Whats Hair Loss In Women
Hair loss in women is just that when a woman experiences unexpected, heavy loss of hair. Generally, humans shed between 50 and 100 single hairs per day. Hair shedding is part of a natural balance some hairs fall out while others grow in. When the balance is interrupted when hair falls out and less hair grows in hair loss happens. Hair loss is different than hair shedding. The medical term for hair loss is alopecia.
Hair grows on almost all of your skin surfaces not the palms of your hands, soles of your feet, lips or eyelids. Light, fine, short hair is called vellus hair. Terminal/androgenic hair is thicker, darker and longer.
Minoxidil: No Prescription Needed
Pros: Minoxidil can stop hairs from getting thinner. It also can help some women regrow hair on the top of their head, says Paradi Mirmirani, MD. She’s a dermatologist with the Permanente Medical Group in Vallejo, Calif.. âVery good studies show that itâs effective and gets the hair root or follicle to become larger.â
Minoxidil OTC come in 5% and 2% solutions and are considered safe for most women. The 2% solution is the only hair loss treatment for women approved by the FDA. Depending on which solution you use you put it on your scalp once daily.
Cons: It doesnât work for everybody. âAbout half of the people who use it do well and see new hair growth,â says Mirmirani. âAnother 40% or so hold steady, not growing new hair but not losing more either. And about 10% find that it doesnât help at all.â
Regrowth can take a while. It may be 12 weeks or longer before new hair starts growing, says Sonia Badreshia-Bansal, MD. She’s a clinical instructor in dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco, and a dermatologist who specializes in hair loss. She suggests using Minoxidil for 6 months and seeing what happens.
The most common side effect is scalp irritation. Some women may have unwanted hair growth on their forehead or face. The other downside: You have to keep using it or your hair will start thinning again.
What Should You Take For Hair Loss
Medically reviewed by Kristin Hall, FNP
Losing hair can be a stressful experience, especially when it has a noticeable impact on the way you look.
Hair loss can vary hugely in severity. For some, its a mild receding hairline thats easy to cover up with the right hairstyle. For others, its severe baldness that starts early and progresses until the entire hairline and crown is hair-free.
Although dealing with hair loss can be frustrating, there are numerous steps that you can take to slow down or stop hair loss.
These include using prescription and over-the-counter medications, as well as products that can stimulate hair growth and provide your hair with the nutrients it needs to look its best.
Below, weve explained how and why hair loss happens, as well as the different factors that can play a role in the thickness and general health of your hair.
Weve also explained what you can take to treat hair loss, from FDA-approved medications that prevent hair loss and stimulate regrowth to vitamins, supplements and more.
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What Is Androgenetic Alopecia
Almost every woman eventually develops some degree of female pattern hair loss. It can start any time after the onset of puberty, but women tend to first notice it around menopause, when hair loss typically increases. The risk rises with age, and it’s higher for women with a history of hair loss on either side of the family.
As the name suggests, androgenetic alopecia involves the action of the hormones called androgens, which are essential for normal male sexual development and have other important functions in both sexes, including sex drive and regulation of hair growth. The condition may be inherited and involve several different genes. It can also result from an underlying endocrine condition, such as overproduction of androgen or an androgen-secreting tumor on the ovary, pituitary, or adrenal gland. In either case, the alopecia is likely related to increased androgen activity. But unlike androgenetic alopecia in men, in women the precise role of androgens is harder to determine. On the chance that an androgen-secreting tumor is involved, it’s important to measure androgen levels in women with clear female pattern hair loss.
What Are The Myths About Hair Loss
Myths about hair loss are widespread. Nothing in the following list is true:
- Youre losing hair because you shampoo it too much, or because youve colored it or gotten a perm.
- Dandruff causes permanent hair loss in women.
- Stress causes permanent hair loss in women.
- If you shave your head, your hair will grow back twice as thick.
- If you stand on your head youll increase circulation, stimulating hair growth.
- If you brush your hair 100 strokes a day that will make your hair healthier.
- Hats and wigs cause hair loss in women.
- Hair loss only affects intellectual women.
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Hair Loss Treatment: Medicines For Hair Fall And Hair Regrowth
Pintresthair lossHair loss treatment for men and women1. Minoxidil2. FinasterideWhat is the best hair fall treatment?Disclaimer: “This article is authored and provided by The Times of India Healthy India Fit India partner,1mg.com” References:Hair loss: Diagnosis and Treatment. American Academy of Dermatology.Orasan MS, Bolfa P, Coneac A, Muresan A, Mihu C. Topical Products for Human Hair Regeneration: A Comparative Study on an Animal Model. Ann Dermatol. 2016 Feb 28:65-73.Monselise A, Cohen DE, Wanser R, Shapiro J. What Ages Hair? Int J Womens Dermatol. 2017 Feb 16 3:S52-S57.Dinh QQ, Sinclair R. Female pattern hair loss: current treatment concepts. Clin Interv Aging. 2007 2:189-99.
Prescription Medication That Can Regrow Hair
Another treatment option is to take prescription medication. The type of medication prescribed will depend on your:
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Hair loss cause
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Expected results
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Plans for getting pregnant
With any medication, side effects are possible. Ask your dermatologist about possible side effects that you might experience while taking one of these medications to treat hair loss. The medications include:
Finasteride : The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved this medication to treat male pattern hair loss. When taken as directed, finasteride can:
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Slow down hair loss
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Stimulate new hair growth
Finasteride is a pill that you take once a day. Taking it at the same time each day seems to produce the best results.
Finasteride: Before and after
This man took finasteride to treat his male pattern hair loss, and within 1 year , he had noticeable improvement. After 2 years , he had regrown most of his hair.
Like other treatments for hair loss, this, too, takes time to work. It usually takes about 4 months to notice any improvement.
Finasteride tends to be more effective if you begin taking it when you first notice hair loss.A dermatologist may also prescribe this medication to treat a woman who has hereditary hair loss and cannot get pregnant.
If finasteride works for you, you will need to keep taking it to continue getting results. Once you stop, youll start losing hair again.Before taking this medication, be sure to discuss possible side effects with your dermatologist.
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How Do Drugs Cause Hair Loss
Drugs cause hair loss by interfering with the normal cycle of scalp hair growth. During the anagen phase, which lasts for two to seven years, the hair grows. During the telogen phase, which lasts about three months, the hair rests. At the end of the telogen phase, the hair falls out and is replaced by new hair.
Medications can lead to two types of hair loss: telogen effluvium and anagen effluvium. Learn more about other causes of baldness.
Telogen effluvium is the most common form of drug-induced hair loss. It usually appears within 2 to 4 months after taking the drug. This condition causes the hair follicles to go into their resting phase and fall out too early. People with telogen effluvium usually shed between 30% to 70% more than the normal 100 and 150 hairs a day.
Anagen effluvium is hair loss that occurs during the anagen phase of the hair cycle, when the hairs are actively growing. It prevents the matrix cells, which produce new hairs, from dividing normally. This type of hair loss usually occurs within a few days to weeks after taking the medication. It’s most common in people who are taking chemotherapy drugs for cancer and is often severe, causing people to lose most or all of the hair on their head, as well as their eyebrows, eyelashes, and other body hairs.
The severity of drug-induced hair loss depends on the type of drug and dosage, as well as your sensitivity to that drug.
What Is Alopecia Areata
A common skin condition, alopecia areata usually starts as a single quarter-sized circle of perfectly smooth bald skin. These patches usually regrow in three to six months without treatment. Sometimes, white hair temporarily regrows and then becomes dark. The most extensive form is alopecia totalis, in which the entire scalp goes bald. It’s important to emphasize that patients who have localized hair loss generally don’t go on to lose hair all over the scalp. Alopecia areata can affect hair on other parts of the body, too .
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition in which the body attacks its own hair follicles. Most patients, however, do not have systemic problems and need no medical tests. While people frequently blame alopecia areata on “stress,” in fact, it may be the other way around that is, having alopecia may cause stress.
Under normal conditions, scalp hairs live for about three years they then enter the telogen, or resting, phase. During the three-month telogen period, the hair root shrivels up into a small “club,” then the hair falls out. It is therefore normal to lose about 100 hairs every day, more of them on days when shampooing loosens the hairs that are ready to fall out. The body then replaces the hairs.
- severe illness,
- severe emotional stress or loss.
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Ways To Head Off Hair Loss
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The more you know about hair loss as a possible side effect of prescription medications for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, migraine, high blood pressure, and multiple sclerosis, the more you can take steps to prepare for or mitigate it.
And If I Decide To Take The Medication What Dose Should I Take After A Hair Transplant
Starting with vitamins and supplements, these help our hair to be better nourished. There are several vitamins that you can buy at any pharmacy, or others like Xpecia in Turkey. The type of vitamins whose consumption encourages and promotes proper nutrition and growth of our hair are:
- Vitamin A: to prevent hair problems such as dandruff, it also helps regulate sebum production.
- Biotin: within the vitamin B group it is essential for the proper functioning of the hair.
- Vitamin C: contributes to a normal formation of collagen for normal hair functioning.
- Vitamin E: Vital nutrient for skin and hair health. Responsible for blood supply and oxygen absorption by the scalp.
- Zinc: is one of the great allies for hair growth, favoring proper growth.
- Folic acid: Member of vitamin group B, it is essential for the production of red blood cells.
As for Minoxidil, it is recommended for men to use the 5% formula.
As we have commented previously, this treatment will help irrigate the scalp and the root of the follicle, specifically, so that it has enough oxygen and nutrients when it comes to preventing the fall. It will also favor the growth of hair of the follicles in the growth phase, improving and providing a greater density of hair.
Currently, one of the manufacturers of Minoxidil has created a new foam product formula. This format promises a faster absorption by the scalp, and for patients who notice redness and itching, a decrease in both.
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Take Folic Acid To Help Prevent Hair Loss From Methotrexate
Methotrexate also affects the absorption of the B vitamin folic acid, or folate in its natural form, which impacts cell division as well as hair growth. Patients on methotrexate should be taking folic acid at the same time to help mitigate methotrexate side effects, such as nausea. We can increase the folic acid dose if hair loss is occurring, says Dr. Domingues. Your doctor may also recommend a different version of folic acid called folinic acid, which is available by prescription. Its a little stronger, says Dr. Domingues.
I have had hair loss directly as a result of taking methotrexate the hair loss was immediate but I added extra folic acid and biotin , and those helped, Christina A. told us. Studies have shown taking folic acid doesnt alter the effectiveness of MTX.
Medical Treatments For Balding In Men
DEAN THOMAS SCOW, M.D., ROBERT S. NOLTE, D.O., and ALLEN F. SHAUGHNESSY, PHARM.D., Harrisburg Family Practice Residency, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Am Fam Physician. 1999 Apr 15 59:2189-2194.
See related patient information handout on male pattern baldness, written by the authors of this article.
Two drugs are available for the treatment of balding in men. Minoxidil, a topical product, is available without a prescription in two strengths. Finasteride is a prescription drug taken orally once daily. Both agents are modestly effective in maintaining hair that is lost as a result of androgenic alopecia. The vertex of the scalp is the area that is most likely to respond to treatment, with little or no hair regrowth occurring on the anterior scalp or at the hairline. Side effects of these medications are minimal, making them suitable treatments for this benign but psychologically disruptive condition.
Hair plays a large role in defining one’s self-image. From the snake oils of the past to high-tech microsurgical hair plugs, men have been willing to try almost anything and to spend large amounts of money in search of a cure for male pattern baldness.
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