Female Pattern Baldness

Female pattern baldness involves a typical pattern of hair loss in women. It is caused by hormones, aging, and genetic predisposition.

What causes female pattern baldness and who is at risk?

Hair grows about an inch every couple of months. Each hair grows for 2 to 4 years, remains at that length for a short period, then falls out. A new hair soon begins growing in its place. At any one time, about 85% of the hair on your head is in the growing phase and 15% is in the resting phase.

Baldness occurs when hair falls out but new hair does not grow in its place. The cause of failure to grow new hair in female pattern baldness is not well understood, but it is associated with genetic predisposition, aging, and levels of hormones (particularly androgens, the male sex hormones).

Changes in the levels of androgens can affect hair production. For example, after the hormonal changes that occur during menopause, many women find that the hair on their head has become thinner while facial hair has become coarser.

Female pattern baldness is generally permanent hair loss.

Hair loss can occur in women for reasons other than female pattern baldness, including the following:

Temporary shedding of hair that may occur after surgery, pregnancy or after a major illness. (telogen effluvium).
Breaking of hair (from such things as styling treatments and twisting or pulling of hair)
Patchy areas of total hair loss (alopecia areata - an immune disorder causing temporary hair loss)
After chemotherapy and from some other medications
Certain skin conditions
Hormonal imbalance (excess testosterone or thyroid hormone imbalance)
Iron or vitamin deficiency
Diseases like diabetes or lupus

Hair loss due to these reasons is usually reversible is identified and dealt with correctly.

Symptoms of female pattern baldness

Thinning of hair over the entire head; front-line hair remains. (Hair thinning is different from that of male pattern baldness)
Hair loss at the crown or hairline, mild to moderate
Hair loss rarely progresses to total or near total baldness, as in men.

The typical pattern of female pattern baldness is different from that of male pattern baldness. The hair thins all over the head, but the frontal hairline is maintained. There may be a moderate loss of hair on the crown, but this rarely progresses to total or near baldness as it may in men.

Diagnosis of female pattern baldness

Female pattern baldness is usually diagnosed based on the appearance and pattern of hair loss and by ruling out other causes of hair loss.

A skin biopsy or other procedures may be used to diagnose medical disorders that cause loss of hair.

Hair analysis is not accurate for diagnosing nutritional or similar causes of hair loss, although it may reveal substances such as arsenic or lead.

Your doctor should also check for other causes such as too much male hormones (androgens) or imbalance of other hormones.

Treatment options

The hair loss that results from female pattern baldness is permanent and there is no known preventative. In most cases, it is mild to moderate. No treatment is required if the person is comfortable with her appearance.

Minoxidil applied topically, is the only medicine approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat female pattern baldness.