Style Your Hair Right
Hair stylists are a great resource for help for hair loss in women. A new haircut or hairstyle may be just what you need to make your hair appear fuller. Ask your stylist for advice about getting a shorter cut, parting your hair in a different location, or adding curls or waves to add volume to your hair. Products for hair loss in women include using styling products designed for thin hair. Some products are added to the roots while hair is damp before blowing dry. Some cosmetic products can help disguise the appearance of bald spots. Keratin fiber hair cosmetics have a static charge that makes hair appear fuller than it is. Ask your stylist or dermatologist for recommendations about the products and strategies that will work best for you.
How Do You Measure Hair Loss
Doctors characterize the severity of hair loss using something called the Savin density scale. This scale has 8 stages and describes hair loss around the midline part as well recession in the front of the hairline. Some women lose hair to various degrees around the midline and/or in the front of the hairline. Some women experience hair thinning all over the scalp. Hair loss may occur in episodes or continuously. The doctor parts the hair down the middle of the head and then determines the severity of hair loss. The most common pattern for female pattern baldness is thinning around the midline that occurs in the shape of a Christmas tree. The pattern and severity of female hair loss helps determine the appropriate course of treatment.
What Can I Do About Traction Alopecia
To protect your hair from traction alopecia and prevent further damage:
- Ask your stylist to create looser braids or dreadlocks.
- If you have braids, remove them after three months.
- If you wear a weave or hair extensions, remove them after eight weeks.
- If you have relaxed or dyed hair, make sure these treatments are applied by a professional. If you still notice breakage or hair shedding, avoid chemical treatments completely.
- Minimize heat styling, including hair dryers, flat irons and curling irons. These wear out the hair and can lead to major hair loss.
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Are There Other Causes Of Hair Loss
It is important to first distinguish between female-pattern hair loss and other, less common causes of hair loss. Your physician may want to check laboratory tests or before an examination or tests on your hair. Often, your physician will check hormonal levels and make sure there are no signs of autoimmune disease. Even stress can cause hair loss. Some of these less common causes of hair loss can be reversed with treatment, so it is important to have an evaluation before starting treatment.
Dermatologists Located In Dana Point Ca
Nearly 40% of women experience excessive hair loss at some point in their life, which can lead to social stress and professional embarrassment. Board-certified dermatologist Ryan Goerig, MD, and skin care expert Jessica Goerig, MS, PA-C, at Dana Point Dermatology specialize in the treatment of female hair loss and offer nonsurgical treatments to restore your lost hair. Call the Dana Point, California, office or click the online booking button to schedule a consultation.
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Female Hair Loss Explained
Hair loss is often associated with men, but millions of women cope with female pattern thinning and other conditions that cause extensive hair loss. Since its less common, many women struggle with hair loss’s mental impact far harder than men. Despite the fact that many women lose their hair or experience thinning at some point in their lives, there is a cultural pressure to keep up appearances that can negatively impact a womans self-esteem.
Hair loss in women can happen for a few different reasons, the most common being female pattern thinning. The hereditary, female counterpart to male pattern baldness, female pattern thinning, or baldness usually impacts women during and after menopause. With that said, pattern baldness can occur at any time, and its not the only source of female hair loss. The term pattern baldness refers to the way in which hair thins or is lost. In men, the loss generally forms at the forehead and on the top of the scalp. With women, the pattern is more of a slowing of growth rather than a total loss in an area. Any form of hair loss falls under the umbrella of the condition alopecia. Hereditary pattern baldness is called androgenic alopecia. Other, more extreme forms of alopecia can impact men and women alike. Alopecia areata, totalis, or universalis, are all rarer conditions that may be related to the bodys immune response. These conditions refer to a total loss of hair, down to baldness either in one area or across a persons whole body.
Thinning Hair And Hair Loss: Could It Be Female Pattern Hair Loss
For most women, FPHL begins in midlife, when a woman is in her 40s, 50s, or 60s. It can begin earlier for some women.
FPHL is a progressive condition. This means women tend to continue losing hair. But women do not lose all of their hair, as do some men. Instead, your part often gets wider. Hair near your temples may recede. Without treatment, some women eventually develop widespread thinning.
Treatment can prevent hair loss from worsening and help women regrow their hair. Treatment delivers the best results when started at the first sign of hair loss.
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A Trichologist Is Not Medically Trained
A trichologist can of course help in some cases but can only give patients topical treatment for hair loss, as they are not medically trained. Unlike a dermatologist, they cannot perform tests that help with the diagnosis and evaluation of the condition and inform the best course of treatment these require special training.
For example, a dermatologist can perform a trichoscopy with a video dermatoscopy, a non-invasive technique that allows a rapid and magnified observation of the skins surface enabling the evaluation of hair thickness, presence of regrowing hairs and scalp inflammation. We can also perform a trigonometry, which involves an instrument that provides a numeric value of the hair quality. All of which are vital to in-depth diagnosis.
Dermatologists can also carry out a scalp biopsy, where a sample from the scalp is taken under local anaesthetic and tested under the microscope by a histopathologist. These tests are often necessary to evaluate cases of hair loss.
Only a dermatologist is qualified to carry out these tests, without which a full and thorough evaluation and diagnosis is not possible. Getting to the cause of your condition leads to better treatment. Furthermore, there are a variety of oral treatments available for hair disorders which a trichologist cannot prescribe but a dermatologist can so these are some reasons why you need a dermatologist for hair loss and not a Trichologist.
How Does A Dermatologist Treat Female Pattern Hair Loss
Dermatologist Dr Martin Wade explains what is Female Pattern Hair loss, what causes Female Pattern Hair loss, what are the signs and symptoms of Female Pattern Hair loss and how a Dermatologist treats Female Pattern Hair loss.
Watch the video
Female pattern hair loss is the most common form of hair loss in women and presents as diffuse thinning or hair loss from the vertex of the scalp.
The term female pattern hair loss is sometimes used interchangeably with androgenetic alopecia where its also sometimes used as more of an umbrella term to encompass both androgenetic alopecia but other forms of hair loss which may cause diffuse thinning on the vertex of the scalp which may have an underlying cause such as polycystic ovary syndrome.
The underlying pathophysiology of Female pattern hair loss is miniaturisation of the hair follicles on the vertex of the scalp. Each time the hair goes through the hair cycle the hair shaft and follicle becomes smaller and smaller until some of the follicles are so small that they dont protrude from the scalp surface, therefore these hairs dont contribute to the general volume of the hair, Women with Female pattern hair loss present with diffuse thinning from the vertex of the scalp. This may be a slow process an usually occurs in years rather than months but can occur at different rates in different people.
Looking for further information? You can find out more about Female Pattern Hair Loss here.
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Coping With Hair Loss
While losing hair at a young age may be concerning, hair loss is a reality for many people as they age. One study posted to the Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprology noted that up to 75% of females would experience hair loss from androgenetic alopecia by the time they are 65 years old.
While many females look for ways to treat hair loss while they are young, at some point, most people accept hair loss as a natural part of the aging process.
Some people may choose to wear head garments or wigs as a workaround to hair loss. Others work with their aging hair by wearing a shorter haircut that may make thin hair less apparent.
How Can A Dermatologist Diagnose Hair Loss
If youre losing hair, visiting a medical dermatology clinic is one of the best steps you can take. A dermatologist can assess your hair loss and pinpoint a specific diagnosis. They will then find an appropriate treatment if applicable.
During your appointment, the dermatologist will ask you questions about your hair loss and overall health. Theyll ask how long youve noticed the hair loss, whether youre taking any medications, and if you have a family history of hair loss or baldness.
The doctor will also examine your nails and scalp, as the health of these areas might provide clues for diagnosis. The specific pattern of your hair loss can indicate a specific diagnosis as well. In some cases, they will perform a blood test and scalp biopsy to check for medical conditions that might cause hair to fall out.
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What Is Hair Loss Anyway
For starters, losing hair is not inherently a bad thing. Its a natural part of life, regardless of age or sex. We lose somewhere between 50 to 100 strands of hair a day. That sounds like a lot. However, we have over 100,000 strands of hair and many more hair follicles, so daily hair loss is hardly noticeable. When we start losing many more and start seeing bald spots, we know something is wrong. Each hair follicle on our head is going through a stage of growth. These follicles can be in different stages at any point:
In some cases, the rate of new hair growth is not fast enough to replace what was lost, causing baldness. Alopecia is the scientific name for hair loss, and it can happen in several ways and forms. Generally, hair loss can be categorized into thinning hair, receding hair, sudden clumps of hair falling out, or patches around the head. In severe cases, some people can experience full-body hair loss.
How Your Dermatologist Treats Hair Loss
Though hair loss sounds daunting, if treated early, you can often prevent the worst of it. There is some degree of hair loss that everyone experiences as they grow older, as our bodily functions slow and are unable to keep up with the amount of hair we lose. You cannot stop hair loss completely, theres no miracle cure for it, but there are many things you can do to help slow it.
There are certain scenarios where you may not need to worry about the hair loss being permanent. There are stages in life where hair loss may accompany other life events and return on its own. In most cases with alopecia areata, hair falls out in a specific area. This condition is difficult to treat but usually runs its course. While it might recur, it is not often a permanent condition. Pregnancy may cause temporary hair loss, in addition to other major changes in your body. Sometimes losing a great deal of weight quickly can cause hair loss in the short term.
Minoxidil is great, but it works best when in combination with other hair regrowth treatments. Some of the most effective treatments include: corticosteroid injections, laser or light therapy hats or other devices, and even hair transplants. Just know, when you notice hair loss, youll need to act quickly. Even if you think its a condition that may be temporary, consult your dermatologist as soon as possible.
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Dermatologists Can Get To Root Of Problem Provide Treatment
Losing hair, especially over time, is normal. But when it happens suddenly or without clear explanation, it may be quite distressing. In some cases, it may be due to an illness or underlying condition. Dermatologists are experts in the skin and its structures including hair. Often they can get to the root of the problem and recommend the best hair loss treatment approach.
There are a number of things you can do to slow or stop hair loss, says Daniel Zelac, MD, a dermatologist at Scripps Clinic. But before deciding what to do, its important to identify the type of hair loss you are experiencing.
When to consider hair loss treatment
It is normal for individuals to lose 50 to 300 hairs each day, often without noticing. New hair usually replaces lost hair, but even this can result in a loss of overall hair length and a sense of fullness. When hair loss increases suddenly, it can be alarming, especially if it appears to be happening rapidly.
Some types of hair loss are linked specifically to correctable causes while others are not, Dr. Zelac says. Your dermatologist can determine if your hair loss is caused by things like thyroid gland issues, stress, scalp infections, genetics or simply aging.
When hair loss is temporary, often no treatment is needed and the hair may regrow on its own. Other times, treatment may be needed to slow the rate of the hair loss. In particular cases, hair loss treatment may allow the thinned hair to be regrown.
Aging and hair loss
What Dermatologists Know
Dermatologists arent only concerned with acne and psoriasis, they specialize in treating the skin, nails, and hair. Theyve typically spent more than a decade in school, learning all sorts of sciencey stuff, including how to diagnose and treat various skin and hair disorders.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, your dermatologist spent four years earning their bachelors degree, four years in medical school, one year as an intern and three years, minimum, as a dermatology resident. So, yeah, theyve learned a few things along the way.
Once this period of education and training is over, a dermatologist can become board certified by completing a rigorous exam to confirm their knowledge. Board-certified dermatologists in the United States are typically certified by the American Board of Dermatology or the American Osteopathic Board of Dermatology.
When it comes to your hair, specifically, a dermatologist can help determine whats causing your hair loss. They can identify what sort of hair loss is occurring, in order to recommend the best course of treatment or refer you to another specialist.
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