Major hair related problems like hair fall, hair loss, and dandruff have pertained for a long time now. The root cause of such problems varies from person to person. For some, it can be heredity, and for others, it can be the after (ill) effect of hormonal imbalance- like menopause.
What is female pattern baldness and how to identify it?
Losing 50 to 100 hair strands every day is considered to be normal. But during female pattern baldness, a woman tends to lose more hair, which is not regarded as normal. The condition observes slow-down in hair growing phase and shrinking of hair follicles, thus leading to breakage and thinner hair.
Unlike men, women start to lose their hair from the part line, and with time can gradually recede to the temples. Although women don’t go completely bald, having gone through major hair loss shows a lot of thinning on your head.
Doctors and Trichologists classify three types of baldness pattern-
Type I – In this pattern, thinning starts around your part in smaller amounts.
Type II – This pattern observes widening of the part. The thinning around it also increases.
Type III – This pattern observes a lot of thinning, a bald area or patch can be observed from the top.
What causes it?
In women, female-pattern baldness is the main type of hair loss. It usually happens after menopause or can start after- as early as puberty. Also referred to as ‘Androgenetic Alopecia,’ the development of female-pattern hair loss increases with age and nearly affects 40% of women that age 50 and 55% of women that age 80. Considering the heredity factor, a female also inherits the genes from her parents (mother or father).
What other factors cause this condition?
Apart from genetic inheritance and hormonal imbalance, female pattern baldness is caused by an underlying endocrine condition or a hormone-secreting tumour. The other health-related symptoms include irregular menstrual cycle, severe acne, or increase of unwanted hair. Leaving aside the medical conditions, the other factor include excessive blow-drying of hair.
Diagnosis and treatment:
No matter how much we consider hair loss as ‘normal,’ one should not overlook the conditions that are associated with thinning around the part or overall thinning. After noticing this condition, take immediate action and consult a trichologist or dermatologist. The doctor hereafter will examine your scalp and look for the pattern of hair loss you’ve had.
If the doctor suspects different type of hair loss, then he/she can ask you to get your blood test done. The doctors will mostly ask you to check the levels of thyroid hormone, androgens, iron, or other substances that are associated with hair growth.
The bottom line
Ignoring thinning of hair can worsen the condition of your hair. The sooner you opt for the treatment, the faster you’ll cease the hair loss. With this, the treatment can also help in hair regrowth.
