Unfortunately not all hair loss that us women experience can be blamed on our children! All jokes aside, hair loss particularly in women can be a serious issue and although the causes are many and varied there are a number of treatment options available once a likely cause is identified.

Understanding Hair Loss

There are many different causes of hair loss, some are thankfully only temporary while others may have longer lasting effects. The only causes of permanent hair loss are where the follicles or the roots of the hairs are damaged, in fact breakage or damage to the hair shaft has no effect on the health of the follicle or root.

The process by which our hair grows can be broken down into two phases. A hair follicle grows it’s hair strand over a period of four to six years and this growing phase is called the Anagen phase.

The hair then rests for between two to four months and is then pushed out by it’s replacement. This resting phase is called the Telogen phase.

Telagen Effluvium or Stress Alopecia

When a ‘break’ in this cycle occurs there can be considerable ‘all over’ hair loss as the hairs either have a short Anagen phase or the number of follicles going into the Telagen phase is increased. This condition is referred to as Telagen Effluvium or Stress Alopecia.

Such a break in the cycle can be caused by a number of things such as -

• A sudden drop in hormone levels e.g. after giving birth
• Stopping the use of birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy
• Acute trauma both physical and psychological
• High fever
• Severe dieting causing inadequate protein and iron intake
• Under-active/Overactive thyroid
• Diabetes and Lupus
• Chemotherapy
• Some medications
• Some birth control pills and some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pills
• Burns or radiation therapy

If there is any good news from all of this it is that once the cause is established and dealt with the normal growth of your should start again and continue without interruption.

Androgenetic Alopecia (Patterned Hair Loss In Women)

Unlike our male counterparts, Androgenetic Alopecia tends to produce thinning of the hair across the top of the scalp in women rather than a ‘bald patch’. This type of hair loss is quite common in women as they age with only around 20 percent of women developing moderate or severe hair loss.

Androgenetic Alopecia is generally thought to be a condition relating to genetics, ageing and increased levels of endocrine hormones, in particular Androgens or male sex hormones.

There are a number of treatments available for sufferers of Androgenetic Alopecia which include Topical Minoxidil Lotion and Antiandrogen medication. Speak to your doctor or chemist regarding these treatments as they require medical supervision and Minoxidil Lotion is not suitable for pregnant or breast feeding women.

Traction Alopecia

This condition relates to hair loss particularly around the temple area and is usually caused by constantly pulling your hair tight in a ponytail or tight braiding or even the repeated traction used for hair extensions.

Another form of this is Trichotillomania where the hair is pulled or chewed when the person is nervous, similar to nail biting.

Hair Weathering is also another consideration. The hair shafts can be broken by rough handling, brushing too vigorously, over-bleaching and the use of harsh dyes and chemicals. Although the hair shaft may be damaged the root is usually unharmed and normal growth will start once adequate care is taken of the hair.

These conditions need to be corrected as soon as possible as you risk damaging the hair follicle and causing permanent damage.

Alopecia Areata

Alopecia Areata refers to the condition where the hair loss is more in patches than all over the scalp. This condition is thought to be brought on by an autoimmune disease where antibodies attack the hair follicles.

In rare cases this can result in complete loss of head and body hair and the inability to regrow the hair, but in mild cases this condition can be treated with cortisone creams, injections or tablets.

Fungal Infections

Fungal infections are known to cause ‘patchy’ hair loss in both women and men. Ringworm and even Syphilis can cause such a condition but these can be treated with anti-fungal antibiotics.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at 11:44 pm and is filed under Female Hair Loss Remedies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.