Hair Loss in Women and Girls
If you are worried your hair is falling out or thinning, you are definitely not alone. As many as 66% of women will experience hair loss or excessive hair fall at some time during their lifetime - and about 40% by age 50. And it’s on the rise.
It is always upsetting to see excessive amounts of hair falling out or to see your scalp through thinning hair. Many female clients worry, “Am I going to go bald?” The good news it that, unlike male baldness, women’s hair will thin but very rarely will it progress to baldness. Talking to a trichologist who understands and can empathise with how you’re feeling, as well as being able to identify the cause and ways to tackle it, is a significant step for most women in overcoming these often very debilitating concerns and anxiety.
My clients tell me that, “Finding out what’s going on and what you can do about it lifts a weight from your shoulders, empowers you and frees you. You feel strong enough to take control, and have the understanding and information necessary to decide what action is right for you.”
Types of Female Hair Loss
The most commonly diagnosed hair loss condition in women is telogen effluvium which causes excessive hair fall which in turn leads to diffuse (all over) thinning. There are a multitude of factors from emotional stress to hormonal changes and from dietary insufficiency to thyroid problems which can cause the hair to fall suddenly (acute) or over a longer period (chronic). It is essential to take advice as soon as possible so that an accurate diagnosis can be made, the cause identified and the most appropriate treatment started. Whilst results can never be guaranteed, the right treatment is often very successful, but the longer the condition has persisted, the more difficult it is to get the hair fall to stop and the hair to regrow.
Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) is thought to be experienced by about 20% of the women who experience hair loss problems. It is an androgenetic alopecia inherited from either or both parents. Varying in severity, it causes the hair to become more “see through”, with a progressively more visible scalp at the vertex (top of the head), often with thinning at the temples. The front hairline is often preserved and the sides and back almost never affected. Women rarely go bald, unlike men.
As with male pattern loss, naturally occurring testosterone in a women’s body is converted by the enzyme 5-a reductase into dihydrotestosterone, which is toxic to hair follicles and causes them to shrink or miniaturise over time. This causes finer, less dense hair.
It is important to seek advice from a reputable trichologist as soon as possible. Hair which is caught at Stage I has a better chance of improving and progression slowed or halted with the correct treatment than if it is at Stages II or III. That said, if there is hair, however fine, there is always hope. When the hair follicles are lost the hair loss is permanent.
Other hair loss and scalp conditions affecting women and girls
Please see the pages related to Common Hair Loss Conditions and Scalp for an overview of some of the other conditions which I commonly see. The most important thing you can do is get an accurate diagnosis so you know what condition you’re dealing with. Only then can the best treatment options be identified.