Do You Know What The Most Common Female Hair Loss Causes Are?
You might not know what the most common female hair loss causes are, but I will bet you can find out. With the technology available to the world today, this is a much simpler task than it has ever been.
There are many causes, but the good news is that most of them are treatable. The first step is to find out why you are suffering from this problem.
Unlike males, women do not normally associate hair loss with their gender. They are like the rest of the world and expect if anyone will be going bald, it would be their husband, father, brother or male child.
One of the reasons is most women prefer not to talk about female hair loss causes. This is absolutely the wrong approach.
For too many years, this problem, when it pertains to women has been swept under the rug. Women were embarrassed to talk about it so they covered it up by wearing hats or wigs.
This approach to the problem is what kept it so hush-hush for a long time. Women associate their hair with their femininity.
Therefore when they begin to lose their hair, they feel like they are losing their femininity. This is one of the reasons female hair loss causes are not as well known as they are in men.
The truth is that as many as 50% of the female population will have some loss of hair within their lifetime. Hair thinning does not just happen to the older generation either.
If you are a woman who underwent early puberty, loss of hair can happen in the late teens and into the 20s. It is essential to get this reduction in hair treated because it can be the cause of even greater incidence of loss of hair.
Alopecia areata is one of the causes of hair problems for women. This is thought to be an autoimmune condition.
It can cause anything from thinning to areas on the scalp that are totally bald. It is important that you see a doctor if you suspect this is the type of loss of hair you have.
Another type is called trichotillomania (TTM). This is an impulse control condition that often seems similar to an obsessive-compulsive behavior.
It can result in large patches of hair that has been pulled out by the person. Constant pulling of hair can damage the follicles and may cause hair to stop growing.
Since this condition seems to be concentrated on certain areas, over time it can well mean that the hair will stop growing back. This requires a physician’s attention as soon as possible.
Still another loss of hair is triangular alopecia. This can result in total loss of hair or it can leave a few strands.
Scarring alopecia is another cause of female hair loss. This usually starts at the top of the head and is associated with women experiencing post-menopause symptoms.
This is usually caused by the hair follicles becoming swollen. There is also significant scarring which is a result of this as well.
Although these are just a few of the female hair loss causes, they are worth checking into if you are experiencing problems. The sooner you find the cause why you are losing hair, the sooner it can be treated.
And, to help you solve hair loss problems, Kalpana shares with you a remedy to Thinning Hair and Hair Loss for both men and women that she found to be a safe and natural hair loss product. If you want to see results confirmed by other customers, visit her website, http://remedies-for-thinning-hair.com to find out more.
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Common Hair Loss Causes
One of the most worrying aspects of hair loss treatment is the tendency of so many people to seek solutions without first determining what has caused their loss in the first place.
At best, sufferers may waste money on inappropriate ‘wonder cures’ or even legitimate treatments that unfortunately are not suitable for their particular needs. At worst, some people may be risking their health by self-prescribing powerful pharmaceutical drugs. I don’t have a problem with hair loss sufferers saving money by purchasing cheap generic drugs on the internet, but I feel strongly that they should at least seek confirmation from their physician that a given drug matches their individual needs.
Before examining the most common causes of premature hair loss we need to understand that some shedding of hair is perfectly normal. Hairs grow from follicles that are tiny organs in the skin designed to grow a single hair that follows this repetitive cycle:
1. Lengthy growth period (Anagen Stage) – this phase usually lasts between two and seven years with an average growth rate of six inches (15cm) each year.
2. Short transition period (Catagen Stage) – this period of transition lasts for roughly two to four weeks. During this phase the hair shaft becomes detached and moves upwards within the follicle.
3. Resting period (Telogen Stage) – this phase lasts about three months allowing the hair to detach itself prior to falling out.
At this point a new hair begins to grow thus repeating the normal cycle of hair growth. Unfortunately a number of factors can interfere with the natural hair growth process leading to forms of hair thinning or premature baldness.
Androgenetic alopecia is the most common cause of hair loss, probably accounting for as much as 95% of pattern hair loss for both men and women. It is usually associated with aging and develops in predictable stages over varying periods of time. Each follicle follows a genetically programmed growth cycle with some follicles coded to remain active for a shorter time than others. This results in the development of the hereditary baldness patterns that are so familiar to us all.
For this type of baldness to occur, the following factors must be present:
1. A genetic predisposition for hair loss to occur (as explained above).
2. The presence of male hormones.
3. Aging – in other words, enough time for the first two factors to exert an influence.
All men and women produce male hormones such as testosterone and DHT. These have a useful role to play in both sexes but obviously occur in widely differing concentrations. It is the higher levels of androgens found in males that explains why this form of hair loss affects men more than women.
In brief, these hormones affect the hair growth cycle as follows:
1. High levels of the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme occur in some cells of the hair follicle and sebaceous glands.
2. 5-alpha-reductase converts testosterone into DHT.
3. DHT causes the terminal hairs to miniaturize.
4. This leaves short, soft, fluffy vellus hairs that provide inadequate scalp coverage.
5. The growth phases gradually become shorter until these hairs are lost for good.
Alopecia areata is thought to be an immune system disorder that causes follicles to stop producing hairs in patches on the head. In severe cases it can advance to the stage where all hair on the head is lost (alopecia totalis) or even a complete absence of body hair results (alopecia universalis).
In most cases the hair will reappear on its own but until then, the condition can be very distressing to sufferers particularly as its cause can be difficult to determine. If you feel you may be suffering from this form of hair loss, seek the advice of your physician who will carry out a physical examination and conduct blood tests to help determine the cause.
Telogen effluvium is characterized by a general thinning or shedding of hair over a period of months and is most commonly found in people who have recently experienced trauma. Common causes include childbirth, major surgery, severe illness, psychological stress and chemotherapy. The good news is that the abnormal growth behavior associated with telogen effluvium is temporary and reversible.
There are numerous other less common hair loss causes that need to be discounted before a course of treatment is chosen. Traction alopecia is the loss of hair from constant pulling, usually as the result of hair styling. Broken hairs can result in thinning, often caused by excessive styling or exposure to chemicals and sun. Finally, severe illnesses or nutritional deficiencies can cause side effects that may include degrees of hair loss.
I hope this brief article has gotten across the message that diagnosing the real causes of hair loss is not always a straightforward process. Once you and your physician have identified a cause, then you can work towards restoring your hair to its former glory. And the good news is, most forms of hair loss can be treated successfully.
Richard Mitchell has published numerous articles outlining Hair Loss Solutions and has examined the effectiveness of Provillus and many other products in treating premature hair loss.
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