One out of two women will suffer from some type of alopecia during her life. That’s how powerful the statistics collected by different medical studies are in which it is stated that, despite many beliefs, hair loss in women is a really common issue among the female sector.
What is alopecia in women
Alopecia in women is, as in men, the progressive fall of hair follicles. Nevertheless, the way these follicles fall is usually very different from the way the hair detaches from the scalp in males.
This, often, starts with losing capillary density, then with losing brightness and firmness and, finally, with the undiscriminating hair loss. Something that becomes especially detectable in two moments of the daily routine such as shower and comb time. In both of them, you will see a greater loss than the 50-100 follicles that fall and regenerate every day, so it is common that, after suffering from some type of alopecia, they start to show bald and begin to acknowledge an increasingly lagging growth in the hair growth line on the forehead.
If in men, alopecia is already the cause of numerous psychological problems such as the loss of self-esteem, as a direct consequence of the pressure women feel regarding to their appearance, this usually causes even more insecurities and a loss of confidence that, usually, can only disappear through hair regeneration treatments or procedures.
Before starting to analyze the causes, types and solutions of female alopecia, it is important to underline that usually its first symptoms start in adolescence, moment at which many women do not pay attention until they reach thirty years old, when they are obliged to take action on the matter.
Nevertheless, when we get close to turn fifty, as a consequence of the powerful changes that happen in our body, women start to experience a significant hair loss. In any case, it is important to remember that it can show in varied forms and degrees at any time in life.
Causes of female alopecia
Alopecia in women is generated by different causes. The only way to know what is triggering each hair fall is to perform a medical examination to the patient. As of these tests, once the diagnosis is done, we proceed to start the personalized treatment to solve the problem.
Although the causes can be several, the truth is that in the majority of cases, the unnatural hair loss of many patients is related to the following problems:
Food deficiencies
Food has a big impact on our overall health and specifically, on our hair health. Skin tissue, nails and hair problems are usually a consequence of a diet with low levels of vitamin B, vitamin A and proteins. In fact, these elements are vital to keep an adequate hair health.
Stress and anxiety
The occurrence of stress and anxiety crisis cause multiple changes in our body. One of them is related to hair loss, as women who go through these types of processes produce more male hormones, which translates, firstly, into a progressive hair weakening and finally, in a stress alopecia.
Hormone problems
Our hair feeds on estrogens, which are female hormones that decrease throughout adolescence and adulthood, as well as during pregnancy and the first days of postpartum. During phases such as the period, menopause or pregnancy, the presence of male hormones corners estrogen causing a hormonal alopecia.
Use of medications
The intake of some medications like those that produce hormonal changes, antidepressants, anticoagulants, those used during chemotherapy and others that trigger hormone or nervous system alterations are behind several cases of alopecia. Additionally, hair dryer or hair straightener abuse, aggressive dyes or the use of chemicals on the skin can generate an indiscriminate hair fall.
Types of alopecia in women
The types of female alopecia are basically the following three:
Androgenic alopecia
It is the most diagnosed female alopecia. The first symptoms warning its presence are loss of volume and emergence of bald patches on the scalp, and general or frontal loss of density.
The main cause of androgenic alopecia, also called androgenetic alopecia, is the presence of hormonal changes that cause lower hair production and weakening of hair follicles.
While in many cases this is generated by genetic factors, in others it is caused by bad nutrition or because of stress or anxiety. If it is not diagnosed in time it can lead to total baldness.
Alopecia areata
The first symptoms warning an alopecia areata are the emergence of a very localized baldness that, in many cases, shows up in a very short time. Once it appears you have to initiate a treatment; if not, after a few months, it can extend.
This alopecia happens as a consequence of a follicular unit’s inflammation, which end up not being able to feed correctly and inducing, after the follicles fall, not to sprout again.
As it is assured by different medical investigations, the causes of alopecia areata are stress, allergies, the presence of an infection in our body and, in some cases, environmental factors.
Diffuse alopecia
Diffuse alopecia occurs traumatically. During the hair growth phase, in a very short period of time, a massive fall of follicles occurs. When it shows up it affects two out of ten follicles; therefore, the consequences are significantly visible.
While it is usually eliminated in a short time, the problem happens when it does not come alone, but along with another type of alopecia. When this occurs, the aesthetic consequences are devastating.
How to cure alopecia in women
No matter the type of alopecia you are diagnosed, you should know that your hair loss issue has a solution. For this, as we stated at the beginning, it is necessary to be in the hands of a hair health medical specialist and receive an accurate diagnosis. After he analyzed your case, he will give you a personalized solution, which can be a non-invasive treatment or a transplant through a hair graft so that you can recover your lost hair as soon as possible.