Can Women Be Affected By Pattern Baldness Like Men?
The short answer is: yes, they can. In fact, in the U.S. alone approximately 30 million women experience female pattern baldness. For women, the causes of hair loss can range from hormonal changes from menopause, to stress, to birth control pills, to medication for ailments such as: high blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis, or depression. Nearly 30 distinct medical conditions can lead to female hair loss, such as hyper- or hypothyroidism and pregnancy. It can also be caused by lifestyle choices such as dieting and wearing the hair too tightly. Hair loss in women is not easily predictable and there are too many potential factors at play, so to get the most accurate assessment of a woman’s cause baldness or hair loss, a visit to a dermatologist is strongly recommended.
Female pattern baldness is linked to genetic propensity, aging, and the hormonal changes in the body. In fact, women who exhibit signs of female pattern baldness typically do so after the onset of menopause. This type of hair loss usually manifests as an all-around thinning of a woman’s hair, a widening of their center part, or pronounced thinning or baldness at the crown. Women rarely exhibit the receding hairline that is the typical first sign of the onset of male pattern baldness. (Sources: http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/ss/slideshow-womens-hair-loss)
Options for treating female pattern baldness include: the topical medication Minoxidil (Rogaine), which is the only hair loss drug approved by the FDA for women, laser therapy, and hair transplantation. Rogaine can slow or stop hair loss in some cases, but that loss will resume if treatment ceases. Laser therapy is another effective way to stimulate hair growth and help hair retention. For both Minoxidil and laser therapy, continued use is needed to retain the results. Of the options mentioned, hair transplantation is the only permanent solution to female (and male) pattern baldness. It is the only solution that actually restores one’s lost hair, and since it’s a surgical procedure, it’s typically a one-time event. Some patients choose to have more than one procedure and that is between the patient and his/ her physician to determine.
Female pattern baldness generally has three stages (on the Ludwig Scale):
• Type 1 – thinning on the top of the head
• Type 2 – the scalp is visible through thinning hair in areas
• Type 3 – loss of hair on the crown of the head
Consulting with a hair loss expert can help each woman determine the root cause of her hair loss and the best treatment for it. If you would like to learn more about hair transplantation and other hair restoration options, visit www.Bosley.com to schedule a free consultation or request an informative guide to hair restoration.
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