What Causes Hair Loss In Women
The symptoms of hair loss are more related to the failure to produce more hair than they are to the loss of the hair we already have. Hair loss in men and women is normal. We lose between 50 and 100 hairs every day according to the American Academy of Dermatology. We can lose as many as 250 hairs on days that we wash our hair. At that rate hair loss is not noticeable because we have nearly 100,000 individual hairs on our heads on average.
Hair loss in men is a more or less accepted reality of life, though men do spend many thousands of dollars every year attempted to slow or reverse their hair loss. Everyone is much more sympathetic to the plight of women that are suffering from significant hair loss. The reality is that although hair loss is often thought of as a mans disease, women are experience thinning hair nearly as often as do men.
The normal process for hair growth has been compared to that of a garden. What really matters is what is happening beneath the surface. If everything is going as it should, then we can expect the product to be produced on the surface hair growth. Growth cycles are of upmost importance because when they do not progress as needed, the result is hair loss. Some leading factors that can contribute to a disruption of the growth cycle are illness, medication, infection, and chemicals.
Women can experience hair loss at any age, but typically first start to notice signs of it around the age of 50 or 60. In most women their hair loss is limited to a thinning of the hair. One of the first signs that women will notice that they are experiencing an increased rate of hair loss is that they will notice a larger amount of hairs on their pillows after sleeping. They will also notice that their brushes are filling up much more quickly. Thinning is usually limited to the top half of the scalp.
Diagnosis is usually made by the use of blood work. The doctor will have the blood screened for thyroid gland issues and autoimmune diseases. Ruling those causes out, doctors will look at genetics because there normally is a history of female family members experiencing thinning hair. The doctor possibly will magnify the scalp to examine the hair follicles to discover if vary in size. This will indicate to the doctor that as hair is lost, it is replaced by thinner, more fragile hair. Hair loss can also result from extreme stress, menopause, physical trauma, and even all the chemicals, irons and brushes that women use in their hair.
There are many causes of hair loss for women. If you are a woman and suspect that you are losing your hair, you should see your dermatologist as soon as possible. He will need to determine the cause of your hair loss to be able to decide on a course of treatment and advise you of the effectiveness that the treatment will be expected to have.
