What is your reaction when you read the phrase, “hair loss treatment for women”?
Depending on your age, your gender, your upbringing, your affinity for political correctness and myriad other factors you may not even be aware of, your initial response might be:
“Women? Women don’t lose their hair ... do they?”
Well, yes, as a matter of fact, they do. Believe it or not, statistics show that one in four women face female pattern baldness. One in four.
That statistic seems to fly in the face of the societal conditioning that teaches us that, whereas baldness in a man can be a sign of virility, a woman needs a full head of hair, regardless of her age, to be truly beautiful.
As women age, however, so of course does their hair. And, depending upon heredity, lifestyle, diet and disease, it becomes gray or white, brittle and, in some cases, much thinner.
Once we understand that, “hair loss treatment for women” takes on a whole new meaning.
And what it means is that women today can do something about their hair loss, at least in a majority of cases. They can slow it down. They can even reverse it.
The first thing women have to understand is that if their hair is thinning, it’s not their fault.
The perms don’t cause their hair to fall out. Hairdryers don’t cause it. Brushing, teasing, and curling don’t cause it. Nor does coloring, days in the sun, or any of the other things you do to enhance the beauty of your hair.
The true causes of female hair loss fall into three main categories:
** Hereditary hair loss
** Hormone surges or imbalances
** Serious health issues
Hereditary hair loss, or alopecia (the scientific name for female pattern baldness), is said to account for 95% of female hair loss.
Believe it not, that’s actually good news, because there are products that claim they can help prevent thinning hair resulting from female pattern baldness, and even support the regrowth of your own natural hair.
That cannot be said when the hair loss is a result of hormone imbalances or serious health issues. There is no hair loss treatment for women that can help under those conditions.
For example, a lot of women start losing hair during pregnancy and childbirth. This is normal and temporary. As soon as their hormones return to pre-pregnancy levels, their hair will start to regrow.
Thyroid imbalances also are beyond the reach of hair loss treatments for women. Consult a doctor if you have this condition. It can be treated, and then your hair will regrow.
Women’s hormones also change during menopause. Almost 37% of women experience hair thinning after menopause. This is usually temporary, but your doctor can tell you more about it.
As for serious health issues, certain medical conditions, some prescription drugs, or severe illness (such as cancer) may contribute to hair loss. Again, this is usually temporary, but your health care provider will be able to advise you.
There are a few other factors that contribute to thinning hair in women that should be mentioned:
** Life-changing events, such as divorce or death, as well as career and financial setbacks, can take their toll on your hair. Fortunately, the condition is temporary and will dissipate as the cause does.
** A bad diet, lack of exercise, and lack of hydration can cause hair loss to accelerate beyond the normal (normal being 100 or so strands a day). Again, this can be reversed with a better lifestyle.
** Skin and scalp infections can cause hair loss, but with treatment he hair will regrow.
Thinning and balding is a devastating problem for most women. The gray can be colored; conditioners can restore suppleness, but significant hair loss calls for sterner measures.
Fortunately, such measures do exist.
A word of caution: Women should not use hair loss products for men. To do so can actually make a woman’s hair loss problem worse.
