Types Of Female Hair Loss

Most women experience some type of hair loss in their lifetime. This could be hair thinning, significant hair breakage or in more extreme cases, bald patches. However, in spite of how common female hair loss is, most women still don’t know how to identify it and what causes it.

Often, women think hair loss is due to overuse of cosmetic products or styling, so they try to treat it with other cosmetic products. This rarely yields any results, because in most cases hair loss is caused by underlying medical issues and needs to be diagnosed by a hair restoration specialist.

Types of Female Hair Loss

Telogen Effluvium

This condition is usually caused by traumatic experiences, including:

• Stressful life events
• Childbirth
• Major surgery
• Severe infection
• Malnutrition

This causes the hairs in the growing phase (anagen) or transitional phase (catagen) to shift into the resting phase(telogen).

This condition could be acute or chronic. In some severe cases, 70% of the scalp hair can be lost in less than 2 months. Telogen is usually reversed as soon as a hair cycle takes its course, which takes about 6-8 months. However, because hair grows at different rates, this could still leave bald or thinning patches on the scalp. For that reason, it could take up to 3 years for the hair to fully restore from Telogen Effluvium.

Androgenetic Alopecia

This is the most common type of female hair loss and causes diffuse thinning areas all over the scalp, predominantly on the hairline. This is due to the action of male hormones (androgens), which are typically present in small amounts in the female body.

The following factors could affect the androgens and lead to androgenetic alopecia:

• Ovarian cysts
• Menopause
• Pregnancy
• Birth Control Pills (those with a high androgen index)
• Hereditary (other family members suffering from this condition)

Alopecia Areata

Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune disease which affects almost 2% of the population. This occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the hair follicles, causing the hair to fall out in clumps. This leaves the scalp with round and bald patches.

Factors that cause Alopecia Areata, and usually lead to permanent hair loss, include:

• Allergies
• Autoimmune Disease
• Hereditary (other family members suffering from this condition)
• Puberty (if the condition appears during puberty and lasts more than 1 year)

Find Out More About Hair Loss In Women

To learn more about hair loss in women, click here.

To have a confidential chat with Hair Repair Clinic about female hair loss, contact us today to book a free consultation:

• Email enquiries@hairrepairclinic.co.uk
• Call 0800 6990209
• Send us a message here