Seeing clumps of hair at the bottom of the shower or in your hair brush is an unsettling experience, particularly when you are a young woman. While hair loss is not usually regarded as a female problem, the condition can affect women in the prime of their lives. Treatment involves identifying the cause of hair loss and using appropriate medications or hair restoration techniques.
Types
Androgenetic alopecia, or female pattern hair loss, causes thinning all over the scalp and is caused by a sensitivity due to male hormones. Traction alopecia occurs when tight hairstyles, such as braids, buns, ponytails or cornrows, pull at the scalp, damaging hair follicles. Telogen effluvium occurs after you have undergone a major physical or emotional event, such as childbirth, illness, malnutrition or surgery or experienced severe stress. Hair loss doesn't occur immediately, but usually begins approximately six weeks to three months after the event, according to the American Hair Loss Association (AHLA).
Other Causes
Temporary hair loss may also occur following chemotherapy or radiation treatment. Hair loss can also occur if you have an underactive thyroid gland. Some people experience hair loss due to trichotillomania, a compulsion to pull out hair on the head, eyelashes and body.
Hormonal Influences
An imbalance between female and male hormones can cause androgenetic alopecia. In addition to normal hormonal changes during pregnancy and at menopause, hormone levels can also change due to ovarian cysts and using hormonal birth control methods. The AHLA recommends that women use only low-androgen index birth control methods to avoid potential hair loss. If other women in your family have experienced hair loss, you may wish to use an non-hormonal type of birth control.
Androgenetic alopecia can also occur due to the effects of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). If you have PCOS, your ovaries produce elevated level of androgens. As many as five million women in the United States are affected by PCOS, according to the National Women's Health Information Center
Diagnosis
In addition to examining your scalp and taking a complete medical history, your doctor may recommend several tests. Blood tests are available to test hormone levels if your doctor suspects that you have androgenetic alopecia. Blood tests may also be recommended to test your iron levels and evaluate thyroid function. Other common tests include scalp biopsies and the hair pull test. During the hair pull test, your doctor pulls lightly on your hair to determine how easily hair falls out.
Treatment
Minoxidil, a topical medication, is the only medication currently approved for treatment of female hair loss by the Food and Drug Administration. Other types of drugs can be helpful and may be prescribed even if they are not specifically approved to treat female hair loss. Finasteride, a drug approved to treat male hair loss, may also be used to treat female hair loss, although pregnant women should not take this drug. Androgen receptor medications, including spironolactone and cimetidine, reduce hair loss by lowering androgen levels. The antifungal topical medication ketoconazole may also reduce androgens in the body. While taking birth control pills can cause hair loss in some women, low androgen index birth control pills can stop the problem in other women.
Hair transplants are helpful in restoring the appearance of the hair. During a hair transplant, small strips of scalp containing healthy hair are removed and transplanted to areas in which hair loss is a problem.
When other methods fail or when a woman does not wish to take medications or undergo a hair transplant, wigs, weaves and new hairstyles can help disguise the problem.
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