Female Pattern Baldness

Female Pattern Baldness

Men are not the only ones that go through baldness. Many women can and do also lose their hair. While there is no cure to ending any kind of baldness, recognizing the signs and being aware of available treatments can keep your loss to a minimum. Read on to learn more about female pattern baldness.

 

Generally speaking, hair will grow from follicles about a half-inch each month. That hair will then grown between 2 and 6 years, rest, and fall out with a new hair growing in its place. It is baldness when the hair falls out and no new hair grows in its place.

While there is no known cause for female pattern baldness, there are some main culprits. One is natural aging. As the body ages, some normal functions slow down or stop working as they should; one being hair not being able to replenish itself. Another cause could be a hormonal change in androgen levels. This is a male hormone that women also have, and for some women that have hit menopause, their head hair may thin while their facial hair may thicken. A family history of any kind of pattern baldness could also be linked to your baldness.

Aside from bodily functions, there are other reasons why you could be losing hair. You could have damaged and broken hair due to twisting and pulling your hair, harsh hair treatments, or hair abnormalities at birth. You may have some type of skin disease or autoimmune disease that scars or otherwise affects your hair follicles. You could have a major hormonal imbalance like too much or too little thyroid hormones or testosterone. You could have a vitamin deficiency that involves iron, biotin, or other essential vitamins. Certain medications like beta blockers or chemotherapy can also cause hair loss. A hair loss condition like alopecia could be to blame. Syphilis can also cause baldness. Lastly, you may have massive shedding as a side effect to a pregnancy, major surgery, or illness.

There are a few ways to tell if your hair is thinning, and if you have female pattern baldness. Hair will seem to thin mainly around your crown, usually widening near your center part. You will still have the front of your hairline. You may eventually lose enough hair to look totally or close to totally bald similar to male pattern baldness.

Doctors must perform tests to try to figure out possible causes and treatments for your baldness. They may examine you for symptoms associated with too much androgen like abnormal hair growth under your belly button and pubic area, sudden changes in your menstrual cycle and any enlargement of the clitoris, and any new acne. Skin biopsies and blood tests are also common tests.

There are a few treatments. There are a couple medications that are commonly taken that your doctor may prescribe. You can also get hair transplants for a more permanent solution. For a temporary and less expensive approach, you can go with a different hairstyle, a wig, or a weave.

It is true that women can go bald just like men. The good news is that there is a lot of research and treatments available to help you deal with it.