Female hair loss is usually called ‘wide part’ because hair loss occurs from central region moving outward. Most women normally shade 50 to 100 hairs a day but hair loss occurs when hair growth stops or hair shedding exceeds 125 hair per day. Extreme hair loss occurs because of illness, severe stress or pregnancy in women.

Female pattern baldness is usually diagnosed based on

  • Ruling out causes of hair loss
  • The appearance & pattern of hair loss
  • Medical history just like high androgen level
    Excess amount of androgens can cause a problem resulting in such virilizing effect as acne, hirsutism (excess hair portion in inappropriate places like the chin or upper lip) & thinning of hair on the head (balding).
  • Skin biopsy, blood test to evaluate vitamin D3 deficiency, HB percent etc. & other procedures may be used to diagnosed skin disorder that causes hair loss.
  • Microscopic examination of hair to check problems with the structure of the hair shaft.

Causes

Follicle is a tiny hole in the skin where strand of hair sits. In general, baldness occurs when the hair follicle shrinks over time, resulting in shorter and finer hair. Eventually, the follicle does not grow new hair. If follicles remain alive, it is still possible to grow new hair.

The reason for female pattern baldness is not well understood, but may be related to:

  • Aging
  • Changes in the levels of androgens (male hormones). For example,
    after reaching menopause, many women find that the hairs on their head grow thinner, while the hairs on their face grow coarser.
  • Family history of baldness

Hair follicle cycle

Each and every hair follicle undergoes three-part cyclical growth pattern in order to produce a new hair. Normally, the hair grows to a maximum length, then hair growth ceases and the hair is shed and replaced. These phases of the hair growth cycle have been described as:

  1. Anagen - it is a growth phase of long duration.
  2. Catagen - the transitional period from growing to resting lasting 2 to 4 weeks
  3. Telogen - a period of inactivity lasting 2-4 months

Female Pattern Hair Loss Scale (Savin scale)

  1. In the 1st stage the central parting of hair in women with no hair loss occurs.
  2. In the 2 to 4 stage the width of the parting gets progressively wider indicating thinner hair along the center of the scalp.
  3. 2nd stage shows thinning of the hair over large number of areas
    on top of the scalp.
  4. 3rd stage represents women with extensive diffused hair loss on top of the scalp, but some hair does survive. It is labeled as “advanced hair loss” which represents women with extensive hair loss and little to no surviving hair in the alopecia affected area. Very few women ever reach this stage and if they do it is usually because they have a condition that causes significant, abnormally excessive androgen hormone production.
  5. The 4th stage is somewhat different, it shows women with a pattern of hair loss that is described as “frontally accentuated”. That means there is more hair loss at the front and center of the hair parting instead of just in the top middle of the scalp.

Care for Thinning Hair

  • If you lose some, but not all of your hair, there are many ways you can be gentle with the hair you have.
  • Wash your hair twice a week or less.
  • Use gentle shampoo and conditioner.
  • Avoid overdo brushing, rubbing or pulling of hair. After wash pat your hair with towel.
  • Avoid products with strong chemicals like hair colours.
  • Keep away stressful things which cause hair loss. This includes curling irons, straightening and brush rollers.
  • Don’t use hot air to dry hair.

Treatment

Hair loss in female pattern baldness can become permanent, if not treated. In most of the cases, hair loss is mild to moderate.

Medication

The main medication to treat female pattern baldness is minoxidil.

  • It is applied to the scalp.
  • 2% concentration of minoxidil is recommended for women.
  • In most of the women minoxidil may slow down or stop hair loss. It may help to grow hair near about one out of five women.
  • Hair loss can start again if you stop using it, so long term use recommended.

Iron supplement

Hair loss is common in iron deficiency anaemia, iron supplements are recommended in this type of hair fall.

Manage stress

Losing your hair can be stressful and this stress can increase hair loss so avoid stress-giving things.

Hair transplant

It is a one of the best treatment when no one medicine effectively acts on hair fall.