While the onset of hair loss can be seen as undesirable for anyone, it is a well-known phenomenon for men. However, for women losing hair the experience can be disturbing and often women feel a unique sense of shame which is exacerbated by the strong correlation between beauty and having a full head of hair. The media would have us think that women don’t experience significant hair loss, let alone balding, but this is a myth that merits debunking.

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There are believed to be approximately 30 conditions that cause hair loss in women, and many can be resolved with proper treatment. Women experiencing hair loss should consult with their physician to determine the cause of their hair loss and eliminate any serious medical conditions before evaluating hair loss treatments

 

Most Common Causes of hair loss in women

 

• Crash dieting or poor nutrition

• Birth control pills

• Hairstyles that stress the scalp (traction alopecia)

• Extreme stress

• Iron deficiency

• Hormonal imbalances like pregnancy and menopause

• Major surgery

• Endocrine conditions that affect thyroid function

• Systemic diseases like lupus

 

FEMALE PATTERN BALDNESS

Female pattern baldness, known as androgenic alopecia. Affecting up to forty percent of women by age 50, it begins with patients noticing a thinning of their hair, along with obvious signs of shedding, such as more hair fall in the shower, in their hairbrush, and on their pillow when they wake up in the morning.

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Unlike men who suffer from hair loss, the signs and symptoms in women are more pronounced. Where men will notice thinning in certain areas of their scalp such as temples and crown, women with female-pattern hair loss will notice hair thinning all over their scalp with more loss occurring on the top of the head, causing a widening of the center hair part.

The one piece of good news about female pattern hair loss is that rarely if ever does it lead to complete baldness as it does for men.

 

FEMALE HAIR LOSS: THE LUDWIG SCALE

• Type 1 female hair loss is the least severe with thinning on the top of the head.

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• Type 2 hair loss in women is more significant with areas of the scalp showing through thinning hair.

• Type 3 patients may completely lose hair on the crown of the head. In this case, more donor hair will be required to obtain full coverage.