Female Hair Loss
Hair loss, medically known as Alopecia, can quite negatively affect your confidence. There are many reasons why women might experience hair loss. Things like medical conditions, hormonal changes and stress are some common culprits. It’s not always easy working out the exact reason why hair loss occurs. This post was created to help you better understand hair loss for women as well to offer some help.
Types of Hair Loss
There are many different types of hair loss that exist. These include:
Androgenetic alopecia
Androgenetic alopecia is hair loss that has is hereditary or has been caused by genetics. Men and women can experience this. For men, this is commonly called Male-pattern baldness and similarly, for women, this condition is called Female-pattern baldness. It typically occurs for women between the ages of around 12 to 40 years old or so. Usually, men will tend to notice that balding is occurring via a receding hairline or specific balding spots. Women, on the other hand, will notice that their hair has or may start to thin.
Alopecia areata
Alopecia areata is a patchy type of hair loss that usually occurs suddenly in younger children and adults. It usually starts with one or more small bald patches, that then overlap – eventually resulting in Alopecia totalis (complete baldness). Fortunately, with the large majority of people that experience this, their hair grows back.
Scarring alopecia
Scarring alopecia, also known as Cicatricial alopecia, is caused by any number of specific outcomes that result in scarring can cause irreversible hair loss. Skin conditions like acne or lupus, for example, can result in scarring which unfortunately can stop hair being able to regenerate in these areas. It is not just skin conditions that can cause this to happen. Ultimately, scarring alopecia is simply anything that can cause scarring that results in irreversible hair loss.
Traumatic alopecia
Traumatic alopecia is where the hair falls out as a result of hairstyling practices. Hair can break or fall out after using straighteners, hot combs, blow dryers etc to dye or straighten hair. Overall, any hairstyling technique that can dramatically change the colour or structure of your hair can cause this to occur, so it is important to carry out your research before you undergo any treatment.
Signs of Hair Loss
Hair loss can be present in a number of ways, depending on the reason it occurs. As discussed earlier, hair loss can be sudden or gradual. It is for this reason that you should monitor any changes you notice or symptoms you experience and to look for patterns. One way to do this would be by keeping a diary. This way you will have it recorded which will allow you to look for patterns. This will help you identify which type of hair loss you have and ultimately allow you to find the best solution.
Signs to look out for are as follows:
- Overall thinning
- Bald spots
- Handfuls of hair
- Full loss
Medical Conditions that can cause hair loss
Unfortunately, there are many medical conditions that exist that can cause hair loss. This is because most conditions have some adverse effects. Some medical conditions like Hypothyroidism can disrupt your hormones. Ringworm, for example, can cause scarring which in turn can result in scarring alopecia and so on.
Here is a list of some conditions that can cause hair loss:
- Scleroderma
- Lichen Planus
- Addison’s Disease
- Hypopituitarism
- Hashimoto Disease
- Ringworm
- Trichorrhexis Invaginata
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
- Hodgkin’s Disease
- Celiac Disease
- Hyperthyroidism
- Hypothyroidism
Treating Hair Loss with Trichology?
Trichology is the scientific study of hair and the scalp. Trichologists treat and address both the medical and cosmetic side of the hair and scalp. These conditions can be either very serious hair or scalp disorders, like alopecia areata or scarring alopecia for example, to your hairs’ condition, texture and health. Think of a trichologist as a “hair doctor”.
Many patients prefer to see a Trichologist rather than their local GP as they are either quite embarrassed about it or feel that they would be wasting their GP’s time. Trichologists can also give advice to prospective patients that are considering getting a hair transplant to resolve hair loss.
Why you should consult a Trichologist for Hair Loss
Here at The Tir Na Nog Clinic, we are specialists in hair loss and scalp issues. We use proven diagnostic techniques to diagnose and treat the hair loss problems of our patients. Our registered Trichologists are well placed to take the time to perform a full consultation and make a preliminary diagnosis as to what is causing your hair loss. After identifying the cause of your hair loss, we next advise on whether or not treatment can help. If we believe it can, then we can begin treatment immediately following our analysis. We understand how much hair loss can affect you and are here to help.