Signs Of Balding In Women
Balding in women can begin anywhere between the ages of 12 and 40, or even later.
Signs of baldness in women are classified using the Ludwig system. This system has identified two major types of balding:
Thinning on top
You might notice thinning across the entire top of the head and not on the sides.
Widening part
Widening of the part on the top of the head is also a common sign of balding in women.
Here are some other signs of balding in women to look out for:
Thinning across the whole head
This is the most common type of balding pattern in women, as opposed to the receding M-shaped hairline in men.
Are There Complications/side Effects Of Treatment
Minoxidil may irritate your scalp and cause dryness, scaling, itching and/or redness. See your dermatologist if this happens.
With Minoxidil you might also see hair growing in other places other than your scalp . Wash your face after you apply Minoxidil and make sure you avoid other areas when you apply it.
How Does Hair Grow
Your scalp is home to about 100,000 hairs. Each one has its own life cycle. A follicle produces a single hair that grows at a rate of half an inch per month. It hangs in there for 2 to 6 years, then stops for about a month. When the next cycle starts up, that hair falls out. At any given time, most of your locks are in the growth phase.
Recommended Reading: What Causes Hair Loss In Women Over 60
Solution: Use The Right Tools
“Look for a brush with rounded, plastic prongs and a vented, cushioned base,” such as the Philip Kingsley Vented Paddle Brush, suggests the trichologist Anabel Kingsley. This will help to detangle your hair and give you control as you brush without the need for excess force.
You should alsoalways comb from the ends, using your hands to secure your hair as you do so to avoid pulling, and then move slowly upwards. If you are struggling, use a detangling spray alongside a wide-tooth comb to minimise breakage. This technique can be especially useful for curly hair that tends to frizz when overly brushed, as you can counteract the knots and tangles that cause breakage without compromising your style. A moisture-boosting shampoo and conditioner, such as Waterman’s GrowMe range will also help the process.
There Are Different Types Of Hair Loss Genetic And Reactive
Genetic:
There’s a chance you’re genetically predisposed to hair thinning, which means you may see a progressive, gradual reduction in hair volume. “In these instances, certain hair follicles are sensitive to male hormones and this sensitivity causes follicles to gradually shrink and produce slightly finer and shorter hairs with each passing hair growth cycle.” Explains Anabel Kingsley.
Reactive:
This means your hair loss is the result of a trigger. “Excessive daily hair shedding is not reliant on having a genetic predisposition, it occurs as the result of an internal imbalance or upset, such as a nutritional deficiency, severe stress, crash dieting or an illness” says Anabel Kingsley.
You May Like: How To Prevent Post Pregnancy Hair Loss
Treatment For Hair Loss
Most hair loss does not need treatment and is either:
- temporary and it’ll grow back
- a normal part of getting older
Hair loss caused by a medical condition usually stops or grows back once you’ve recovered.
There are things you can try if your hair loss is causing you distress. But most treatments are not available on the NHS, so you’ll have to pay for them.
No treatment is 100% effective.
How To Strengthen Your Follicles And Slow Hair Loss
Regardless of your sensitivity to DHT, you will likely experience hair loss over time. Its part of aging, says Bauman. Look at the odds: 90 percent of 90-year olds have experienced significant loss. However, you can slow down the fall-out rate, and not just with Propecia, Rogaine, and transplants.
Start by getting good sleep, consistently. Cut back on smoking and drinking, both of which compromise the hairs fiber production. Bauman says to avoid certain medications, like antihypertensives , hormone treatments , statin drugs, mood modulators , all of which that can hinder the hairs growth and strength. And, as mentioned, avoid supplements like creatine, which will increase DHT production and thus accelerate loss.
In addition to behavioral changes, Bauman says you can slow hair loss by taking routine nutritional supplements. He recommends a professional-grade Biotin, called Viviscal Professional or Nutrafol Men. Nutrafol targets several possible triggers for hair loss and hair thinning, including inflammation, the effects of cortisol , free radical damage, and more. He also suggests using grooming products that contain caffeine , saw palmetto such as MiN New York daily shampoo, and green tea extracts like Paul Mitchells scalp care assortment. These can help strengthen the follicles and help prevent shedding, he says.
Recommended Reading: Can My Dermatologist Help With Hair Loss
Hairstyles For Thin Vs Thick Hair
“With low-density hair, adding volume is key,” Josh says. Like with fine hair, haircuts with layers aren’t ideal for thin hair. “A blunt cut will give you the appearance of more hair,” he suggests.
People with low-density hair should also consider length. “For thin hair, its generally a good idea to not wear your hair past your shoulders,” Azadganian says. Long cuts “can make thin hair thinner, which results in loss of style.”
If you have thick hair, you won’t have to worry about your hair looking limp. High-density hair “has a much greater opportunity for each fiber to interact with other fibers nearby, so it’s easier to achieve volume,” Spengler notes. Thick hair can handle length and layers, which help prevent hair from looking bulky and heavy at the mid-length and ends.
How To Test Strands
To check the density of your hair, start by measuring the circumference of your ponytail. If you have low density hair, the circumference will be less than two inches. Medium density hair is two to three inches, and high density hair is four or more inches in circumference.
For shorter hair that does not go into a ponytail, just look in the mirror with your hair down. If you can see your scalp without touching your hair, you likely have low density hair. If its difficult to see your scalp, then you have higher density hair.
To measure for hair thickness, pluck a strand of hair from your head, ideally from a spot that is pretty full, so avoid any face framing pieces, and compare the strand to a sewing thread. If your hair is as wide, or just slightly under width, as a sewing thread, then you have thick hair.
If your hair is much slimmer than the thread, your hair is on the thin side. Another way to test hair thickness, without pulling out any of your strands, is to take a single hair in between your fingers. If you can feel the hair, you have thicker hair and if you feel nothing, you have thin hair.
Recommended Reading: How Do I Regrow My Thinning Hair
Treating Hair Loss: Medicine
Minoxidil is approved by the FDA for female pattern hair loss. It can slow or stop it in most women and may help hair grow back. But the benefits go away when you stop using it. Corticosteroids can help regrow hair for women with alopecia areata. And if the cause is an underlying medical problem or poor nutrition, your locks should grow back on their own once things are under control.
How To Tell If Your Hair Is Thinning
The first signs of balding may be so subtle that you might not even notice they are happening until your hair loss has progressed significantly. In general, the first signs of balding include a receding hairline, increase in hair shedding and a more visible scalp. there are, however, more signs of hair loss that you might not have noticed before.
You May Like: Does Tea Tree Shampoo Help With Hair Loss
My Hair Is Thinning What Can I Do
Noticing more hair in your comb or shower drain lately? Maybe your part seems a bit wider than it used to be. Thinning hair or hair loss, also called alopecia, can occur anywhere on your body, is common among men and women, and is estimated to affect as many as 95% of adult men and more than 50% of adult women each year.
Hair loss occurs for many reasons, in women and men of all ages, but is most common among middle aged and older people. You can lose the hair on your scalp or your entire body. Hair loss can be permanent or temporary. It can also be traumatic. Our hair is often a big part of our identity. Losing our hair is not physically harmful in most cases but the psychological damage can include anxiety, depression and social apprehension. People who have experienced hair loss have reported lower self-esteem, poorer quality of life and body image.
A certain amount of hair loss is normal. Most of us lose 50 to 100 hairs each day, with new hairs taking their place quickly enough that we overlook the ones we’ve shed. The problems start when new hair doesn’t replace the hair that has fallen out.
If your hair is visibly thinning, either in patches or all over, or if you notice unusual hair loss of any kind, it’s essential to see your primary care provider or a dermatologist, to determine the cause and appropriate treatment.
Hair Loss Trigger: Alopecia Areata
THAIPOLICEPLUS.COM” alt=”My hair is thinning male > THAIPOLICEPLUS.COM”> Alopecia areata causes hair to fall out in big patches. The culprit is your own immune system, which attacks healthy hair follicles by mistake. In most cases, the damage isnât permanent. The missing locks should grow back in 6 months to a year. Some people lose all the hair on their scalp and body, but thatâs rare.
Recommended Reading: How To Stop Thinning Hair From Stress
What Specifically Causes Hair Loss
Hair loss can start as soon as puberty ends, depending on your hereditary sensitivity to DHT. That phrasing is key: Bauman stresses that it is not DHT production that causes hair loss, it’s the inherited sensitivity to DHT that causes the loss. Those with high sensitivity will be the first to experience a weakening in their follicles. This results in thinning around the crown and hairline, and lighter pigment in the hair. Behaviors that increase DHT production will magnify the loss depending on sensitivity. These behaviors include smoking, creatine supplements, resistance and weight training exercise, stress, and taking anabolic steroids or testosterone hormone replacement.
How Hair Loss Progresses
One-fifth of men will experience significant hair loss by age of 20, and that percentage grows proportional to age. Bauman says that significant loss increases steadily with age: 30 percent will experience it in their 30s, 40 percent in 40s, and so on. This math proves true for men into their 90s, he says. If you go unchecked but have maintained most of your hair by middle age, then your sensitivity to DHT is probably on the low side, meaning you have a slower rate of male pattern hair loss going on.
Symptoms of gradual hair loss are sometimes hard to notice until nearly half the hair is gone. The most obvious signs are a thinning of the temples and hairline recession. Otherwise, the hair loss can be more widespread and balanced. This steady shedding is called invisible baldness, since the hair becomes gradually less dense until suddenly it is perceptible to the naked eye. In general, hair loss is a chronic, progressive condition that gets worse over time without treatment, Bauman says.
However, there are also ways to measure this invisible baldness. Bauman utilizes two proceduresHairCheck and HairCamto track the hair-loss progression over time,. This periodic audit can soon paint your long-term hair-loss outlook by offering in-depth looks at density, recession, and more.
You May Like: How To Take Care Of Postpartum Hair Loss
Is There A Correlation Between Vitamin D And Hair Loss
One small study found that patients with alopecia areata, which is an autoimmune condition that causes patchy hair loss, had lower levels of vitamin D compared to those without alopecia areata. While the research is still developing, we are seeing more evidence that there is a correlation between hair loss and vitamin d deficiency, even in those without an underlying condition. If you believe your hair loss may be due to a vitamin d deficiency, consult with your doctor or contact us for a hair consultation.
What Should I Tell My Healthcare Provider Before Taking Finasteride
Before taking finasteride, tell your healthcare provider if you:
- have any other medical conditions, including problems with your prostate or liver
- Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them to show your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.
You May Like: How To Reverse Thinning Hair Male
When To See A Doctor For Thinning Hair
Although its common to lose hair throughout the day, its a good idea to speak with your doctor if youre losing more than 100 hairs per day.
You should also talk with your doctor if youre worried about persistent hair loss or a receding hairline, or if you notice sudden patchy hair loss. Patches of hair loss could signify an underlying medical condition.
Eat A Balanced Diet And Consider Supplements
According to stylist at Bumble and bumble Erickson Arrunategui, if you are struggling with thinning hair and itâs mostly stress-related or due to a hormone change, you can use vitamins such as biotin to help with hair growth and also strengthen your existing hair. Studies have shown that biotin helps promote healthy hair growth and is a great option if you want thicker hair. Other vitamins you can take include vitamin A and vitamin D, where studies show that a deficiency in both is linked to hair loss.
Hendricks explains diet and hair loss could be tied. To counter this potential source, Syfu recommends staying hydrated, making sure to get your omega fatty acids and greens, and also taking a multi-vitamin or biotin supplement.
Don’t Miss: Can B12 Cause Hair Loss
Up Your Hair Care Game
While investigating the possible causes of thinning hair or hair loss, making some adjustments to your hair care game can help support your hair follicles from the inside and out.
Use a scalp serum or hair oils that will prevent hair thinning by preventing hair breakage, recommended Dr. Boyer.
VEGAMOURs beloved GRO Hair Serum and GRO+ Advanced Hair Serum have been carefully formulated with clinically-backed phyto-actives that help support your scalps microbiome for optimal health. Plus, both serums have been clincally proven to provide up to a 76% decrease in hair shedding and a 52% increase in the appearance of hair density after four months of consistent use.
And when it comes to styling and product, think about giving your scalp a little extra TLC by avoiding tight hairstyles, chemical treatments and excessive heat styling. The Organic Bamboo Hair Tie Set and Good Nights and Hair Days Pillowcase are extra soft and gentle ways of pampering your follicles, too.