What Can Cause Sudden Hair Loss In Females

Preventive And Minimization Strategies

Hair, especially in Asian and Caucasian individuals, is generallymore elastic when wet, which means that it breaks more easily than whendry. Therefore, it is important to avoid rubbing wet hair with a toweland brushing or combing wet hair. Allowing hair to air dry rather thanusing a blow-dryer also may be beneficial, because high heat renders thehair brittle and more prone to breakage. Similarly, limiting the use offlat irons and curling irons can also help prevent hair loss.1

Certain products and hairstyles put stress on the hair and cause itto break. Limiting the use of bleaches, dyes, gels, relaxers, and hairsprays can help reduce breakage. Hairpins, clips, and rubber bands cancause breakage when used to hold hair tightly. If these accessories areused, the best choices are hairpins that have a smooth, ball-tippedsurface, hair clips with a spongy rubber padding, and hair bands made offabric. To prevent breakage, hairstyles that pull on the hair, such ascornrows, tight ponytails, and braids, should be avoided.1

Phase : Resting Phase

After the transitional phase, the hair follicles enter a 3-month resting phase. At the end of the resting phase the hair is shed, and a new hair replaces it and the growing cycle starts again.

If you are experiencing female pattern hair loss, you may still notice your hair growing. However, your follicles will continue to shrink, producing finer, shorter, and harder-to-see hair with each cycle until they are no longer able to make new hair.

Dandruff Or Scalp Psoriasis

When the skin on the scalp is inflamed and itchy, its obviously tempting to scratch it. But that may cause your hair to shed more than usual.

Dandruff is the most easily treated cause of hair loss, Dr. Fusco says, because you can treat it with over-the-counter products, like a shampoo containing zinc pyrithione or exfoliating ingredients such as the classic Head & Shoulders Classic or Oribe Serene Scalp Anti-Dandruff Shampoo . “Consistency is the trick,” Dr. Fusco says, so it’s important to find a shampoo and conditioner you like enough to use regularly.

But other conditions can also cause itchiness and scalp flaking, including seborrheic dermatitis and psoriasis . Treating these issues may take more time and effort than dandruff, so its important to check in with a dermatologist if you think you may be dealing with one of these conditions.

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What Are The Types Of Hair Loss

There are three: anagen effluvium, telogen effluvium and FPHL.

• Anagen effluvium: This is caused by medications that poison a growing hair follicle .
• Telogen effluvium: This is caused by an increased number of hair follicles reaching the telogen phase, which is the stage where hair falls out.
• Androgenetic alopecia/female pattern alopecia/female pattern hair loss /baldness: This type is the most common. Hair thins over the top of the head and on the sides.

How Is Hair Loss In Women Treated What Medicines Or Supplements May Help

Treatment depends on the cause of your hair loss.

• In cases where the loss is due to stress or hormone changes like pregnancy, there might be no treatment needed. The hair loss will stop after a period of time.
• In cases of hair loss being due to hair styling practices, like tight braids or ponytails or certain chemicals, treatment means not doing the things that caused the damage.
• In cases due to nutritional deficiencies, you might be told to take supplements. For instance, you might be told to take a multivitamin and three to five milligrams of biotin daily.
• Minoxidil is approved for treating FPHL. The 2% or 5% solution can be purchased in stores. However, you have to follow directions exactly and use the product indefinitely. Dont use this product if youre pregnant, if you plan to get pregnant, or if youre breastfeeding.
• The HairMax Lasercomb® low light laser is approved by the US FDA to treat FPHL. Another FDA-approved laser product is the Theradome LH80 PRO® helmet and low light laser helmets and caps.

Other medications that have been studied, but not approved, for hair loss in women include:

• Spironolactone and other anti-androgens.
• Steroids.
• Other light treatments.

It is important to note that premenopausal women should not take medications for hair loss treatment without using contraception. Many drugs, including minoxidil and finasteride, are not safe for pregnant women or women who want to get pregnant.

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The Progression Of Hereditary/female Pattern Hair Loss

Woman with female pattern hair loss are less likely to go completely bald than men, but you may have a lot of thinning throughout your hair. Female pattern hair loss normally starts with a gradual thinning of the parting and can sometimes be accompanied by the loss of hair at the front of the scalp similar to male pattern hair loss

How Can Hair Loss In Women Be Prevented

Preventing hair loss is not possible when it is due to disease, aging, heredity or physical stressors like injuries. You can prevent hair loss caused by caustic chemicals or tight hairstyles by avoiding them. You might be able to prevent some hair loss by eating a healthy diet that provides necessary nutrients in terms of vitamins, minerals and protein. You can stop smoking.

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Causes Of Hair Loss In Women

Hair loss is often discussed when it comes to men. But as many women know all too well, hair loss affects women, too.

Also known as female-pattern baldness, it can contribute to a profound loss of confidence and discomfort with how you look.

Fortunately, there are treatments for hair loss in women but its important to catch it early, before the loss becomes permanent.

Well cover the common causes of female hair loss and go over potential solutions.

The most common cause of hair loss is androgenic alopecia.

This is an inherited sensitivity to DHT, or Dihydrotestosterone, which can cause hair follicles to shrink. Androgenic alopecia effects an estimated 30 million women in the US. A simple blood test can measure your DHT level and allow your medical provider to recommend directed treatment.

Another common cause of female hair loss is menopause.

During menopause, the body halts production of Estrogen and Progesterone, which can cause women to lose their hair. Hair may also thin and become more brittle due to these hormonal changes.

Perimenopause, or the years leading up to menopause when the body is readying for the change, can cause these symptoms, as well.

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.

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Treatment For Hair Loss Is Out There

Most cases of increased shedding will gradually resolve on their own without treatment, Dr. Schlosser says. But if your hair doesn’t return to its normal fullness within nine months, see a doctor for an evaluation to find out whether something else is going on. And if you have other worrying symptoms, like itching, pain, burning, flaking, or redness, you should seek help sooner.

See your primary care provider or go directly to a dermatologist who specializes in treating hair loss. They can determine what type it is and what the right treatment approach is for you based on which therapies are currently available for your specific issue.

In addition to changes in products and hairstyling habits, your doctor may prescribe topical treatments to treat hair loss, like minoxidil, or direct you to an over-the-counter version, like Rogaine . They might also recommend treatments like platelet-rich plasma injections , which can be helpful for some patients, SELF explained previously. If youre curious about your options, check in with your doctor or dermatologist.

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What Causes Hair Loss

There are many different types of hair loss with a variety of potential underlying causes. Several medical conditions are associated with hair loss in women. Common causes include thyroid problems and hormone imbalances. Wondering how to stop hair loss in women? When the underlying cause of hair loss is diagnosed and treated, hair loss may stop, and hair may grow back. Stress, nutritional factors, and genetics may also play a role in hair loss. Severe physical stress such as going through childbirth, surgery, or suffering a serious illness may precipitate a type of hair loss called telogen effluvium. This is a condition in which stress forces large numbers of follicles to enter the resting phase, and after a few months, hair will fall out.

Sometimes doctors are not able to determine what is causing hair loss. Other potential causes of hair loss include radiation therapy, cancer, kidney failure, liver failure, medication side effects, and autoimmune disease. If you are experiencing new or increasing hair loss, see your doctor for a diagnosis and treatment.

What Are The Cycles Of Hair Growth

Hair goes through three cycles:

• The anagen phase can last from two years to eight years. This phase generally refers to about 85% to 90% of the hair on your head.
• The catagen phase is the time that hair follicles shrink and takes about two to three weeks.
• The telogen phase takes about two to four months. At the end of this phase, the hair falls out.

Your shorter hairs like eyelashes, arm and leg hair and eyebrows have a short anagen phase about one month. Your scalp hair can last up to six years or even longer.

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Causes Of Sudden Female Hair Loss

There are many reasons why individuals may lose their hair. For men it maybe due to heridity or old age.For women, the same reasons listed above can apply for their own personal hair loss in addition to other reasons. Some of those reasons can include changes in hormone balance, medicaton, diseases, etc.

Hair Loss From Thyroid Problems

Either an underactive thyroid, a medical condition called hypothyroidism, or an overactive thyroid, or hyperthyroidism, can result in hair loss because each condition causes a hormonal imbalance. Hormones help to regulate nearly every function in the body, including hair growth. Getting the right treatment to control either of these thyroid conditions will get hormones under control, stop hair loss, and allow your hair to starting grow back.

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How Will A Healthcare Provider Diagnose Hair Loss In Women What Tests Are Done

The tests performed to diagnose hair loss in women can be simple or complicated:

• Gently pulling on your hair to see how many hairs come out.
• Blood tests. These check for vitamin and mineral levels and hormone levels .
• Scalp examination under a microscope and trichoscopy.
• Scalp biopsy to remove and examine a very small piece of scalp skin.

What Support Is Available With Abnormal Hair Loss

Hair loss can be distressing and difficult to accept initially. Talking with others who have experienced hair loss may help. If you need to talk to someone, ask your doctor about counselling sessions available in your area, or for a referral to a counsellor.

Below are also some support groups you may find helpful.

NZ Alopecia Facebook support groupNZ Alopecia website Information from fellow New Zealanders living with alopecia. Links to support groups, personal experiences through to information about the wig subsidy.Wigs and hairpieces subsidy Information from the Ministry of Health regarding wigs and hairpieces subsidy for people who suffer from serious hair loss because of a medical condition or from certain cancer therapies.

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Female Pattern Hair Loss

In women, hair slowly thins all over the scalp, but the hairline usually doesnt recede. Many women experience this type of hair loss as a natural part of aging, although hair loss may begin any time after puberty. Female pattern hair loss can cause hair to thin dramatically, but only rarely does it lead to baldness.

What Causes Hair Loss In Women

According to experts, the average human scalp has about 100,000 hair follicles. At any given time, each of your hair follicles is in a different phase of this cycle: Anagen phase , Catagen phase, Telogen phase , and Exogen phase . Thus, seeing some hairs in your brush or in a bath is perfectly normal and doesnt mean you are experiencing a hair loss.

However, if you find more lost hairs than usual, spot thinning edges, or your scalp becomes more noticeable, it is worth analyzing the possible causes and taking action to stop and reverse hair shedding.

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Other Common Causes Of Female Hair Loss

If your hair loss is more gradual than sudden, you may be experiencing a different type of female hair loss. Other types of baldness in women happen because the hair follicles stop growing hair, or the hair that they grow is more brittle and prone to breakage. Baldness in women can also happen from damaging the hair or the hair follicles due to over-styling or chemical treatments.