Female Pattern Hair Loss

FEMALE PATTERN HAIR LOSS

Female Pattern Hair Loss

Women also have hair loss, however, their treatment is slightly different from men’s

From Dr Paul Nola’s site: Hairdoctor.com

How to Deal With Female Pattern Hair Loss :

It’s a scary moment when you discover that you are losing your hair. Maybe you have been losing your hair for a while and maybe your loss is more recent. Either way, you need to be aware of 3 important points:

  1. Unlike men, it’s rare for a woman to lose all her hair. You may get quite thin without treatment but you’re very unlikely to go bald.
  2. Effective treatment is now available.
  3. Your hairdresser can do wonders.

Various Causes of female hair loss : 

You need an accurate diagnosis. Find a doctor who will listen and take the problem seriously. Hair loss is an area of life where women are much more complicated than men. In men, the majority of hair loss is due to androgenetic alopecia, which is hormonal. In women, there may be more than one cause and causes are divided into groups.

  1. Diffuse causes of hair loss. Most common. About 70% of sufferers will have hormonal or female pattern hair loss as the major cause of their problem. The second most common cause is telogen effluvium, the hair loss caused by shock and stress as well as the hormonal changes brought on by pregnancy and the contraceptive pill. Charlotte Dawson admitted to suffering an attack of telogen effluvium. Telogen effluvium can be chronic and severe but is usually brief and the hair pretty much fully recovers. Thyroid and other hormonal disorders, as well as lack of iron, can contribute so a medical checkup is vital.
  2. Patchy Hair Loss. Less common.These include alopecia areata (bald patches) as well as it’s rare variants alopecia totalis (loss of all head hair) and alopecia universalis (loss of all body hair). Also included in this group are traction alopecia due to hairclips and rollers as well as trichotillomania (uncontrollable pulling out of hair due to stress and anxiety).
  3. Scarring alopecias. Rare and serious. These are medical emergencies that need prompt treatment.

Whatever your cause and whatever treatment you choose you to need to be consistent as there is no cure, only maintenance and slow regrowth. And the sooner you start the better. If you stop treatment you start to lose your hair again.

It’s best to think about hair loss treatment as like brushing your teeth, showering or your makeup routine: things that no-one did 100 years ago but you do every day for your health and appearance’s sake.

GOOD PILL AND BAD PILL

Your contraceptive pill may be worsening your hair loss and it is the progesterone in the pill which decides. Oestrogen is positive for your hair. It is the progesterone in your contraceptive or HRT which may or may not be negative for your hair.

There are a few different progesterones and the following list will let you know if yours is a good one or not.

GOOD PROGESTERONE

drospirenon in Yasmin

cyproterone acetate in Estelle

desogestrel in Mercilon, Marvelon, Cerazette

norgestimate

medroxyprogesterone acetate in Depo provera

UNFAVOURABLE PROGESTERONE

levonorgestrel in Microgynon, Loette, Levlen, Nordette, Monofeme, Nordette, Triphasil, Triquilar, Microlut, Levonelle

norgestrel in Ovral

norethisterone in Noriday, Norimin, Brevinor 1

If you are taking a pill containing an unfavourable progesterone you may want to talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of an alternative.