What Causes Women’s Hair Loss? A Look at 7 Common Causes of Female Hair Loss

Let’s face it, hair loss for anyone can be a very distressing problem but women’s hair loss can be especially distressing…

Although the causes of women’s hair loss vary from person to person, by understanding the common causes of female hair loss, this can help you find the right potential treatment or solution.

1) Hereditary thinning, or androgenetic alopecia to give its medical name, is the most common cause of women’s hair loss. The tendency to develop female pattern hair loss can be inherited from either side of the family.

Generally this leads to thinning of the hair in women rather than baldness and can start in the teens, twenties or thirties.

Unfortunately, there are no cures for hereditary female hair loss. However, there are treatments which may help some people such as minoxidil, which is a lotion applied twice daily to your scalp.

An alternative solution which women with thinning hair may consider is female hair transplantation. This procedure involves moving hair from areas of your head with normal hair growth to thinning areas.

As with all surgical procedures, you should only undertake this after taking advice from a specialist.

2) Improper hair cosmetic use is another common cause of women’s hair loss. Treatments such as bleaches, tints, hair dyes, straighteners or perms rarely damage your hair if done properly. However, overuse can cause the hair to become weak or break.

If chemical treatments cause your hair to become brittle and leads to hair loss, then it is recommended you stop the treatments until the damaged hair has grown out.

3) Alopecia areata is a type of hair loss which can affect women of any age. This usually results in hair falling out and leaving round coin sized smooth patches on the head. In rare cases there may be a total loss of hair.

Although the cause of alopecia areata in women is not clear, in time the hair usually grows back by itself. Female hair loss caused by alopecia areata can also be successfully treated by dermatologists.

4) Thyroid disease can also lead to female hair loss. Where an under or over-active thyroid condition has been diagnosed, any associated hair loss can be usually be successfully treated by your physician.

5) Severe infection, flu or a high fever can be a cause of women’s hair loss. After a bout of illness, even as much as four weeks to three months afterwards, you may be taken aback by seeing a lot of hair falling out.

This is caused by your hair going into a resting phase to redirect energy at healing. Any hair loss usually corrects itself though.

6) Some medications can also lead to women's hair loss. For example, prescription drugs used for arthritis, blood thinning, depression, gout, heart problems or high blood pressure may cause hair loss. High doses of vitamin A have also been associated with female hair loss.

7) Inadequate protein in a women’s diet can be a cause of female hair loss. If you go on a crash diet or have extreme irregular dietary habits then you may develop protein malnutrition.

As with severe illness, the body will put hair into the resting phase to conserve protein. Significant hair loss can occur two to three months later and be easily pulled out by the roots.

Hair loss can be easily reversed by ensuring you eat the correct levels of protein in your diet.

In conclusion, we have looked at several common causes of women's hair loss and suggested some solutions for treating the problem. However, because there are so many different causes of female hair loss you should always consult your physician or dermatologist to correctly diagnose your problem and the best course of action to treat it.

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