Hair Loss in Women

Understanding Women's Hair Loss

Fortunately, hair loss in women typically does not result in complete baldness as is often the case with men. If you're looking for answers about hair loss, from the basic facts to how it happens, to what you can do about it, you're in the right place. By learning and understanding the facts, you're taking an important first step towards taking control.

How Your Hair Grows

Hair grows in three different cycles: anagen, catagen, and telogen. About 90% of the hair on the head is in the anagen, or growth phase, which lasts anywhere from two to eight years. The catagen, or transition phase, typically lasts 2-3 weeks, during which the hair follicle shrinks. During the telogen cycle, which lasts around two to four months, the hair rests.

Basic Facts About Your Hair

The average scalp is covered with 100,000 hair follicles.
No new follicles are formed after birth.
Most people lose between 50-100 hairs a day - but a consistent loss of 150 hairs or more a day is considered significant hair loss.

Although hair loss may seem like a more prominent problem in men, women are nearly as likely to lose, or have thinning, hair. Most women notice their hair thinning in their 50s or 60s, but it can happen at any age. There are many possible cause for hair loss in women including tyroid, medications, stress or it may simply be in your genes

Is Hair Loss In Your Genes

Androgenetic Alopecia or female pattern baldness is a hereditary condition that affects about 30 million American women, according to the America Academy of Dermatology, and is the most common kind of hair loss that we treat at Apollo Hair Replacement.

Typically, each time a normal hair follicle is shed, it is replaced by hair that is equal in size. But in women with female-pattern hair loss, the new hair is finer and thinner - a more miniaturized version of itself, The hair follicles are shrinking and eventually they quit growing altogether.

Does Estrogen Affect Hair Loss?

The role of estrogen in hair growth -- at least in humans -- is not clear. Both oral and topical estrogens are prescribed by physicians to treat hair loss in women, although there are no controlled studies to support this use of estrogen.

Dr. Vera H. Price, a researcher who examined hair loss and treatments for the two most common types of hair loss -- androgenetic alopecia and alopecia areata -- warns that women who choose to use oral contraceptives to treat hair loss should take care to select one with little or no androgenic activity, such as norgestimate or ethynodiol diacetate. She also warns that women with androgenetic aplopecia should not use testosterone or androgen precursors such as DHEA.

Myths Vs. Facts

Myth: Hair loss is inherited from your father.
Fact: Genes from parents are a factor. Androgenetic alopecia is genetically-linked hair thinning.

Myth: Female pattern hair loss causes abnormal bleeding.
Fact: Menstruation is not affected. Hair loss typically begins between the ages of 12 and 40.

Myth: Extensive hormonal evaluation is required.
Fact: Hormonal evaluation is only required if the patient is also experiencing irregular periods, infertility, hirsutism, cystic acne, virilization, or glactorrhea. Androgenetic alopecia usually doesn't cause menstrual issues or interfere with pregnancy or endocrine function.

Myth: Teasing, using hair color, other products, or frequently washing hair increases hair loss.
Fact: Normal hair care doesn't affect hair loss. The only drug approved for promoting hair growth in women is Minoxidil.

We Help Women With Hair Loss

Apollo Hair Replacement of Dallas-Fort Worth has been specializing in woman’s hair loss solutions for more than 30 years. Producing a hair system for a woman requires expert skill in the design and production, using only the highest quality hair and the most state-of-the-art technology to create the part, hairline and density that allows a woman’s hair to behave just llike her own natural growing hair. Then, it’s up to our exceptionally talented stylists to apply the solution to the client so that it seamlessly blends with her own hair, allowing her to not only look beautiful again, but feel beautiful.