Hair loss is not a problem that affects men only; female hair loss is also quite common, more so when women get older. It is a more serious problem than what most people think, because it might lead to loss of self-esteem in a woman. Hair loss in women is called alopecia that means baldness.

The problem of loss of hair develops over a length of time, and this can occur either in patches, or all over the head. As far as female hair loss is concerned, the most common occurrence seems to be androgenic alopecia. Hair, which has an average growth rate of ½ inch per month, continues growing for 2-6 years before falling out.

As soon as a hair falls out, a new one begins to emerge in its place. At any point in time, more or less 85% of the hair is in the growth stage while the remaining 15% has settled down. Hair loss in women takes place when a new hair fails to grow to replace the old one that has fallen out.

Causes

Hormones are believed to have a major role in female hair loss.  This explains why women mostly start losing their hair during post-pregnancy and menopause, or at times of severe duress, all marked by hormonal flux. For women having polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS, the most likely cause of hair loss is the presence of excessive amount of androgens that are male hormones.

A major player in this case is dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is produced by the action between androgens and an enzyme known as 5-alpha reductase. The more the DHT, the thinner the hair made by the follicles before they fall out completely.

Some other factors that may cause hair loss in women include anemia, eating pituitary problem, problems of thyroid, liver, adrenal or ovary; protein and fatty acid deficiencies; drug toxicity such as chemotherapy; severe infection; extreme stress; vitamin or mineral deficiency; effects of some medications; allergies; lead or mercury poisoning; recent shot of hepatitis B; disorders like anorexia and bulimia; and dying or bleaching of hair.

Symptoms

The principal symptoms of female hair loss are –
1) Thinning of hair all over the head
2) Some noticeable loss of hair at the crown or hairline
3) Severe and permanent thinning of hair known as female pattern baldness. Female pattern baldness differs from male pattern baldness as in the former, although the hair thins all over the head, the frontal hairline remains almost unharmed. There may be some loss of hair on the crown, but unlike men, it rarely leads to complete or near baldness in women.

Treatment

There are various types of female hair loss treatment. These include treatment by medication, herbal or ayurvedic treatment, natural treatment, surgical treatment like hair transplant and scalp reduction.

For female hair loss treatment, one of the most effective drugs is minoxidil, a 2% concentration of which should be applied on the scalp. Minoxidil has been found to help growth of hair in a considerable percentage of women, and in most cases, has been successful in stopping or slowing down the loss of hair. It usually takes about six months to see the desired results. Finasteride is mainly used for the treatment of hair loss among men, although some women also use it for specific problems.

There are natural ways of female hair loss treatment as well. Those having Vitamin B deficiency are more susceptible to hair loss than others. Especially biotin, an important member of the Vitamin B group, is essential for the proper growth of hair and nails.

A daily dosage (5-8 gm) of biotin can be effective in restoring hair growth. It has no side effects either. Saw palmetto, a natural substance, helps the growth of hair by inhibiting the action of testosterone, which causes female hair loss and hirsutism.

In case you have oily scalp with thinning hair, it is better to use shampoo quite frequently. As the oils on your scalp contain high levels of testosterone, oils are capable of entering the skin and affecting the hair follicle. Eating fish may come in handy as fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids, the deficiency of which makes your hair dry and brittle. A healthy diet or a multi-vitamin may be useful if you suffer from vitamin or mineral deficiency.

If you go for hair transplant, doctors will remove tiny patches of hair from areas where the hair is still growing, and place those patches in areas that are losing hair. Although the procedure carries a little risk of infection, the results are good and lasting. This treatment, however, is quite expensive. In scalp reduction, doctors insert devices beneath the skin to stretch areas of scalp that still have hair, and then remove the redundant hairless areas.

In any case, you must consult a qualified physician to take the right treatment.