Hair Loss in Women – Reasons Why You’re Losing Your Hair
Hair loss in women and thinning hair in women is very common. Reasons can range from the simple and temporary, say a vitamin deficiency to the more complex, like an underlying health condition.
In many cases, there are ways to treat female hair loss. It all depends on the cause. Here are some common and not-so-common reasons why you might be seeing less hair on your head.
Physical stress
Any kind of physical trauma—surgery, a car accident, or a severe illness, even the flu—can cause temporary hair loss. This can trigger a type of hair loss called telogen effluvium. Hair has a programmed life cycle: a growth phase, rest phase and shedding phase. Hair loss often becomes noticeable three-to-six months after the trauma.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy is one example of the type of physical stress that can cause hair loss (that and hormones). Pregnancy-related hair loss is seen more commonly after your baby has been delivered rather than actually during pregnancy.
Too much vitamin A
Overdoing vitamin A-containing supplements or medications can trigger hair loss. This is a reversible cause of hair loss and once the excess vitamin A is halted, hair should grow normally.
Lack of protein
If you don’t get enough protein in your diet, your body may ration protein by shutting down hair growth. This can happen about two to three months after a drop in protein intake.
Heredity
Female-pattern hair loss, called androgenic or androgenetic alopecia, is basically the female version of male pattern baldness. Unlike men, women don’t tend to have a receding hairline, instead their part may widen and they may have noticeable thinning of hair.
Female hormones
Just as pregnancy hormone changes can cause hair loss, so can switching or going off birth-control pills. This can also cause telogen effluvium, and it may be more likely if you have a family history of hair loss. The change in the hormonal balance that occurs at menopause may also have the same result.
Emotional stress
Emotional stress is less likely to cause hair loss than physical stress, but it can happen, for instance, in the case of divorce, after the death of a loved one, or while caring for an aging parent. More often, though, emotional stress won’t actually precipitate the hair loss. It will exacerbate a problem that’s already there.
Anemia
Almost one in 10 women aged 20 through 49 suffers from anemia due to an iron deficiency (the most common type of anemia), which is an easily fixable cause of hair loss. Your doctor will have to do a blood test to determine for sure if you have this type of anemia.
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is the medical term for having an underactive thyroid gland. This little gland located in your neck produces hormones that are critical to metabolism as well as growth and development and, when it’s not pumping out enough hormones, can contribute to Hair Loss in Women. Your doctor can do tests to determine the real cause
Autoimmune-related hair loss in women
This is also called alopecia areata and basically is a result of an overactive immune system.
Lupus
Other autoimmune diseases such as lupus can also cause hair loss in women. Again it’s a case of mistaken identity: overzealous immune cells attack the hair. Unfortunately, hair loss of this type is “scarring,” meaning the hair will not grow back.
Dramatic weight loss
Sudden weight loss is a form of physical trauma that can result in thinning hair and hair loss in women. This could happen even if the weight loss is ultimately good for you. It’s possible that the weight loss itself is stressing your body or that not eating right can result in vitamin or mineral deficiencies. Loss of hair along with noticeable weight loss may also be a sign of an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia.
Chemotherapy
Some of the drugs used to beat back cancer unfortunately can also cause your hair to fall out. Chemotherapy destroys rapidly dividing cells. That means cancer cells, but also rapidly dividing cells like hair.
Polycystic ovary syndrome
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is another imbalance female sex hormones. An excess of androgens can lead to ovarian cysts, weight gain, a higher risk of diabetes, changes in your menstrual period, infertility, as well as Hair Loss in Women and hair thinning.
Antidepressants, blood thinners, and more
Certain other classes of medication may also promote hair loss in women. More common among them are certain blood thinners and the blood-pressure drugs known as beta-blockers. Other drugs that might cause hair loss include methotrexate (used to treatrheumatic conditions and some skin conditions), lithium (for bipolar disorder), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) including ibuprofen and possibly antidepressants.
Overstyling
Vigorous styling and hair treatments over the years can cause your hair to fall out. Examples of extreme styling include tight braids, hair weaves or corn rows as well as chemical relaxers to straighten your hair, hot-oil treatments or any kind of harsh chemical or high heat. Because these practices can actually affect the hair root, your hair might not grow back.
Trichotillomania
Trichotillomania, classified as an “impulse control disorder,” causes people to compulsively pull their hair out. Unfortunately, this constant playing and pulling can actually strip your head of its natural protection: hair. Trichotillomania often begins before the age of 17 and is four times as common in women as in men.
Aging
It’s not uncommon to see hair loss in women or thinning of the hair in women as they enter their 50s and 60s. Experts aren’t sure why this happens.
What to do: Experts don’t recommend that this condition be treated. That leaves women with cosmetic approaches such as scarves, wigs and hair styled so as to cover up thin spots. That said, there are also plenty of tricks to prevent hair breakage and ways to keep your hair looking shiny and healthy in your 50s and above.