There are many causes for hair loss. What causes your hair to fall out can determine if your hair:
Falls out slowly or suddenly
Thin
Can redevelop on its own
Re-growth requires treatment
Immediate care is needed to prevent permanent hair loss
Causes of hair loss
Hereditary hair loss
Both men and women develop this type of hair loss, which is the most common cause of hair loss worldwide. In men, it is called male pattern hair loss. Women get female pattern hair loss. Regardless of whether it develops in a man or a woman, the medical term is androgenic alopecia.
Whichever word you use, it means you have inherited a gene that causes your hair follicles (every hair from which it grows) to shrink and eventually stop hair growth. Contractions may start in your teens, but they usually start later in life.
In women, the first noticeable sign of hereditary hair loss is usually the overall thin or wide part.
When a man begins to have hereditary hair loss, the first sign is often hair loss or bald spot on the top of his head.
Is re-growth possible?
Yes, treatment can help prevent or slow down hair loss. It can also help regrow hair. The sooner treatment is started, the better it works. Without treatment, you will continue to lose hair. 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.
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What are the cycles of hair growth?
Hair goes through three cycles:
The anagen phase (growing 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 (transition phase) is the time that hair follicles shrink and takes about two to three weeks.
The telogen phase (resting 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.
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 (like chemotherapy).
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 (FPHL)/baldness: This type is the most common. Hair thins over the top of the head and on the sides.
How common is hair loss in women?
Many people think that hair loss only affects men. However, it is estimated that more than 50% of women will experience noticeable hair loss. The most significant cause of hair loss in women is female-pattern hair loss (FPHL), which affects about one-third of susceptible women, which equals out to some 30 million women in the United States.
Which women are likely to experience hair loss?
Any girl or woman can be affected by hair loss. However, it is usually more common in:
Women older than 40.
Women who have just had babies.
Women who have had chemotherapy and those who have been affected by other medications.
Women who often have hairstyles that pull on the hair (like tight ponytails or tight braids) or use harsh chemicals on their hair.
Menopausal women.
What are the myths about hair loss?
Myths about hair loss are widespread. Nothing in the following list is true:
You’re losing hair because you shampoo it too much, or because you’ve 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 you’ll 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.
SYMPTOMS AND CAUSES
What are the common causes of hair loss in women?
What causes hair loss?
Hair style: Your style of hair can cause hair loss when your hair is arranged in ways that pull on your roots, like tight ponytails, braids, or corn rows. This type of hair loss is called traction alopecia. If hair follicles are damaged, the loss can be permanent.
Vitamin deficiency.
Dieting (rapid weight loss).
Restrictive diets.
Over processed scalp hair (breakage).
What causes anagen effluvium hair loss?
Toxic substances, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy and some medications. These cause sudden hair loss that can occur anywhere on your body. It happens to hair in the growth stage. Sometimes, this type of hair loss can be permanent if your hair follicles are damaged.
What causes telogen effluvium hair loss?
Extreme physical stress or shock to your body: This causes temporary hair loss. This category includes events like losing a lot of weight, surgery, anemia, illness and having a baby.
Extreme emotional stress: mental illness, the death of a loved one, etc.
An abnormal thyroid.
Medications and supplements: blood pressure medicines, gout medicines and high doses of Vitamin A.
Hormone changes caused by pregnancy, menopause or birth control pills.
What causes FPHL (Female Pattern Hair Loss)?
Genes: Your family’s genes can cause thinning of hair along the top of your head.
Aging: Hormone changes as you age can cause balding.
Menopause: This type of hair loss often gets worse when estrogen is lost during menopause.
There are also some conditions that affect hair loss:
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune skin disease that causes patchy hair loss on your head and possibly other places on your body. It’s usually not permanent.
What is the relationship between hair loss in women and menopause?
During menopause, you might see one of two things happen with your hair. You might start growing hair where you didn’t before. Or, you might see the hair you have start to thin. One cause may be changing levels of hormones during menopause. Estrogen and progesterone levels fall, meaning that the effects of the androgens, male hormones, are increased.
During and after menopause, hair might become finer (thinner) because hair follicles shrink. Hair grows more slowly and falls out more easily in these cases.
Your healthcare provider will do a thorough examination and take a detailed history to help you deal with changes in hair growth. You may be directed to have your iron levels or thyroid hormone levels tested. Your medications might be changed if what you take is found to affect hair loss or growth.
What are the signs of hair loss in women?
Seeing more hair fall out daily either on your brush, on the floor, in showers, on your pillows, or in the sink.
Seeing noticeable patches of thinner or missing hair, including a part on the top of your head that gets wider.
Seeing scalp skin through hair
Having smaller ponytails.
Seeing hair break off.
DIAGNOSIS AND TESTS
How will a healthcare provider diagnose hair loss in women? What tests are done?
The tests performed to diagnose hair loss .
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