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While a small amount of hair loss is normal, around 50-100 hairs a day, over 50% of women in the UK will eventually experience female pattern baldness. The loss of extensive amounts of hair as a result of this can cause concern, stress, and a lack of confidence. Here we will look at the causes, symptoms and treatments of this condition in order to help you tackle your hair loss.

Summary

1. Causes of Female Pattern Baldness
2. Symptoms of Female Pattern Baldness
3. Female Pattern Baldness Treatments
4. Conclusion

Causes of Female Pattern Baldness

Female pattern baldness is the most common type of hair loss in women. The main reason for female pattern baldness is genetics. Hair loss can be passed down from either parent, making it a hereditary condition. The hair growing period becomes shorter and shorter. Consequently, there is a longer amount of time which elapses between the shedding and growth stages. Your genes can also have an impact on the hair itself as well, making the follicles smaller and the strands thinner.

Your age and the hormones in your body can also be the cause of female pattern baldness. As you age, menopause will cause estrogen levels to become reduced, and you are more likely to lose hair. The male androgen hormones are more effective when this happens and can lead to shedding.

Symptoms of Female Pattern Baldness

While the cause of male and female pattern baldness can be the same, the way they present is different. With female androgenetic alopecia the hair growth phase will begin to slow down causing thinning hair and a finer appearance. As a result of the hair follicle shrinking, the hair can be more susceptible to breakage. The amount of shedding is more so than regular and can affect the temples, but total baldness is not as likely as with male pattern baldness. 

The hair loss will begin in women at the parting of the hair and can be diffuse all over the scalp. Typically, the hair loss can be split into three main types based on the Ludwig scale. As seen in the diagram, there can be some variations depending on severity, along with advanced and frontal types. With type I the hair thins at the parting. As it progresses to type II, the part widens and thinning will increase. Once it reaches type III there is thinning all over with the top of the scalp being visible. 

This Christmas tree like pattern is quite distinct, meaning a doctor or dermatologist is typically able to diagnose it from just appearance. If there is concern that the hair loss may be caused by something else, you may need to do a blood test to check for nutrient deficiencies or hormone irregularities, such as with your thyroid.

Female Pattern Baldness Treatments

Topical medications

Once you have diagnosed the cause of your hair loss with your doctor, you can start looking at treatment for female pattern baldness. There are a range of medical treatments including topical applications like Minoxidil which helps to stimulate hair growth. It needs to be applied every day and can take 6-12 months to see results. 

The application must be maintained or else any progress will be reversed. While total restoration of your lost hair is not possible, it can help to provide a thicker appearance. There can be negative side effects to it as well, such as irritation, redness, and hair growth on unwanted areas. 

Oral medications

Oral medicines are not as widely available to treat female pattern baldness in comparison to male pattern baldness. While medications like finasteride and dutasteride have been shown to help with regrowth in men, it is not typically recommended for women. This is because the side effects can include hot flashes, headaches, and birth defects for pregnant women. 

Spironolactone has been shown to help stop androgen production, and is more widely used to treat hair loss in women. Like minoxidil, oral medications need to be taken consistently to maintain their effect and if stopped the hair regrowth will be lost. This medication can also cause fatigue, an electrolyte imbalance and irregular menstruation. Because of these side effects, your doctor may recommend recurring blood pressure and electrolyte tests while you are on spironolactone. Like other oral medications, it cannot not be taken while pregnant or if you are trying to conceive.

Hair transplant

A hair transplant is the only permanent, long term solution for female pattern hair loss. While a surgical approach is often not considered for women, experts have concluded that the results can be just as effective as with hair transplantation for men. At Elithair we have an exclusive technique developed by the innovative Dr. Balwi which is ideal for treating female pattern baldness. 

The SDHI technique combines the precision of the sapphire method with the density afforded by the DHI technique. In this way, the front and top areas can be treated with the most effective approaches. The V-shaped channel which is created with the Sapphire blades allows for an exact and natural hairline design where an accurate direction of hair growth can be achieved. 

On the top of the head, the direct implantation with the Choi pen ensures a high level of density for covering thinning areas of the scalp. The combination of these two methods has provided incredible results for our patients who are happy to have a full, natural looking head of hair again.

Conclusion

Female pattern baldness is an issue that affects more women than you may think. Whether due to genetics or as part of the natural ageing process, diagnosing your hair loss is important in order to effectively treat it. While there are many temporary solutions to help slow down your hair loss, there is only one long term treatment to regain your full, thick hair. 

If you’re worried about your hair loss, contact one of our hair transplant specialists today! With a free and non-binding consultation, we can inform you as to how many grafts you will need. Along with that we will share with you the exclusive benefits you get with Elithair including the groundbreaking SDHI method.