Causes of Hair Loss in Women

Hair loss in women is more common than you may think. If you are a woman that has begun to lose her hair, you should understand what may be causing it and what treatment options are available.

Most female hair loss happens in a diffusion pattern. The top of the hair thins the most at first and can eventually go completely bald. Most of the time, this type of hair loss is hereditary. It can come from either the mother's side or the father's side of the family. The technical term for female baldness is female pattern alopecia. It is basically a reaction of enzymes in the body that causes testosterone to be converted to DHT, which shrinks and destroys hair follicles.

If your hair loss is hereditary, then you will most likely have very poor results from many over the counter and prescription drugs that treat baldness. This is especially true for women. You must be diagnosed to know for sure that you have the hereditary type of female baldness. This is because women are especially sensitive to many medical conditions that can cause hair loss in the diffused pattern. Thyroid disorders, menopause, child birth, vitamin deficiencies and many other medical problems can cause diffused pattern baldness in women.

Medications can also be to blame. A lot of medications can cause hair to go into a holding pattern that will shed months after the medication is stopped. Others will immediately cause shedding that will be noticeable. Shedding may continue until the drug is out of your system. Thankfully, regrowth is almost always possible if hair loss is caused by medication. Medications that can cause hair loss include anti-inflammatory drugs, steroid drugs, blood thinners, blood pressure medications, thyroid medication, anti-depressants, chemotherapy drugs, contraceptives and some street drugs.There are many more than are included on this list, so please talk to your doctor if you have experienced any major shedding or hair loss that concerns you.

Hair loss caused by scars, injury, lupus, face lifts or radiation therapy may not be reversible. If your hair loss cannot correct itself, then hair transplant surgery may be an option for you. It is a relatively painless procedure that just takes a few hours under a local anesthetic. Choose a doctor that has an artistic eye for making hairlines and thinning areas look natural. The dreaded hair plugs of years ago are long gone. Results today are more finely blended and natural looking. Most people achieve their desired result in only one session. Choose a hair transplant surgeon that is right for you and you can have your hair back in no time.

Dr. Brett Bolton is a Miami hair replacement techniques since 1997. For more information, visit: www.greathairtransplants.com.