Female Hair Loss: What You Should Know About Alopecia?
Many women seek advice from their dermatologists about hair loss. Hair loss has a huge effect on women’s self-esteem. That means it’s no surprise that panic sets in when you wake up to find hair all over your pillow. In fact, if you’re a woman, this almost never means you’re going to lose all your hair.
Your hair naturally goes through three phases during its “lifespan” which are as follows:
- The first is the growth phase, which lasts three to five years
- This is followed by the “shrinking” phase, which lasts only two weeks
- Then the rest phase for about three months. Towards the end of this, the hair follicle starts a new phase of growth and pushes the old hair out if it hasn’t fallen out or been brushed out by your hair.
In some animals these phases happen around the same time, which is why some dogs lose a lot of hair in the summer, leaving your house full of hair. Most people lose a few hairs each day, although it can be more during times of stress.
Certain types of cancer chemotherapy can stop the hair growth phase, which is why hair loss is an issue . Wearing a cold cap (literally an ice cap for your head) before starting treatment reduces the risk of this happening.
What are the causes of thinning hair in women?
Some of the causes of female pattern hair loss may include:
- Stress, childbirth and diets, which can suddenly push your hair into the resting phase
- Certain medicines
- The transition to menopause
- Have an underactive thyroid gland
- Iron deficiency ( even if you don’t have anemia)
- Your diet lacks an adequate amount of high-quality protein
Your doctor may recommend a blood test to check your thyroid and iron levels if you are concerned about thinning hair.
What is alopecia?
The medical term for hair loss is alopecia. One type – alopecia areata – causes patches of total hair loss with normal hair surrounding them. These patches can vary from small spots to the entire scalp. Much less often, eyebrows, eyelashes and even pubic hair can be affected. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease – your body’s immune system recognizes part of your body as an enemy and attacks it. It only affects your hair and does not affect your overall health at all. However, you are at a slightly higher risk of developing other autoimmune conditions, such as hypothyroidism or rheumatoid arthritis.
Does alopecia cause permanent hair loss?
The good news is that in alopecia areata, the follicles from which your hair grows are not permanently damaged, and many people regain full hair growth within a few months. In fact, as long as less than half of your scalp is affected, you have a four in five chance of a full recovery within a year. The older you are when it starts, the less hair tends to be lost and the more likely you are to have full hair growth again.
What are the treatments for hair loss?
Because alopecia areata does not cause other symptoms, treatment is not always necessary, especially if only small areas are affected. A change in hairstyle will hide the problem. For more extensive hair loss, steroid injections into your scalp may help . Steroid cream can also be tried , although it is less effective.
In men, hair loss is often thought to be related to male hormone levels . In fact, male studs usually have normal testosterone levels , but the hair follicles become hypersensitive to testosterone, causing the hair follicles to shrink . Do not forget that the skin, in the places where the hair has been lost, is sensitive to sunlight and burns easily. That’s why you should wear hats and sunscreen from spring to fall , even if you don’t think it’s sunny enough to burn!
Women also experience hormonal disturbances, but this is almost always a general thinning rather than a receding hairline or bald spot , and it does not lead to total baldness . For general hair thinning, you can buy a solution called ” minoxidil ” from pharmacists.
It’s worth seeing your doctor if your hair starts to thin out too much. Sometimes medications can be to blame. If the cause is hypothyroidism or iron deficiency, your doctor will advise you on their treatment.