Let’s face it, hair loss for anyone can be a very distressing problem but women’s hair loss can be especially distressing.  Although the causes of women’s hair loss vary from person to person, by understanding the common causes of female hair loss, this can help you find the right potential treatment or solution.

The causes for female hair loss are different to the causes of men's hair loss. Also hair loss in women can occur at any age, whereas men’s hair loss typically occurs when they grow older. Women's hair loss is also different in that it can occur all over the head, whereas men tend to see hair loss mostly on the top and at the temples.

Since female hair loss can be caused by several medical conditions it is extremely important for a woman who is experiencing abnormal hair loss to be checked by a physician. Conditions such as underactive thyroid, for example, can lead to more serious symptoms and health issues besides hair loss. Diabetes and other autoimmune disorders can also cause hair loss. It is important not to experiment with a female hair loss treatment until you are certain what is causing your hair loss after consulting your physician.

1) Hereditary thinning, or androgenetic alopecia to give its medical name, is the most common cause of women’s hair loss. The tendency to develop female pattern hair loss can be inherited from either side of the family.

Generally this leads to thinning of the hair in women rather than baldness and can start in the teens, twenties or thirties.

Unfortunately, there are no cures for hereditary female hair loss. However, there are treatments which may help some people such as minoxidil, which is a lotion applied twice daily to your scalp.

An alternative solution which women with thinning hair may consider is female hair transplantation. This procedure involves moving hair from areas of your head with normal hair growth to thinning areas.

As with all surgical procedures, you should only undertake this after taking advice from a specialist.

2) Improper hair cosmetic use is another common cause of women’s hair loss. Treatments such as bleaches, tints, hair dyes, straighteners or perms rarely damage your hair if done properly. However, overuse can cause the hair to become weak or break.

If chemical treatments cause your hair to become brittle and leads to hair loss, then it is recommended you stop the treatments until the damaged hair has grown out.

3) Alopecia areata is a type of hair loss which can affect women of any age. This usually results in hair falling out and leaving round coin sized smooth patches on the head. In rare cases there may be a total loss of hair.

Although the cause of alopecia areata in women is not clear, in time the hair usually grows back by itself. Female hair loss caused by alopecia areata can also be successfully treated by dermatologists.

4) Thyroid disease can also lead to female hair loss. Where an under or over-active thyroid condition has been diagnosed, any associated hair loss can be usually be successfully treated by your physician.

5) Severe infection, flu or a high fever can be a cause of women’s hair loss. After a bout of illness, even as much as four weeks to three months afterwards, you may be taken aback by seeing a lot of hair falling out.

This is caused by your hair going into a resting phase to redirect energy at healing. Any hair loss usually corrects itself though.

6) Some medications can also lead to women's hair loss. For example, prescription drugs used for arthritis, blood thinning, depression, gout, heart problems or high blood pressure may cause hair loss. High doses of vitamin A have also been associated with female hair loss.

7) Inadequate protein in a women’s diet can be a cause of female hair loss. If you go on a crash diet or have extreme irregular dietary habits then you may develop protein malnutrition.

As with severe illness, the body will put hair into the resting phase to conserve protein. Significant hair loss can occur two to three months later and be easily pulled out by the roots. Hair loss can be easily reversed by ensuring you eat the correct levels of protein in your diet.

In conclusion, we have looked at several common causes of women's hair loss and suggested some solutions for treating the problem. However, because there are so many different causes of female hair loss you should always consult your physician or dermatologist to correctly diagnose your problem and the best course of action to treat it.

How to Help Stop Hair Loss and Regrow Your Hair

Female hair loss treatments often differ to men's, for a number of reasons. The main prescription hair loss treatment for men, the drug propecia, is generally not as effective in women, although an Italian study seemed to show some promise with it.

The study followed the experience of 37 women who were given 2.5 mg of propecia a day, as well as the contraceptive pill. As propecia can cause deformities in the development of a male fetus' sex organs, propecia cannot be given to women who have a chance of conceiving, or who are pregnant. Results were measured by taking photos of the women's heads, and using a technique called computerized light videodermoscopy to measure the density of hairs. Women tend to have thinning hair when they suffer hair loss, and don't often go completely bald.

After 12 months of treatment, 23 women (62%) had improvements in their hair thickness. Those women who had most hair loss down the middle of the top of the head, showed the most improvement. Only one woman was found to have worse hair loss.

But more studies on propecia as a female hair loss treatment need to be conducted before it is given the green light as a treatment option. Not only is there the issue of fetal damage, making it a risky drug for women, but this study is not conclusive as evidence that it will actually work for all, or most, women.

Generally, women are given topical treatments like minoxidil to encourage hair growth. Minoxidil has drawbacks in that it has to be applied to the scalp twice a day, and some women are allergic to it.

Unfortunately, scientists have not come up with a hair loss medication that will definitely work for women.

Another reason female hair loss treatments differ to men's is that the causes of female hair loss often vary. Hair loss in women is often associated with hormonal changes like menopause, discontinuing birth control pills, and after pregnancy. There is a 3 month delay before signs of hair loss will appear, so if you're noticing hair loss now, it was probably triggered 3 months ago. And it can take another 3 months before new growth starts to show.

Another factor in female hair loss is excessive dieting or sudden weight loss. Hair requires nutrients to grow just as any other part of the body does, What we eat can not only affect how shiny and healthy our hair appears, but also hair loss. Whilst men can suffer hair loss from similar weight loss, women tend to be more involved with extreme diets than men.

Female hair loss can also be an indicator of a medical condition, such as an underactive thyroid gland, diabetes, anemia, and PCOS. It's a good idea to get these possible issued ruled out by a doctor first. If they are at the root of the hair loss problem, no amount of hair loss medications or topical treatments or hair vitamins is going to stop hair loss until that is treated.

Hair loss that is caused by physical or emotional stress generally resolves itself when the stressor is dealt with, without any female hair loss treatment. But because of the hair's growth cycles, it can take 6 months before any improvement is noticed.

Another Perspective on Treatments for Female Hair Loss

Treatment for female hair loss can be complicated by any underlying health issues, so, once you have ruled out serious health condition what are some of the options for female hair loss? Low dose minoxidil - often sold under the brand name Rogaine or Regaine, is often successful. Finasteride based treatments are suitable only for male hair loss and should be avoided by women due to known side effects which can include birth defects.

A more expensive option and one which many women choose is hair transplant. Another possible option is Lasercomb, which is an expensive laser treatment that makes the hair appear thicker. This one is FDA approved as well. A further possibility is Toppik, a treatment that is applied to the scalp, which assists in concealing the hair loss.

Since there are so many different causes of female hair loss there are many options for treatment. Female hair loss treatments can differ from male hair loss treatment. After you've eliminated any serious underlying medical conditions visit your local pharmacy and check out the range of female hair loss products available before you consider the more expensive options. Some of the over-the-counter hair loss products produce satisfactory results when used as directed.

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