7 Reasons Women Lose Their Hair

Let me make one thing clear:
women, if
you are experiencing hair loss, please
know that you are not alone!

Women’s hair can thin for a variety of
reasons, and yet the topic is still far
less openly discussed than male hair
loss. In many cases, though, the causes
are diagnosable and treatable, making
it particularly important that women
discuss hair loss with their doctors.
First, let’s consider some common
factors that can cause and contribute
to hair loss:

Low iron levels: Iron deficiency, with
or without anemia, can lead to hair
loss. Do not simply start taking an
iron supplement without having your
iron checked by a physician because too
much iron can also lead to health
problems.
Thyroid disorders: Both an overactive
and an underactive thyroid can lead to
hair loss.
Low estrogen levels: Many women
experience hair loss during and after
menopause, when estrogen levels begin
to drop. Other hormonal changes —
changes in oral contraceptive use, for
example — can also trigger hair loss.
Post-pregnancy hormonal changes:
Similarly, new moms may find that
they’re shedding a lot of hair in the
first one to six months after delivery,
when their estrogen levels return to
normal. Actually, what seems like
excessive hair loss is really hair’s
natural growth cycle regulating itself,
as high hormone levels tend to keep
women from losing normal amounts of
hair during pregnancy.
Telogen effluvium: This is the general
term for sudden, temporary hair loss as
a result of recent stress or surgery,
which typically occurs around two
months after the causative event or
illness. (It may also be used to
describe sudden hair loss as a result
of other factors on this list, such as
post-pregnancy hormonal changes.)
Medications: Many medications may lead
to hair loss. If this is a concern,
talk to your doctor about potential
alternatives
High levels of vitamin A or selenium:
There is rarely any reason to take more
of these nutrients than you’d find in a
good multivitamin.
Several recent studies of men have
found that smoking also seems to
increase hair loss. I don’t know of any
similar studies in women, but one thing
is clear: Smoking is harmful for a
multitude of reasons, whether or not
increased hair loss is among them!

The best plan of action for anyone
experiencing hair loss is to determine
the underlying cause and eliminate it.
And the best place to start is a
routine physical exam with blood work.
By simply drawing your blood, your
physician can determine your ferritin
(iron) levels, thyroid levels, and
estrogen status – and that will already
get you far in recognizing or ruling
out many of these causes.

If your physician does not uncover a
reversible cause for the hair loss,
though, it may be the unavoidable
result of genetics. But there are still
products that can help stimulate re-
growth:

Rogaine (the trade name for the drug
minoxidil), which is applied directly
to the scalp, causes dilation of blood
vessels and increased blood flow to the
scalp. As a result, the hair follicle
gets better nutrients and oxygen and
the shrunken hair follicles become
larger and hair grows thicker. Women
who are pregnant or breast-feeding
should not use Rogaine.
Propecia (the trade name for the drug
finasteride) is sold in pill form and
inhibits the conversion of testosterone
(which women have in small amounts) to
DHT (or dihydrotestosterone), a hormone
that gradually shrinks hair follicles
and causes them to have shorter growth
cycles. Though only FDA-approved for
male pattern hair loss, Propecia may
also help patterned hair loss in women.
(Pregnant women or women who are
planning to become pregnant, however,
should never take Propecia.) Studies
evaluating the efficacy of Propecia in
women have been contradictory so it
does not work in all women.
Both of these treatments work only as
long as you use them, though; once
treatment is discontinued, hair will
typically return to its pre-treatment
thickness. Stay tuned