It can not be disputed that women tend to spend more time on their appearance than most men and are therefore more attune to any changes which may be occurring. They are more than likely to notice the see-through quality of thinning hair early on. When this starts to happen it is a slow process, not one where the hair loss or thinning of the hair is enough to clog the drain as it falls out all at once.
Women would generally be aware of the female genetic balding process when they discover problems with styling their hair. When this occurs it is fortunate as it will allow the Women to adjust her styling to compensate for the hair loss. If the loss is greater or continues, then the Women is able to conceal this with a new hairstyle, up to a point. By having a layered cut, a pulled back style like a pony tail, or a bun, the Women is able to disguise the thinning hair fairly well. They will also have the option of using hair extensions or other types of hair systems.
However, regardless of how well they disguise it, hair loss is a psychological challenge for women who will fondly remember their thick, luxurious hair of times gone by, and will be aghast at the lumps of hair they find on their hairbrushes or in the drain. The thinning of hair can make a Women feel older and less attractive.
There are a number of types of identifiable hair loss in women, and they will differ based and due to their causes. The cause of female hair loss is evident in the pattern, and doctors are able to look at the pattern of loss to determine the cause and an idea of how to treat it.
Roughly 10 per cent of women will experience the classic pattern of genetic hair loss, which is an intact frontal hairline for the first 2/3 inch, and the hair loss behind that persistent hairline.
One other type of recognizable pattern of genetic hair loss in women relates to the top of the head, and therefore spares the frontal edge of the hair line. Some women with genetic hair loss may experience a diffuse hair loss. This refers to the thinning of the hair all over the head, including the sides and back of the head, and will not be confined to any particular part of the head. This type of hair loss is more common in postmenopausal women, although it can show up in younger women too.
You can find out more about the common causes of women's hair loss at:
In regard to women and the thinning of hair patterns, there is a distinct relationship between mother, sisters, aunts, and grandmothers. When a history is taken from women who suffer with hair thinning problems, there are generally more than half of the women interviewed who have thinning hair or suffer with baldness, who have female relatives with a similar problem.
Genetic hair loss in women is relatively uncommon and is usually referred to as female pattern baldness or female androgenetic alopecia. In women with this condition, the common pattern will differ to that of men. The pattern of hair loss in men will follow the Norwood classification, the postmenopausal pattern in women is characterized by diffuse thinning starting at just behind the normal hairline and spreading to and beyond the swirl. Unlike men, women with this type of hair loss often have a significant level of miniaturization in the back and side of the scalp. This relates to the decreasing hair shaft thickness in some hair and loss of hairs within the follicular unit.
In some women, the genetic pattern of hair loss is closely related to an increase in male sex hormone - androsterone, testosterone, and DHT. However, in most cases of genetic hair loss, it will occur when the sex hormone levels are normal. Women who develop pattern balding later in life also have a genetic component to their hair loss, however, the relationship is not as strong. The changes which occur at the time of the menopause are an obvious contributing factor.
Due to the fact that genetic hair loss presents itself in a different way in women than it does in men, a different classification system is used. The Ludwig classification, illustrated below, is used by Doctors to describe the thinning that women experience. A Ludwig type 1 is related to the mild widening of the part width. Type 2 will be associated with patients who have increased thinning with moderate widening of the part. Type 3 patients will suffer significant widening of the part width.
A few women will develop pattern balding in a way that is similar to that of men. These patients are therefore better classified using the Norwood classification system and the hair loss will be mainly limited to the front and top of the scalp and won’t affect the back and sides. These patients may well benefit from hair transplant surgery. Approximately 15 per cent of women suffer with this type of pattern balding.
Aside from genetics, female hair loss can derive from a variety of medical causes, from the general to the more specific, including postpartum and menopausal hair loss. Many medical conditions may cause hair loss and can include thyroid disease, anemia, iron deficiency, weight loss induced by severe dieting or eating disorders, medication use, and a variety of autoimmune diseases.
As a woman who may be experiencing hair loss, you should initially be evaluated by a dermatologist to ensure that there are no underlying skin conditions which may be contributing to the hair loss. These may require a different type of treatment and a biopsy may be needed to rule out the presence of certain skin diseases such as alopecia areata.
Your local GP will be able to carry out the tests required, and a dermatologist could hone in on a diagnosis. Blood tests can be crucial in ruling out some identifiable medical conditions, and can check the following contributors to female hair loss:
ANA - antinuclear antibody - used to test for lupus or other autoimmune diseases. The test will be either negative or positive, and further testing will be necessary if the result is positive.
Iron - check on serum iron levels, TIBC (total iron binding capacity) and ferritin deficiencies in iron.
Estradiol - a sex hormone which indicates the status of ovarian output. FSH - follicle-stimulating hormone. This indicates the status of ovarian output and will reflect the woman’s ability to ovulate.
LH - utilizing hormone - a sex hormone which indicates the status of ovarian output a woman may have in her overall aging process, when she ovulates, this hormone stimulates the production of eggs.
Free testosterone - could help the doctor to determine the woman’s ability to convert testosterone into estrogen.
SHBG - sex hormone binding globulin - the level will indicate the status of male hormones.
TSH - thyroid-stimulating hormone - the level will show the presence of hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism.
Total testosterone - will be largely bound to proteins in the blood.
It is necessary to remember that even after a medical condition has been corrected, your hair loss may persist due to a switch in your genetic makeup that has been turned on when the medical condition occurs. Once the hair loss starts it could be hard to turn this switch off. It would be hoped that following treatment for the medical condition that the hair loss would slow down and that any deficiency in you overall hormone balance is corrected.
