Female Hair Loss: Categories and Causes

If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that we don’t like losing our hair. Those extra strands clogging the shower drain or rolling around the bathroom floor like tumbleweeds in the Mojave desert can send us to the mirror in horror, wondering if it’s really true: Are we going bald?

Okay, maybe not bald for most of us, but thinning hair is equally distressing. Especially when you consider the voluminous manes that virtually every woman walking down the runway or red carpet seems to be sporting.

Some women are inclined to think that hair loss is simply the result of getting older, but quite often, the real culprit behind those falling strands is something completely different. Something you may, in fact, be able to correct!

Let’s start with the facts. An estimated 30 million women in the United States suffer from thinning hair. Hair loss affects 50 percent of women over the age of 50. And while it may seem like this is a growing problem among females, in reality, according to Valerie Callender, board certified dermatologist and Nioxin Expert Consultant, it’s because more women today are seeking treatment. “This can be traumatic for anyone. Women, in particular, are eager to correct this because it can affect self-esteem, confidence and relationships.”

Types of Hair Loss

There are basically four types of hair loss: Female pattern hair loss, which occurs mainly on the vertex and crown area and is a diffuse loss or thinning; traction alopecia, which is the result of hair breakage; alopecia areata, which leads to bald spots; and telogen effluvium, which is a diffuse loss of hair all over.

The type of hair loss you have can result from genetics, a medical condition, lifestyle or other disorder.

Causes of Hair Loss

According to Callender, hair breakage or traction alopecia is the most common type of hair loss. It can result from the overuse of heated styling tools (blow-dryer, flatiron), chemical treatments (hair dyes, perms), or ponytails, extensions or braids that are too tight. Callender said this type of hair loss can be reversed if caught early, but it could also lead to permanent hair loss due to damaged hair follicles.

On the other hand, female pattern hair loss (which is also very common) is largely based on hereditary and postmenopausal factors. Alopecia areata is the result of stress, and telogen effluvium can be caused by pregnancy, diet, thyroid disorders or anemia. Birth-control pills, surgery or testosterone supplements can also contribute to hair loss.

But the causes don’t stop there. Certain scalp disorders can also wreak havoc on your hair.

Seborrheic dermatitis is an exaggerated form of dandruff caused by yeast (malassezia). It can result in inflammation of the hair follicles. After a while, a red, itchy, dry rash develops on the scalp and can also develop on the face as well around the eyebrow area, nose and ears. Recommended treatments include ZPT (zinc pyrithione) shampoos and ketoconazole (or Nizoral) shampoo.

Psoriasis occurs on the scalp and body and is caused by the immune system causing a proliferation of skin cells. Basically, the cells don’t shed and build up. Top treatments include a topical cortisone, topical Vitamin D and tar shampoo.

Cicatricial or scarring alopecia is an intense inflammation and permanent destruction of hair follicles. And while the cause is unknown, treatments include doxycycline and topical cortisones.

Baldness Cure

A study investigating a new treatment for gastrointestinal disease had an unexpected side effect: it reversed baldness.

Scientists were testing a new chemical compound on mice genetically altered to overproduce a stress hormone known as corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF), which, among other effects, causes mice to lose their hair as they age.

After five days of daily injections of a newly developed anti-stress hormone, the balding mice were returned to their habitats. Three months later, researchers went to gather up the mice for follow-up studies, but their hairless subjects were gone.

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“It was completely unexpected,” Jean Rivier, with the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, told Discovery News. “They couldn’t identify the mice except for their ear tags. That’s when they realized that they’d grown hair.”

Follow-up studies on younger mice that hadn’t yet lost their fur showed the anti-stress hormone actually prevented hair loss.

Rivier and colleagues have filed for a patent on the compound, known as astressin-B, and set up a company to begin raising money for development and testing.

It’s too soon to say if astressin-B would have similar effects on humans, but researcher Million Mulugeta, with the University of California at Los Angeles School of Medicine, is hopeful, particularly since the hormone restarted the hair growth cycle in mice.

”It is difficult to say if this will work for all forms of hair loss. What is promising is that this turned on the hair cycle. It triggered the hair follicles to start working again. Is it possible this mechanism is common to other forms of hair loss? Maybe,” Mulugeta told Discovery News.

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“The next step is to find out how this (hormone) works, what cells are affected, what’s turning on and off to cause the dramatic effects that we’ve see in terms of hair loss reversal,” he said.

The effects of astressin-B extend well beyond the hair follicles. Preliminary results show a beneficial impact to the gastrointestinal system, the point of the original study, as well as the cardiovascular system and other areas of the body where receptors for the stress hormone are located.

The dosages administered to the mice were quite low and the effects were long-lasting—about four months. The success rate was 100 percent, Mulugeta said.

Tips on how to stop hair loss

Alopecia or hair loss has become a prevalent condition in almost all adults nowadays. Many people want to stop hair loss and regrow the lost hair. Other men embrace baldness as it is and are not even bothered by the physical havoc it caused them. Hair loss is a condition proven to provide emotional and physical disorders in a person; it is in fact considered one of the most common factors to contribute to anxiety and depression. It is essential to note that there are several treatments for loss of hair that can potentially revive the hair, but it is also good to remember that no treatment has been made to completely cure the condition.

There are beneficial tips provided below to help you prevent further hair loss and bring back your lost hair.

Tips to prevent hair loss

* Do not wear hats that are too tight. Doing so can certainly cause poor blood circulation in the head which can lead to damage stop hair loss leimoin the hair follicles and thus may result in hair loss.
* You can efficiently stop hair loss in a result of clogging by avoiding gels, creams, and sprays. If these products are used directly and constantly on your scalp, it may clog the hair follicles and hence may cause hair loss.
* Avoid using hair equipments frequently like blow dryers, straightening and curling irons. All of the said equipments can substantially strip off natural oils in the scalp and can cause damage to the hair follicles and hair shafts.
* Do not get too much hair treatments such as coloring, dying, perming and bleaching. Getting immoderate treatments for the hair can surely decrease the tensile strength of the hair, leading to a brittle, thin and lifeless hair.
* Stop eating too many red meats or fatty foods and begin to have a diet that is rich in fiber, fruits and vegetables. Vitamins and minerals found in nutritious foods like the vitamin B complex, zinc, magnesium and many others are very beneficial in hair loss prevention.
* Avoid hairstyles such as ponytails, weaves, and cornrows, which stretch and pull the hair.

To endure a hair loss condition can be a very difficult time in your life. Once you are afflicted by it chances are extensive hair loss or even worse permanent baldness could inevitably occur and dealing with this truly distressful condition can be very confusing and upsetting. Following the tips above might just be your only solution to stop hair loss.