Female Hair Loss - The Causes and Potential Cures

As troubling as hairloss or baldness can be for a man it's far more troubling for a woman to experience any form of hairloss. Men are expected to lose their hair at some stage in their life. It's normal to see bald men walking around in public. Women have no such comfort in this matter. A bald woman or a woman experiencing hairloss tends to stand out in a crowd.

It's hugely unfair that any woman should experience any form of hairloss or baldness. It just seems something only men should ever suffer from - if that makes sense?

There are so many things which can cause female hairloss. Firstly some women can suffer from androgenic alopecia or male pattern baldness. This is extremely rare but can happen. Other causes of female hairloss are stress, anxiety, chemical procssing, oral contraception, hormonal imbalance, pregnancy, menopause PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and traction alopecia.

If we look at the possible causes of hormonal imbalance that could lead to hairloss in a woman firstly - as this is the most common cause of female hairloss. We've already mentioned that women can suffer from androgenic hairloss (too much male hormone present) but women can also suffer from estrogenic baldness (too little female hormone present).

What can cause this hormonal imbalance? Most commonly oral contraceptives, PCOS, menopause and pregnancy (post natal stages) can. All of these directly affect the hormone balance within a womans body and can lead to partial or dramatic thinning or loss of hair. Your doctor is the best person to speak to for advice on this especially in relation to PCOS, menopause or oral contraception.

Women who have just given birth can also expect some loss of hair. This is simply due to the fact that during pregnancy your estrogen levels are way higher than normal (hence the thicker hair) but afterwards they drop considerably which can cause temporary loss of hair.

Severe stress can also be responsible for causing female hairloss. This can be just a minor thinning of the hair all the way through to more extreme types of alopecia like areata.

Another often overlooked cause is chemical treatments used during hairstyling. Constantly having dyes and heat applied to your hair can and will cause damage over time. Fortunately this type of female hair loss can be easily remedied by stopping any further chemical treatments to your hair and a course of vitamins.

Traction alopecia is also another cause of female hairloss but it is not caused by hormonal imbalances. This type of alopecia is caused by tying the hair too tightly either in ponytails or other hairstyles. The pressure that some women put on their hair when tying it up is so great that they actually pull their hair out.

The topical treatments available for women suffering from hairloss are Rogaine for women, saw palemtto based natural treatments and aromatherapy treatments (which are always popular). Women of course who have suffered long term and devastating hairloss can always use a hair replacement system to regain their confidence and appearance.