated?

what causes female hair loss

With some types of hair loss, like androgenetic alopecia, the changes to the hair are permanent. While you can take steps to slow this process, the physical changes in your body make it difficult to stop losing hair entirely. The earlier you treat hair loss, the better the outcome. Dietary factors and nutrition can also play a role in male hair loss. For men, deficiencies in zinc, niacin, and protein and excess intake of vitamins A and E have been linked with male pattern baldness and other types of hair loss. Men also experience anagen and telogen effluvium in response to chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or certain medications.

Prevention

Hair loss usually starts to appear near your center part. In the middle and later stages of female pattern baldness, you’ll lose hair on either side of your part and toward the front of your scalp. Hormonal shifts may also explain why women who suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) often experience female pattern hair loss at younger ages. Women with PCOS experience an overproduction of androgens — male hormones, such as testosterone.

Other types of hair loss may involve treating the underlying cause. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, it’s completely normal to shed anywhere between 50 to 100 strands of hair per day. However, if you’ve noticed more strands falling out of your head than normal, you may be experiencing alopecia, the medical term for hair loss. Common diagnoses include androgenetic alopecia, alopecia areata, telogen effluvium, and lymphocytic scarring alopecia, Agbai tells USA TODAY.

Telogen effluvium

what causes female hair loss

Some small, limited studies have found that certain supplements and shampoos could be helpful, dermatologists say. By contrast, scarring alopecia, another autoimmune disease that causes hair loss, is often accompanied by itchiness, tenderness and scaling of the scalp. Scarring alopecia is the most devastating type of hair loss, Mirmirani says, because it permanently destroys the hair follicles. Studies indicate that laser therapy is safe and painless but requires many treatment sessions. To see a bit of hair growth, you may need several treatments a week for many months.

Many people choose not to see a healthcare provider if they have female pattern baldness. But if you’d like to maintain your hair, you should call a healthcare provider as soon as you notice hair loss on your scalp. Female pattern baldness can affect anyone assigned female at birth.

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Medications to treat hair loss

Don't take any supplement before checking with your doctor. They may interact with other medications or supplements you take. Barbosa’s expertise includes managing hair issues specifically affecting Black women. She also organizes quarterly Zoom support group meetings and a series of educational webinars.

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She provides specialized care for a broad range of skin and hair conditions. Women experiencing hair loss often suffer in silence because they’re too embarrassed to talk about it or think it’s just a cosmetic problem. Maybe they’ll mention it to their friends or hairstylist, but rarely to their doctor. Your shorter hairs — like eyelashes, arm and leg hair, and eyebrows —have a short anagen phase (about one month).

In some cases, rapid hair loss can occur during a period of high stress or trauma to the body. Infections, distressing events, high fever, and mental health issues can contribute to stress-related hair loss in men and women. Rapid weight loss due to bariatric surgery or disease can also cause this often reversible condition.

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition that causes hair to fall out suddenly. The immune system attacks hair follicles, along with other healthy parts of the body. Men get most of the attention when it comes to hair loss. By age 50, up to 40% of women will have noticeable hair loss, but it can happen at any age. Sudden weight loss and very restrictive diets can also cause telogen effluvium. In men and women, such hair loss can accompany rapid weight loss following bariatric surgeries, such as gastric bypass.

Unwanted changes to your appearance can influence your self-esteem and social life. Some people find comfort in talking with a mental health professional if their hair loss causes discomfort. Others may find relief in changing their hairstyle or wearing a wig. See a dermatologist as soon as possible when you notice hair loss. The sooner you get treatment, the more effective it’ll be. A dermatologist is a medical doctor who specializes in treating the skin, hair, and nails.

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