Unlike hair loss
in men, female scalp hair loss may commonly begin
at any age through 50 or later, may not have any obvious
hereditary association, and may not occur in a recognizable
"female-pattern alopecia" of diffuse thinning
over the top of the scalp. A woman who notices the
beginning of hair loss may not be sure if the loss
is going to be temporary or permanent—for example,
if there has been a recent event such as pregnancy
or illness that may be associated with temporary hair
thinning.
In women as in men, the most likely
cause of scalp hair loss is androgenetic alopecia—an
inherited sensitivity to the effects of androgens
(male hormones) on scalp hair follicles. However,
women with hair loss due to this cause usually do
not develop true baldness in the patterns that occur
in men—for example, women rarely develop the
"cue-ball" appearance often seen in male-pattern
androgenetic alopecia.
Patterns of female androgenetic alopecia
can vary considerably in appearance. Patterns that
may occur include:
-Diffuse thinning of hair over the
entire scalp, often with more noticeable thinning
toward the back of the scalp.
-Diffuse thinning over the entire
scalp, with more noticeable thinning toward the front
of the scalp but not involving the frontal hairline.
-Diffuse thinning over the entire
scalp, with more noticeable thinning toward the front
of the scalp, involving and sometimes breaching the
frontal hairline.
Unlike the case for men, thinning scalp hair in women
due to androgenetic alopecia does not uniformly grow
smaller in diameter (miniaturize). Women with hair
loss due to androgenetic alopecia tend to have miniaturizing
hairs of variable diameter over all affected areas
of the scalp. While miniaturizing hairs are a feature
of androgenetic alopecia, miniaturization may also
be associated with other causes and is not in itself
a diagnostic feature of androgenetic alopecia. In
post-menopausal women, for example, hair may begin
to miniaturize and become difficult to style. The
precise diagnosis should be made by a physician hair
restoration specialist.
It is important to note that female
pattern hair loss can begin as early as the late teens
to early 20s in women who have experienced early puberty.
If left untreated, this hair loss associated with
early puberty can progress to more advanced hair loss
if it is left untreated.
Read about MALE
HAIR LOSS
