Causes of Premature Hair Loss in Women
July 5, 2008
The most common cause of hair loss in male or female pattern baldness, which is also called androgenic alopecia. Extra testosterone, hormones and DHT are present in this case, affecting the hair’s growing cycle. This means that more hair is shed than usual and some hair follicles die. Approximately 90% of hair loss in women is caused by androgenic alopecia.
Premature Hair Loss Causes
Women in their late thirties and forties don’t produce as much estrogen and this can also cause hair loss, because the lack of estrogen can cause a slower hair growth and the death of some of the follicles. Malnutrition can result in hair loss too. If someone has irritable bowel syndrome or a similar disease, the body is often unable to absorb the necessary amounts of vitamins and minerals. Once the diet is back to normal, the hair usually grows back again.
The one things that is important to realize for women is that female hair loss works a bit different from men. A big difference is that unlike men whose hair usually falls out as they get older, for women, hair loss can occur to any woman regardless of age. This is why it is not uncommon to see teens at the age of 15 or 16 start to lose hair.
Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is a hormone that is derived from testosterone which may reside in your body if you experiencing hair loss. Simply put, DHT is the reason why hair follicles have stopped growing. Testosterone is converted into DHT by an enzyme called type II 5-alpha reductase which resides in the oil glands of your hair follicles. Even though women have only a small amount of testosterone in their body, it can still be converted into DHT to trigger you hair loss.
Many women don’t realize just how delicate the shafts and follicles are on the scalp, and so they don’t take proper care to prevent repeated aggravation of the area. Traction alopecia is usually seen in women who treat their hair in a number of ways to consistently irritate the same areas of the scalp, resulting in premature hair loss in these regions. Some of these include:
Wearing a ponytail that is too tight, resulting in tugging on the roots of a woman’s hair.
Wearing hats on a regular basis that cause premature hair loss around the areas where the brims rub.
Using tight braiding or cornrows that are worn for long stretches, tugging on the scalp and hair shafts.
The genetic make-up of a person plays a large role in cases of premature baldness and a person must accept the effect that our genes have on hair loss, even if it means that nothing will help. There are however, certain medications on the market that have shown effective results, if you suffer from balding.
A reduction in stress levels and a realistic look at the effect that excessive tension (pulling), curling, bleaching and perming can place on the hair, may have an extremely positive effect on premature baldness. Your hair also reflects the general health of your body and a diet including the right nutrients and moderate exercise, which promotes circulation, will also positively influence hair growth.
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