As part of the natural growth cycle females lose on average 50 to 100 hair strands each day, but what happens when they stop regrowing back?
While it is generally accepted that men lose their hair as they age, it is not often recognised that female hair loss is almost as common with an estimated 40% of women making up thinning hair sufferers, many suffering their hair loss in silence.
How Does Hair Grow?
To best understand why females suffer hair loss it is important to understand how it grows.
The Anagen phase is the growth period for a hair follicle and can last anywhere from 2-5 years. This is followed shortly afterwards by the Catagen phase, a short 1-2 week transitional stage which signals the end of the active growth of the hair follicle. The final stage is known as the Telogen phase, a period where the hair follicle ‘rests’ for 3-6 weeks until a new hair shaft grows and pushes out the old hair, signalling a return to the Anagen phase to repeat the process again.
Why do Females Lose their Hair?
Female hair loss is caused when the balance between shedding of the hair follicle and regrowth is disturbed, this is created through either a shorter Anagen phase or an increase in the number of hair follicles in the Telogen Phase. There are many factors that can contribute to hair loss in women including genetics, stress and medical conditions.
Common Reasons Why Women Lose Hair
Androgenic Alopecia
Androgenic alopecia is the most common form of hair loss for women and affects about 50% of women over the age of 40 and up to 75% of women over the age of 65. For women Androgenic Alopecia is due to the action of Androgens, male hormones that are typically present in only small quantities in women. Their increased presence in women can be heredity or be created by numerous other factors including the onset of menopause, the taking of high androgen index birth control pills and pregnancy.
Androgenic Alopecia in women can be best characterised by the minaturisation of the hair follicle and a general thinning on all areas of the scalp.
Telogen Effluvium
Telogen Effluvium is characterised by the thinning of hair resulting from the early entry of the hair follicle from the Anagen phase (growth stage) into the Telogen phase (resting phase). For women it Is a common form of hair lose and is usually a reaction to stress on the body’s physical or hormonal systems, or as a reaction to medication.
For women Telogen Effluvium can occur at any age and the onset can happen quickly, however under normal circumstances it will get better on its own within about six months, although for a few people it can become a chronic problem.
Traction Alopecia
Traction Alopecia is a form of alopecia, or gradual hair loss that is caused by localised trauma to the hair follicles. This trauma is often associated with women who frequently wear their hair in a particularly tight style like ponytails, pigtails or braids. It can also be caused through hairstyles like dreadlocks and extensions which can create the same effect. Typically for women affected by Traction Alopecia the hair loss occurs around the hair line, primarily the temples and the sides of the head, and if detected early enough the hair will regrow.
Alopecia Areata
Alopecia Areata is one of the main causes of female hair-loss and is due to an autoimmune disease which effects more than 2 percent of the population. Alopecia Areata is caused when white blood cells attach and attack the hair follicles, with the result being the suppression or even stopping of hair growth.
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