Is baldness genetic? It has been determined that heredity, or genetics, is just one of the many causes of hair loss in women. Some of the other causes may include medications, stress, aging, ailments, medical conditions or an unhealthy lifestyle.
Once the cause of the hair loss has been determined, the next step is to evaluate the degree of hair loss. This is a critical step in order to find the right treatment that can prevent the onset of the problem.
The Different Phases of Female Pattern Hair Loss
Two of the most common methods used to create a uniformed analysis on the stages of female pattern baldness are the Savin scale and the Ludwig scale. These two scales are nearly identical: the only difference is the Savin scale measures the hair density or the overall thinning hair.
Both of these scales use nine images of the same woman with a balding scalp in various stages of severity. The first image shows the least severe and the last shows the most severe.
Grade I-1:This is a woman with the hair parted down the middle of the head. There is no hair thinning on this stage and the parted area in 
the centre of the scalp remains intact.
Grade I-2: In this stage, the hair begins to thin down the middle. The parted area at the centre of the head becomes slightly wider.
Grade I-3: There is noticeable hair thinning at the center of the parted area. The thinning area becomes even wider than Grade I-2.
Grade I-4: The hair thinning problem is even more apparent. It’s almost double the size of Grade I-3.
Grade II-1: The width of the parting gets progressively wider. In this stage, the overall hair appearance looks thinner and finer.
Grade II-2: The hair loss becomes more diffused, exposing a greater area on the top of the scalp.
At this point, the patient has already lost a substantial amount of hair density.
Grade III: In this stage, you can see an oval shape on top of the scalp showing complete hair loss. There is very little hair in the front of the head and severe hair loss down the middle is extremely noticeable.
Advanced: The top of the scalp is fully exposed with very little hair left in the front of the head. In this stage, using topical and oral medications may no longer be an option. Some hair doctors may recommend undergoing hair transplant surgery or using hair systems or wigs for women as means to cover up the condition.
Frontal: A receding hairline in the temporal and frontal areas above the forehead is noticeable. The hair thinning problem in the central parted area resembles the Grade I-4.
There is a lot to learn about female pattern hair loss or androgenetic alopecia. We hope that the information we’ve provided will help you gain better understanding on the degree of hair loss that women may experience. If you have any quesitons about female pattern hair loss, we invite you to contact us today.
