Women’s Hair Loss Isn’t Just a Cosmetic Issue
Hair loss is classified into two types. Cicatricial alopecia is a rare kind of alopecia identified by inflammation that lastingly weakens the hair follicle.
In clinical practice, non-cicatricial types account for the vast majority of alopecia cases.
“Unlike male pattern hair loss, primarily hereditary and caused by androgenic mechanisms, less than half of women with hair loss have genetic causes,” says Dr. Mohit Srivastava, one of Surat’s best hair transplant specialists.
The remaining cases are due to various factors, some of which could indicate an underlying illness.
Women’s Hair Loss
One of the most common reasons women seek a hair transplant surgeon is female pattern hair loss (FPHL), also known as nonscarring alopecia. Hair loss is distressing at any age, and it frequently results in significant psychological distress and a loss of self-esteem, which can harm daily life.
Miniaturization of the hair follicle occurs in FPHL, which is a progressive, non-scarring disorder. Over time, the hair shaft changes from a thick, terminal strand to a villous, short, thin, and non-pigmented strand.
This type of hair thinning and stunted growth affects approximately 49 – 55% of women over 70. A genetic component has been identified in 40 – 54% of patients, especially those with earlier onset.
The pathophysiology of FPHL is still a mystery. According to Dr. Mohit Srivastava, an excellent hair transplant surgeon from Surat, the follicle in FPHL has a shortened growth cycle and may be lost earlier than usual.
A first onset, often during reproductive years, with a second peak following menopause, indicates a hormonal component.
Increasing age, family history, smoking, elevated fasting glucose levels, and ultraviolet light exposure of more than 16 hours per week have been identified as risk factors for FPHL.
However, physical consequences are also a possibility. Although no definitive links between FPHL and insulin resistance or atherosclerosis have been established, it is thought to be a marker for an increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
A diagnosis of FPHL is associated with underlying hypertension in women of childbearing years, and it is suggestive of coronary artery disease in women over 50.
Diagnosis
Growth (anagen), transition (catagen), and resting are the three main phases of hair growth (telogen).
In a healthy younger person, the growth phase lasts an average of 2 to 8 years, with most of the hair in this phase at any given time.
Increased hair shedding at the top of the head is one of the clinical signs of FPHL, which is often confused with regular periods of heavy shedding associated with life stressors.
Dr. Mohit Srivastava, the best hair transplant specialist, estimates that people shed 50 to 100 hairs per day from their heads and other body parts normally.
Shedding more than 100 hairs per day is diagnosed as telogen effluvium, a temporary condition whose causes are generally related to stressors that disrupt the body’s delicate physiology.
Causes
- Recently having given birth
- Putting an end to hormonal birth control
- You’re under a lot of pressure (caring for a loved one who is sick, losing a job, going through a divorce)
- Recent high fever
- surgery
Hair shedding usually begins two months after a stressful event and continues for four to five months.
It’s a common reaction that usually goes away after 6 to 9 months due to average hair growth.
FPHL grading
For grading FPHL, the Sinclair scale is preferred because it provides a simple visual guide to assessing the spread of the frontal mid-central part of the hair:
- Grade 1: thinning is minimal.
- Grades 2 and 3: the mid-central part is thinning and widening.
- Grades 4 & 5: advanced and diffuse hair decline to the centro-parietal scalp
In women, complete baldness is uncommon because the frontal hairline is normally preserved as hair loss progresses further back on the central scalp.
Differential Diagnosis
According to Dr. Mohit Srivastava from Surat, Diffuse alopecia areata (AA) is a non-scarring hair loss that starts with diffuse hair thinning and progresses to hair loss in the parietal scalp and the anterior-temporal.
There are several other types of hair loss in women that should be distinguished from FPHL:
Difference between FPHL and other type of hair loss
Thyroid disease is indicated by alopecia areata (AA) that spreads within the parietal scalp and the anterior-temporal.
Pregnancy, medications, surgery, and the presence of other medical conditions can all cause telogen effluvium (TE), a stress-related form of hair loss.
Hair may fall out in clumps in the shower in TE, but in milder cases, it presents the same way as FPHL, with a widening of the mid-central part.
FFA (frontal fibrosing alopecia) is a rare inflammatory condition that manifests as a receding hairline that may resemble FPHA or large bald spots.
Hair loss is permanent and can spread to other parts of the face and body, indicating a systemic response to the lichen planopilaris infection.
Hair loss can be caused by medications like antihypertensives, statins, antipsychotics, and antiviral drugs.
Cancer, iron deficiency, thyroid disorders, rheumatic disorders, and Treponema palladium infection are all medical conditions that cause hair loss.
Hormonal dysfunction, especially polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), has been connected to FPHL, hirsutism, and other dermatologic conditions, probably because of disrupted androgen levels.
Atopic dermatitis, vitiligo, and psoriasis are some of the dermatological conditions that are linked to vitiligo.
Treatments
Women’s hair loss treatments vary depending on the underlying cause, but they are somewhat limited.
Minoxidil 2 percent solution is the first-line treatment for the most common forms of FPHL. Minoxidil is a potassium channel blocker that excites local blood movement toward hair grafts and prolongs the anagen phase of the hair growth cycle when applied topically.
1-3 Oral minoxidil mixed with oral spironolactone has recently been shown to be a promising therapy. Oral finasteride, normally used to treat male pattern baldness, is not recommended for female alopecia. Alopecia areata can be treated with corticosteroid injections into the affected area. Injections will need to be repeated every month or two, and regrowth should be visible in 12 weeks.
According to Dr. Mohit Srivastava, Microneedling devices, which use hundreds of tiny needles to penetrate the skin, can promote new hair growth, primarily when used in conjunction with minoxidil.
Low-level laser therapy has been shown to increase hair growth in people with hereditary hair loss, alopecia areata, and chemotherapy-induced hair loss.
It’s also used to stimulate new hair growth after hair transplantation. The treatments are painless and safe, but they must be repeated every week for months to be effective.
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**All the information provided in the content belongs to the writer. Never do Self-diagnosis & self-treatement of any medical condition**
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