Causes and Treatments of Hair Loss in Women

Hair. The theme of songs, poems, and even a Broadway musical. Our crowning glory. It
certainly is in those women blessed with thick hair. Many women, though, are unhappy with
what nature gave them. The hair is too fine, too thin, or both. Without hair, people, especially
women, feel diminished. Balding affects 60% of men as they age and 50% of women. When
what hair she has starts falling out, a woman needs answers and help.
The commonest type of alopecia, the term for hair loss, affecting both men and women, appears
as we age. Its called male or female pattern baldness. Women generally develop thinning areas
on the crown of the head without loss of hair along the hairline, while men usually lose hair in
front. Alopecia can occur in circular spots across the scalp, often associated with itchy, irritated
skin. Infections of the scalp cause patchy hair loss, with scaling, itching, swelling and oozing of
the skin.
Other types of alopecia involve the sudden loss of all the scalp hair at one time or even the total
loss of hair over the entire body.

Long-Lasting Solutions

Hair transplants are done by taking hair from the thicker areas of your scalp and transplanting
them into the thinning areas. When hair transplants were first done in 1939, the researchers
used single hairs. Over time, they determined that using tufts of hair, called plugs, is more
effective and more likely to thicken your hair.
Hair implants can last a lifetime in some patients, although not in everyone. Small tufts, up to
five or so hairs, are removed from the sides and back of your scalp, where the hair is the
thickest, then transplanted into the thinning areas where they will grow like normal hair. Dr.
Anthony Bared is one of the most respected transplant experts in South Florida for his before-
and-after results in hair restoration. Dr. Bared is board certified in both plastic surgery and
otolaryngology. He is well known as a hair transplant specialist in Miami and South Florida.

Other Treatment Options

Whatever the cause of hair loss may be, there are only a limited number of treatments. Minoxidil
is a medication originally developed to treat high blood pressure. Researchers noticed that it
had one strange side effect. It caused hair growth. Minoxidil is a topical preparation that is the
first-line treatment for hair loss. Finasteride is generally used to prevent the prostate gland in
males from enlarging. It has been shown to prevent hair loss in males. It is now being used in
women, especially those with female pattern baldness, to increase hair growth.

Both minoxidil and finasteride are lifetime commitments. They are both effective in preventing
further hair loss and causing regrowth of hair. The two drugs used in combination are more
effective than either one alone. But you have to continue to use the drugs for as long as you
want hair.

What Are The Causes

The different types of hair loss generally have different causes:
● Genetics – If your mother’s hair thinned out when she was older, chances are you’ll be
facing the same problem. Female pattern baldness generally causes thinning of the hair,
especially on the crown of the head.
● Changes in hormones – levels of the female hormones, estrogen, and progesterone,
vary throughout the life of a woman. They change during pregnancy and again, radically,
after menopause. Estrogen and progesterone are involved in hair growth and loss of the
hormones can cause hair loss. Loss of thyroid hormone is another cause of hair loss.
Hypothyroidism is associated with hair loss from the scalp, but also the eyebrows and
other areas of the body.
● Medical conditions and diseases – Besides thyroid dysfunction, many other medical
problems affect the hair. A condition called alopecia areata, whose etiology is unknown
results in patches of baldness across the scalp. Infections, such as ringworm, cause
swelling, irritation and oozing or scaling. Serious underlying conditions such as auto-
immune disease, kidney failure or liver failure, polycystic ovary disease, or malignancy,
can also cause hair loss.
● Medications and toxins – Drugs used to treat high blood pressure, heart problems, gout,
depression, and arthritis are known to cause hair loss occasionally. Chemotherapy for
cancer almost always makes hair fall out. The drugs affect the growth phase of the hair
and hair loss can be permanent.
● Radiation therapy – Treatment of conditions of the head with radiation therapy can affect
the hair follicles as well, causing hair loss.
● Acute stress – A severe shock to the body, such as an accident, or the mind, can cause
acute loss of hair.
● Hairstyles – Constant pulling on the hair, as occurs when a woman always wears her hair
in a tight ponytail, bun or cornrows, damages the follicles and causes gradual loss of
hair, called traction alopecia.
If you’re searching for hair restoration techniques and proven results, visit Dr. Anthony Bared or
call for more information to see what can be done for you.