When most people think of hair loss, male pattern baldness comes to mind first, but women can also experience excessive hair loss. There are many causes of hair loss in women. Prevention strategies and treatment depend on the specific type of hair loss and are more successful for some types than for others.
Description
Normal healthy hair sheds constantly, in a cycle that involves long periods of growth followed by a loss of hair from the follicle before beginning another growth cycle. According to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, women with healthy hair lose about 100 to 150 strands each day. Hair loss can occur in clumps or as a gradual thinning of hair that leads to near or total baldness.
Types
There are a few types of hair loss that women may experience, explains the Mayo Clinic. Female pattern baldness, androgenic alopecia, results from a combination of genetics and environment and exhibits itself as thinning of the front and side hairlines and at the crown of the hair. Alopecia areata is a condition in which small patches of baldness appear on the scalp. In telogen effluvium, hair loss may be significant, coming out in clumps, but it is usually temporary and caused by stress or illness. Traction alopecia results from harsh hair treatments and tight hairstyles such as pigtails or cornrows. Anagen effluvium happens when a woman undergoes chemotherapy for cancer and loses large amounts of hair as a side effect.
Timing
While hair loss caused by physical tugging on the hair or excessive hair treatments can occur at any time, thinning caused by hormonal issues is more likely after menopause. However, some women experience alopecia as early as their teenage years. Just after a baby is born is another time when many women experience excessive hair loss, since the hormones that are found at high levels in the body keep hair from dropping out, and the birth of the baby leads to a rapid drop in the levels of these hormones.
Treatment
Treating female hair loss is not the same as treating male hair loss, since some medications used in men, such as Propecia, don't work for women. Rogaine, also known as minoxidil, is the only approved drug treatment for female pattern baldness, according to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology. Treating other forms of hair loss may involve simply waiting for regrowth to occur while stopping the activity that is causing the loss of hair.
Prevention
Hormone replacement therapy may prevent hair loss in post-menopausal women, but since this kind of therapy carries side effects, the pros and cons of its use merit a discussion with a doctor before trying it. For younger women, avoiding harsh hair treatments and tight hairstyles that put pressure on the follicles can lessen future hair loss.
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