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.

Hair Loss in Men And Women - Is It A Real Nightmare

Male Hair loss generally refers to the male pattern baldness. It is medically referred as "Androgenic Alopecia". Male hair loss affects a person at any time after puberty. The hair usually recedes the letter "M" and the crown hair becomes thinner as age advances. Hair loss is common in men and women. But a lot more men suffer from hair loss than women.

Treatment of male hair loss differs a lot from female hair loss treatment. Propecia is a good example for
a male hair loss product that should not be used by women.. If a women is pregnant Propecia may injure the baby in the womb.

Propecia will also cause hair growth on parts of the body where women do not like to have hair (body, face)
Hence Propecia is not recommended for women. Male hair loss can be treated with propecia but with some side effects. The side effects include impotency and lack of sex drive. So you should consult your physician before taking this medicine.

In early days, Rogaine was used to treat high blood pressure, but now it is primarily used to stop hair loss. Rogaine should be used continuously for three to four months to have some fruitful results.

The reason for male hair loss is mainly due to the levels of DHT (Dihydro testosterone) in the scalp. The DHT is present in a person immediately after his puberty and the purpose of DHT is to develop secondary sexual characteristics. DHT gets attached to the hair follicle and prevents the assimilation of nutrients to the follicles which in turn cause thinning out of hair and finally shedding of hair which results in hair loss.

In order to prevent hair loss there are many products available on the market. The most important igredients, which prevent hair loss is saw palmetto. It is clearly evident that saw palmetto blocks DHTs and is a natural medication. A product called Hair Genesis consists of saw palmetto and is extensively used to cure hair loss.

Hair energizer hair products by Ferm-T are also being used for treating hair loss. Even women can use this product without any side effect. The Hair energizer helps to stop hair thinning and hair loss. The Hair Energizer kit comes with a bottle of Follicle spray, 15 ml tube Jojoba oil, a bottle of shampoo, and 60 tablets of vitamins & minerals. Advecia, another product helps a lot to treat hair loss. It is essential for revitalizing the hair follicles. This is useful in treating the follicles, which are deprived of nutrients.

In contrast generally Women's hair loss does not result in total hair loss as like that of men. Even though women's hair loss is partial, it is devastating for the individual when it does happen.

The psychological impact of women's hair loss is extensive when compared to men since women consider their hair as a vital part of their beauty and find it to be an important part of their outer appearance.

Women's hair loss has different reasons. Heredity is one of those. Moreover the treatment of women's hair loss is entirely different than that of men, because the medication offered for re-growth of hair may cause the growth of hair on other parts of the body such as chest, back, and face. Most women don't like facial hair growth.

Women suffering from hair loss need to consult a doctor to find out what causes the hair loss. Once the cause has been ascertained, the physician will be able to prescribe the suitable medication. For women's hair loss, many physicians prescribe estrogen to correct the condition.

Women's hair loss can be treated with lucocorticoids. Topical application of Minoxodil or Anthralin is the only recommended treatment available for women's hair loss. Women's hair loss in the initial stage can be treated well and the response to the treatment is also extremely good. So if you are losing hair, see a doctor as soon as possible.

An important condition called Androgenic alopecia is found to be affecting about 2% of the population. This condition causes complete hair loss all over the body. Women's hair loss falling under this category is found to be difficult to cure. Doctors may prescribe certain medicines to reduce the symptoms of Androgenic alopecia.

Women who have just given birth to a child also suffer from hair loss very often. This type of hair loss is temporary and may stop within 6 months after birth. This is mainly due to the fact that there is a higher estrogen level during pregnancy, which might result in keeping the hair follicles in the growth phase. Immediately after childbirth, there is a sudden withdrawl of estrogen, which may cause the hair to enter into the hair loss phase. Hair may grow again after 6 months, but applying hair tonic may hasten re-growth of hair.

Sometimes crash diets may lead to women's hair loss and also rapid weight loss over a short period. In addition to this, emotional and physical stress may also result in hair loss. Immediately after the alleviation of the stress, the hair falling will be stopped.

Frequent dyeing and chemicals e.g. Perming solutions used on hair may cause hair falling. This condition may occur when a woman uses chemicals very frequently. The hair begins to break off. The hair
falling treatment products when applied on the scalp may strengthen the follicles.

Once you have identified the main cause of hair loss, choose the right treatment at the right time to ensure better hair growth. In most serious cases of women's hair loss, it is always advisable to seek the help of a dermatologist for complete diagnosis and
treatment plan.