Women’s Hair Loss
Best Hair Transplant Can Help Women Restore Thinning Hair
What is Female Pattern Baldness?
Female pattern baldness, also called androgenetic alopecia, is hair loss that affects women. It’s similar to male pattern baldness, except that women can lose their hair in a different pattern than men.
Hair loss in women is normal, especially as you age. Up to two-thirds of women experience hair loss after menopause. Female pattern baldness is hereditary. It’s more common after menopause, so hormones are likely responsible. If you notice that you’re losing hair, see your doctor or a dermatologist. They will be able to determine if you’re experiencing female pattern baldness or another type of hair loss.
The sooner you get treated, the faster you’ll be able to stop the loss — and possibly even regrow hair.
What Does Female Pattern Baldness Look Like?
In female pattern baldness, the hair’s growing phase slows down. It also takes longer for new hair to begin growing. Hair follicles shrink, leading the hair that does grow to be thinner and finer. This can result in hair that easily breaks.
It’s normal for women to lose 50 to 100 hairs each day, but those with female pattern baldness can lose many more.
In men, hair loss starts in the front of the head and recedes to the back until they go bald. Women lose hair from all over their head, starting at their part line. Hair at the temples may also recede.
Women are less likely to go completely bald, but you may have a lot of thinning throughout your hair.
Doctors divide female pattern baldness into three types:
- Type I is a small amount of thinning that starts around your part.
- Type II involves widening of the part, and increased thinning around it.
- Type III is thinning throughout, with a see-through area at the top of your scalp.
Answering Questions About Women’s Hair Loss
Can Genetics Cause Female Pattern Baldness?
Hair loss is passed down from parents to their children, and many different genes are involved. You can inherit these genes from either parent. You’re more likely to have female pattern baldness if your mother, father, or other close relatives have experienced hair loss.
What Else Causes Female Pattern Baldness?
Female pattern baldness is generally caused by an underlying endocrine condition or a hormone-secreting tumor.
If you have other symptoms, such as an irregular period, severe acne, or an increase in unwanted hair, consult your doctor. You may be experiencing a different type of hair loss.
Understanding Female Hair Loss & Thinning
Early Onset Female Pattern Baldness
Women are less likely to develop female pattern baldness before midlife. Like men, women are more likely to start losing hair once they get into their 40s, 50s, and beyond.
High levels of male sex hormones, called androgens, contribute to hair loss in men. It’s generally felt that androgens are also at play in female pattern hair loss.
Smoking may also increase your risk of developing female pattern hair loss.
How is Female Pattern Baldness Diagnosed?
If you’ve noticed thinning hair on your scalp, see your doctor or a dermatologist. Your doctor will examine your scalp to see the pattern of hair loss. Testing generally isn’t needed to diagnose female pattern baldness.
If they suspect another type of hair loss, they may also perform a blood test to check your levels of thyroid hormone, androgens, iron, or other substances that can affect hair growth.
If you suspect you are experiencing female pattern baldness, hair loss, or hair thinning, feel free to schedule a consultation with our hair transplant team. It’s always free to do so and we’ll happily inform you about the condition of your hair and how best to combat it, even if you decided not to choose surgery as a hair restoration option.
Rx Treatments
Minoxidil
Minoxidil (Rogaine) is the only drug approved by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat female pattern baldness. It’s available in 2% or 5% formulas. If possible, opt for the 5% formula.
To use, apply minoxidil to your scalp every day. Though it won’t fully restore all the hair you’ve lost, minoxidil can grow back some hair over time. It is great to use in combination with a FUT or FUE hair transplant procedure as it may assist in aftercare and thicker hair maintenance.
You’ll need to keep using minoxidil to maintain the effect, or it will stop working. It may also take between 6-12 months to see results. If it stops working, your hair may return to its previous appearance. Side effects include redness, dryness, itching, and extra hair growth.
Finasteride & Dutasteride
Finasteride (Propecia) and Dutasteride (also known as Avodart) are FDA-approved to treat hair loss in men. They’re not approved for women, but some doctors do recommend them for female pattern baldness. Studies are mixed as to whether these drugs work in women, but some research has shown that they do help regrow hair in female pattern baldness.
Side effects can include headaches, hot flashes, and a decreased sex drive, especially during the first year of use. Women shouldn’t get pregnant while on this drug, because it can increase the risk for birth defects.
Spironolactone
Spironolactone (Aldactone) is a diuretic, which means it removes excess fluid from the body. It also blocks androgen production, and it may help regrow hair in women. You may need to have regular blood pressure and electrolyte tests while you take this drug. If you’re pregnant or plan to become pregnant, you shouldn’t use this medication. Spironolactone may cause birth defects. This drug can cause a number of side effects, including electrolyte imbalances, fatigue, spotting between periods, irregular menstruation, and tender breasts.
Additional Options
Further Treatments for Women’s Hair Restoration
If you have female pattern baldness, you may be able to camouflage the hair loss at first by adopting a new hairstyle. Eventually, you might have too much thinning at the top of your scalp to hide.
Early diagnosis of female pattern hair loss is encouraged, as it can enable you to get on a treatment plan and potentially minimize future hair loss. Your treatment plan will likely consist of one or more medications listed above and may incorporate the options below to treat hair loss. For many of our patients, depending on the condition and extent of their hair loss, we may recommend combinations of meds, transplants, LLLT, and regenerative medicine.
Increasing Vitamin & Mineral Intake
If low iron is contributing to your hair loss, your doctor might prescribe an iron supplement. At this time, there isn’t any conclusive medical evidence that taking iron will regrow your hair. Other supplements, such as biotin and folic acid, are also promoted to thicken hair.
Women developed thicker hair after taking omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, and antioxidants. However, it’s best to check with your doctor before taking any supplements to re-grow hair.
Low-Level Laser Therapy
Laser helmets like the Capillus are FDA-approved to treat hair loss. They use light energy to stimulate hair regrowth. More research needs to be done to determine if this is truly effective.
Regenerative Medicine
Platelet-rich plasma therapy may also be beneficial. This involves drawing your blood, spinning it down, then injecting your own platelets back into your scalp to stimulate hair growth. Though promising, more studies need to be done. Allograft Stem Cell therapy is also a viable option for some patients. Ultimately your doctor will decide what’s right for you.
Hair Transplants – The Permanent Option
A hair transplant, like the FUE & FUT procedures offered at Best Hair Transplant in Redondo Beach, is a more permanent solution. During this procedure, your doctor removes individual follicles and/or a thin strip of hair from one part of your scalp and implants it in an area where you’re missing hair. The graft regrows like your natural hair.