Causes of Female Hair Loss

Hair loss over the ages has been thought to be a male only issue, but according to the American hair loss Association, 40 percent of hair loss sufferers in the United States are women. This condition can be embarrassing and frustrating to say the least. Many causes of hair loss are temporary so there is hope in regenerating growth. The key to effective treatment is to find out exactly what is causing hair loss in the first place.

PCOS

Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome have an abnormal amount of male hormone (androgens). This hormonal imbalance can cause a condition called androgenic alopecia (male pattern hair loss). According to Dr. Walter Futterweit, M.D., of Obgyn.net, 40 to 70 percent of women with PCOS report this type of hair loss. A number of these women start to show signs of androgenic alopecia in their teens. The hair loss associated with PCOS may also come from anemia caused by irregularly heavy periods. Treatments that exist for this form of alopecia such as oral contraceptives and Monoxidil concentrate more on slowing down the hair loss process, and less on reversing the actual condition.

Postpartum alopecia

The most common form of hair loss that affects women after pregnancy is referred to as postpartum alopecia. In this condition, the hair is forced into a resting stage, which causes the hair regeneration rate to slow down. Scientist aren't quite sure what causes it, but according to Americanpregnancy.org it affects 40 percent to 50 percent of women, one to five months after birth. This condition is sometimes referred to as Telogen Effluvium.

Menopause

An imbalance between estrogen and testosterone can cause hair loss at an accelerated rate in pre-menopausal and menopausal women. With menopause, estrogen reserves are depleted and the imbalance that remains causes hair in certain areas on the scalp to thin. These areas are sensitive to male hormones and result in male pattern hair loss. This is similar to the hair loss experienced in women with PCOS.

Traction Alopecia

Traction Alopecia is a condition caused by the hair being pulled too tightly from the scalp. This type of alopecia is most common amongst African-American men and women who wear tightly braided hairstyles. Traction Alopecia is hair loss caused by tight hairstyles, damaging the hair follicles and pulling the hair out by the roots from the scalp. Because this is not the hair's natural cycle of shedding and re-growth, the hair starts to thin and fall out. There is no treatment to reverse late stage traction alopecia, but there is treatment to correct it with the use of hair grafts and transplants.

Telogen Effluvium

Telogen effluvium(TE) is the second most common cause of hair loss. Over 80 to 90 percent of our hairs at anytime are in active growing stage. The remaining 10 to 20 percent are in a resting stage called telogen. According to the American Hair Loss Association, there's little research to determine the exact cause of telogen effluvium, but scientists have gathered that a common trigger in most cases are environmental stressors. Women with TE notice that their hair sheds much more than usual, which gives the hair a thinning appearance. Hair growth generally recovers on its own with the removal of the stressor. When the stressor cannot be identified it is generally treated with Minoxidil (Rogaine).

References

• American Hair Loss
• Obgyn.net - PCOS
• Americanpregnancy.org - Postpartum alopecia

Resources

• American Hair Loss