Female Pattern Hair Loss

Female Hair Loss

Although hair loss remains principally a problem that plagues the male gender, women are not immune from this affliction. In fact, women typically lose 100 to 125 hairs per day and may exhibit noticeable thinning as they mature. Unlike men who lose hair, female hair loss may not be as socially acceptable.

It is unclear exactly what predisposes a female toward hair loss but a combination of genetics and hormonal factors are clearly at work. Some women are susceptible to hair loss at an early age due to an excess of androgen hormones (and sometimes unrelated to male hormone levels). At other times, hair loss is only more marked during menopause when androgen hormones become proportionately greater with a diminution of estrogen levels.

Hair Loss in Women

Women are also more susceptible to many types of hair loss disorders that are discussed in other sections of this website and should be considered when evaluating a woman for hair loss. Pregnancy can lead to a prolonged estrogen-rich state in which hairs remain in anagen phase until delivery at which time hair is shed as a telogen effluvium 4 to 12 weeks afterward as the hair enters telogen synchronously. Similarly, withdrawal of oral contraceptives can remove an estrogen-rich state, leading to temporary telogen effluvium. Besides these acute states of telogen eflluvium, women between 30 to 60 years of age are more likely to suffer an unexplained chronic telogen effluvium marked by recurrent hair shedding that does not lead to total baldness. Trichotillomania, a psychiatric disorder in certain individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder, is marked by pulling one’s own hair out with a 93% predominance in adolescent women. Use of hair-care products can predispose women to a greater likelihood of damaged hairs and resulting hair loss in extreme conditions. Other hormonal abnormalities like low iron levels may be more commonly encountered in women given the hemorrhage during monthly menses. For all of these reasons, hair loss in women can be more complicated than in men and should be more carefully explored for the cause so that a proper treatment plan can be instituted.

Typically, a global thinning occurs with the most dramatic loss around the top of the head. The frontal hairline can be spared as the circulating hormone aromatase can limit the shedding in the frontal hairline despite thinning behind it. The Ludwig scale for female thinning is discussed in the Hair Grading Scale of this website. However, women can also show another type of hair loss that occurs in the frontal hairline or just along the temporal hair-bearing area that mimics androgenetic alopecia or male pattern baldness. A third type of hair loss in women was described by Olsen, who believes that it is a predominant type, in which a Christmas tree pattern is present with the base toward the frontal hairline, which can be spared or affected in this condition. Although many external factors may influence hair loss, inherited genetic factors in women remain a principal reason for hair loss in the general population. Typically, hair loss begins to be noticeable in the late twenties and accelerates after the onset of menopause, as imbalance of male to female hormone levels may preside.

Historically, women may not be as satisfied with traditional hair restoration methods because the amount of density that is necessary to achieve a satisfying result is difficult to attain. Our method is particularly well suited to female hair loss because of the density that can be attained with a combination of multiple sized grafts. As medical options for hair loss may produce unwanted side effects in women, surgical hair restoration may provide the optimal solution.

The videos that pertain to female hair loss and hair restoration that are found throughout this website have been gathered below for ease of viewing for our female patients interested in reviewing the fundamentals of female hair loss, hair restoration, and related information.