The Cause Of Hair Loss In Women

Hair is often considered one of the most valuable physical assets of a woman, as it characterizes female beauty, and defines her sense of personal grooming. Every woman goes to great lengths to maintain healthy and beautiful hair.

That is why hair loss can often be depressing and demoralizing for most women. It is thought, stress is the cause of hair loss in women, and women are stressed further because of their falling hair, which can result in a vicious cycle of hair fall.

Generally, at any one of point of time, around ten percent of hair on the scalp stays in a resting position, which falls after two or three months. New hair then starts growing in its place.

This cycle continues for about two to six years. 'Alopecia', the medical term for hair loss, is a tendency that is usually prevalent in men, but surprisingly about two-thirds of women suffer from premature hair fall. There could be several reasons for the cause of hair loss in women.

Types Of Hair Loss:

There are four main types of hair loss that lead to thinning of hair in women. They are as follows:

Androgenetic Alopecia: It is one of the most common types of hair loss in women, which often appears prominently on the forehead, top and back of the head. Women do not lose all their hair, but it starts thinning slowly. Hair loss in this category begins on the crown of the head and then moves forward. Generally, the androgenetic hormone affects women with androgenetic alopecia.

Alopecia Areata: It is a disease of the immune system, which causes a severe patchy kind of hair loss. Generally, people suffering from this type of hair loss may have small bald spots, or lose all of the hair on their scalp. Although it can strike at any age, it usually begins in early childhood. When the immune system of the body attacks the hair growing cells, it leads to this cause of hair loss in women. It can affect adults and children of both sexes, but can be treated using immunotherapy drugs.

Telogen Effluvium: It is a sudden kind of hair loss, which is impermanent in nature. It is often caused by emotional stress, for example the death of a relative, or physical stress caused by chronic illness or surgery. Women generally notice the hair loss on their hairbrush or the shower floor. It is caused because the hair roots become inactive, and consequently hair from these roots starts falling. After a period of a month or two, new hair begins growing when the inactive hair roots become active again.

Traumatic Alopecia: This type of hair loss problem occurs because of many hair care practices, such as braiding the hair very tightly, or constant twisting and tugging of the hair.

Causes:

A number of factors can contribute to the cause of hair loss in women. They are:

Hormonal problems: Hormonal problems often lead to hair loss in women. If hormones such as androgens and estrogens are not in proper balance, or the thyroid gland is overactive or under active, it may lead to excessive hair loss. However, the correction of the hormonal imbalance can help in stopping the hair loss.

Pregnancy: Pregnancy is one of the most common causes of hair loss in women. Usually, they start noticing the hair loss after three or four months of delivery. This form of hair loss is also related to hormones, as during pregnancy certain hormones prevent the falling out of hair. However, the normal cycle of hair growth resumes after four to six months of delivery.

Medication: Medication can also lead to hair loss in women. Some of the drugs that generally lead to hair loss could include blood thinners, medicine used for gout, chemotherapy to treat cancer, birth control pills, anti-depressants, and vitamin A if taken in an uncontrolled quantity. However, the hair loss could lessen if these medications are stopped.

Infection or underlying disease: Fungal infections of the scalp can be one of the major reasons for the cause of hair loss in women. It could even occur because of an inherent disease.

Telogen Effluvium: A change in the normal hair growth system followed by childbirth, crash dieting, operation, trauma or stress could also be one of the causes of hair loss in women.

Hair loss in women can often become a reason for their bad health and poor performance at work. Hair is a delicate part of the body that demands proper care and maintenance in order to remain healthy. Therefore, it is very important to discuss your hair loss problems with qualified doctors and hair specialists, to treat the root cause of hair loss, and your hair breathes life and shines with new vigor again.