Sudden Hair Loss

Female pattern baldness is a major cause of hair loss among women. Apart from that, women also experience sudden hair loss or localized hair loss. It is the most common among all female hair loss problems.

In sudden hair loss, a woman suffers from generalized thinning affecting all parts of her scalp. However, the problem causes only thinning of hair and not any hair fall. A woman suffering from this problem is not a good candidate for hair transplantation surgery.
Factors causing sudden hair loss

Hereditary balding is not the usual cause of sudden hair loss. The cause might be nutritional deficiency.

Telogen Effluvium (TE) is a condition which causes the hair to be shifted into a resting, non-growth stage on the scalp, and shed after several months. This condition is sometimes confused with female pattern baldness. However, they are different. TE is trigged by the intake of a large number of drugs. The hair fall in this condition can be reversed by stopping the medication.

How is TE caused? It happens when the number of hairs in the growth phase drops and the Telogen stage of hair follicles increases. There is no certain pattern except general thinning of the hair. It is mainly the telogen hair which suffer the fall. The Telogen phase production causes gradual thinning of hair. Why? Because it does not give the time for the anagen phase to begin.

Trichorrhexis nodosa (TN) is another condition causing temporary female hair fall. The reason behind this condition is the absence of cuticle at some places, resulting in swelling at those places. Its usual cause is excessive hair manipulation. Overuse of hot combs and waves in hair styles are the causal factors.

Traction alopecia (TA) and trichotillomania are two conditions causing female hair loss. The main cause of TA is hair styles that include pulling at the hair roots like tight pony tails and cornrow hair style. The pulling at the hair roots sometimes causes serious damage to the hair follicle, which may ultimately result in permanent hair loss in women.

How can one develop Trichotillomania? It happens when a woman obsessively keeps pulling out her own hair, may be unconsciously.
Some other reasons for sudden hair loss

There are certain other reasons for sudden hair loss. They have no link with heredity and are mostly health related. These causes include anemia, thyroid dysfunction, endocrine problems, gynecological conditions like ovarian tumors, connective tissue disease, surgical procedures, crash diets and emotional stress.

Medications those are responsible for sudden hair loss

Sudden hair loss in women can also be caused by certain medications. These medications include oral contraceptives, thyroid medication, blood pressure medication, mood enhancing medicines and anti-depressants, cholesterol lowering medications and drugs such as cocaine or LSD.

The solutions

The problem can be solved by removing the causes of hair fall. That ultimately results into hair re-growth. In case the hair fall is caused by the use of some medication, then the problem can be solved by avoiding its use.

You better avoid the use of brushes on hair and hair styling involving chemicals. Using mild shampoo will be god choice.

Cynthia Jones is a seasoned hair care specialist in charge of counseling women on their various Sudden Hair Loss problems. She has written a number of articles on Female Hair Loss Problems .