Hair loss isn't just a male problem. Women account for 40 percent of people struggling with hair loss in the U.S., according to the American Hair Loss Association, or AHLA. It's a frustrating, painful experience that women often cope with in silence, says the AHLA. Hair loss has several causes, and it may be temporary or permanent. Addressing the underlying causes and practicing prevention on a daily basis can usually prevent further hair loss and restore your hair.
Step 1
Schedule an appointment with your doctor. Hair loss may be tied to underlying illnesses, a nutrient deficiency, medications or hair-shaft abnormalities, explains the Cleveland Clinic Center for Continuing Education. Your doctor can perform or recommend tests to help diagnose the reason you're hair is falling out.
Step 2
Improve your grooming habits. This is especially important if tests do not reveal any medical cause for your hair loss because, as the American Academy of Dermatology, or AAD, explains, hair loss is often due to bad grooming habits. Switch to milder shampoos and conditioners. Stop using hair-styling tools such as blow dryers and curling irons that dry out your hair and increase breakage and hair loss. Refrain from using relaxers, perms or hair dyes.
Step 3
Avoid hairstyles that pull your hair back from your forehead. Done on a constant basis, these hairstyles put tension on your scalp and hair follicles and damage them. As a result, you can develop hair loss conditions such as traction folliculitis and traction alopecia, according to Seymour Weaver, a dermatologist and creator of the website BlackMedicalHairExpert.com.
Step 4
Do not use hair accessories such as hair clips, pins or rubber bands, advises the AAD. They can break your hair in the areas where you place them.
Step 5
Control stress through activities such as deep breathing, yoga or exercise. Your hair is in three different phases at any given time. About 90 percent is in the growing or resting phases---also known as anagen and catagen, respectively. However, high levels of stress can shift these hairs into the shedding, or telogen phase, all at the same time. This condition is called telogen effluvium, according to the AHLA.
Tips and Warnings
- Don't delay treating hair loss. Any remedy or treatment will be much more effective if you start it as soon as you notice you're hair is falling out. Discuss your birth control options with your doctor. Hair loss in women has been linked to high-androgen oral contraceptives. If hair loss runs in your family, the AHLA recommends using a nonhormonal method of birth control.
- The best results from treatment happen when you begin treatment as soon as possible after the hair loss begins because prolonged androgenetic alopecia may destroy many hair follicles. Do not attempt to self-medicate with hair loss pills or supplements sold over the Internet or in other forms of media. Always seek medical advice first.
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