Female Hair Loss Treatment Options

Before learning about female hair loss, one must understand the human hair growth cycle.

The average person loses 50-100 hairs a day. Hair loss only occurs when the number of shedding hairs exceeds the number of new hairs coming in. Normal hair growth is a three stage cycle:

Hair Growth Cycle

1) Anagen - Growth Phase Approximately 85% of all hairs are in the growing phase at any one time. The Anagen phase or growth phase can vary from two to six years. Hair grows approximately 10 cm per year and any individual hair is unlikely to grow more than one meter long.

2) Catagen - Transitional phase At the end of the Anagen phase the hairs enters into a Catagen phase which lasts about one or two weeks, during the Catagen phase the hair follicle shrinks to about 1/6 of the normal length. The lower part is destroyed and the dermal papilla breaks away to rest below.

3) Telogen - Resting Phase The resting phase follows the catagen phase and normally lasts about 5-6 weeks. During this time the hair does not grow but stays attached to the follicle while the dermal papilla stays in a resting phase below.

Approximately 10-15 percent of all hairs are in this phase at an one time. At the end of the Telogen phase the hair follicle re-enters the Anagen phase. The dermal papilla and the base of the follicle join together again and a new hair begins to form. If the old hair has not already been shed the new hair pushes the old one out and the growth cycle starts all over again. Each hair passes through the phases independent of the neighboring hairs.

Two Types of Hair Loss

For men, 95-percent of male pattern hair loss can be attributed to genetic hair loss or androgenetic alopecia. In women, the cause and proper diagnosis is not as simple to determine and a physician should be consulted. Thinning hair or hair loss in females can fall into two categories: Genetic and Non-Genetic. Genetic hair loss tends to be permanent while non-genetic is more often temporary. Both types of hair loss are treatable.

Genetic Hair Loss (androgenetic alopecia)

Nearly one-third of all women will experience some form of androgenetic alopecia (female pattern hair loss). Alopecia in women is attribruted to three factors: aging, hormones, and genetics.

Most often, alopecia occurs (but is not limited to) in women following menopause as hormone levels in the body change. "Changes in the levels of the androgens (a male hormone) can affect hair production. For example, after the hormonal changes of menopause, many women find that the hair on the head is thinned, while facial hair is coarser." Source. Genetics can also be a determining factor. Women with older female family members who endured thinning of the hair are more likely themselves to be subjected to androgenetic alopecia.

Women with alopecia do not lose their hair in the same fashion men do. Usually, the frontal hair line remains, but the hair loss can be noticed as a general thinning of the hair on the top and front of the head.

Non-genetic (telogen effluvium) causes of hair loss in women:

• thyroid or liver disease
• hepatic or renal failure
• anesthesia
• childbirth
• starting or stopping birth control pills
• very high fever
• severe stress
• anemia (sometimes seen in runners)
• hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism
• essential fatty acid deficiency
• zinc deficiency
• any condition that upsets the ovarian, adrenal, or pituitary axis
• protein deficiency (common with vegetarian diets)
• anorexia or bulimia
• too much vitamin A
• local viral, fungal, or protozoan infection
• drug toxicity
• antimitotics - such as those used for chemotherapy
• bromocriptine - used to inhibit lactation
• beta blockers
• ACE inhibitors
• amphetamines
• anticholesterol agents
• systemic disease such as lupus/DLE
• SOURCE: LYNN DRAKE, M.D.

Non genetic causes of hair loss are easily treatable. Please consult a dermatologist.

Treatment Options for Female Hair Loss

Women who are seeking treatment options for androgenetic alopecia (female pattern hair loss / genetic hair loss) should stick to treatment options approved by the established medical community. At all costs, you must avoid natural hair loss treatment methods that promise miracle cures for hair loss with a shampoo or herbal pill that is "proven" to block dht or unclog pores.

In women, minoxidil (rogaine for women) has been proven to show minimal improvements in 50 percent of women and moderate improvements in 13 percent. Minoxidil requires a twice a day application of either the 2-percent or 5 percent solutions. The downside is treatment is lifelong. Any gain achieved with minoxidil will be lost if the patient stops using the product.

Finasteride (Propecia), a hair loss pill for men, is not applicable to women.

"In women, the use of a systemic antiandrogen such as spironolactone (Aldactone®) 50 to 200 mg per day, cyproterone acetate (Androcur®), or flutamide (Eulexin®) may have some benefit in reducing the amount of hair thinning." Source

The only hair loss treatment method that lasts a life time and is proven to work is hair transplants. Treating women with hair transplants requires a different approach then it does to men.

Here is a chart of standard female hair loss:

Female Hair Loss Chart

Ludwig Chart

Ebling/Rook Chart