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There are 20 million women in America with ecessive hair loss. Ten
million of them are under the age of 40. Whle it's common to see and
hear about men's hair loss, women's hair loss is seldom mentioned. It's
almost as if society dosn't want to admit there's such
a condition. The
purpose of this webpage is to define the problem and it's
causes, as
well as to explain some of the solutions available.
What is excessive hair loss?
All people, men and women, lose hair. It's natural to do so. A normal parson
loses 15 to 40 hairs every day.
Hair goes through three growth cycles. The Anagen phase is when hair grows. This
cycle lasts about three years. The second phase is called the Catagen phase.
During this time, hair growth ceases and no pigment is is produced for about
10 days. The Catagen phase is followed by the Tologen phase, when hair is shed.
This cycle ussualy lasts about three monthes.
In individuals with healthy follicles, about 90% of the hair on the scalp grows
at one time. Because the vast majority of the follicles are in the Anagen phase
- and only a small percentage of them are in the Tologen phase - a normal amount
of hair fallout isn't noticeable.
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"The overwhelming majority
of
women suffer from what is known as androgenic hair loss. This
is caused by hormones." |
When a follicle
is unhealthy, for whatever reason, the hair growth cycles are
suspended and the follicle stays in the Tologen phase for an
indefinite period. As more and more follicles stay in the Tologen
phase, less new hair is being produced. This results in thinning,
and ultimately, balding.
How long do afflicted follicles stay in the Tologen stage? In many cases, forever;
in some cases, hair production resumes. The determining factor is what caused
the follicles to stop producing hair in the first place.
Why women lose hair
Women can loose hair for a variety of reasons. In pregnancy, changes in hormone
levels can produce hair loss. Stress and anxiety can also cause hair follicles
to cease production. In some cases, as vitamin deficiency can lead to hair loss.
Certain medications can cause hair to fall out, too. But in all the aforementioned
cases, the hair loss is only temporary for most people. Once the condition causing
the hair loss ceases, either naturally or through intervention, the hair follicles
will "wake up" and begin producing hair once again.
There are two conditions in which hair loss is irreversible. The first is from
the condition known as alopecia universalis. Very few people are afflicted with
alopecia universalis, but those who are facing the devastating effects of all
hair production ceasing on their body - they actually produce no hair at all,
from their scalps to their toes. The condition is believed to be caused by a
virus and there is no "cure" for it.
The overwhelming majority of women suffer from what is known as androgenic hair
loss. This is caused by hormones. It was previously mentioned that pregnant women
can experience hair loss due to changes in hormonal levels. With androgenic hair
loss the principle is the same but the cause s quite different.
Both men and women have hormones of the opposite sex. Men have levels of estrogen
in their body, just as women have levels of testosterone. In women, the cause
of what is known as female pattern baldness is the testosterone hormone. Women
with hair loss do not have abnormal levels of testosterone in their body. These
women are just unable to "break down" testosterone properly.
There is much testosterone found in a person's scalp. If the hormone dose not
break down properly as it ages and is ready to be disposed of as waste, a by-product
known as dihidrotestosterone (DHT) exists. When too much DHT accumulates in the
scalp, hair follicles are affected. They begin to atrophy. The hair being produced
becomes smaller, weaker in structure, and lighter in color. Finally the hair
follicle enters a permanent dormant state and no hair is produced at all. In
most cases there is no way to induce the hair follicle to produce normal, healthy
hair again. The hair follicle is essentially dead.
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