Female Hair Loss after Pregnancy
March 26, 2008
The most common type of hair loss seen in women is androgenetic alopecia, also known as female pattern alopecia. Alopecia means baldness, but just as in men, it does not have to be complete hair loss. This is seen as hair thinning predominantly over the top and front of the head. It affects approximately one-third of all susceptible women, but is most commonly seen after menopause.
Another reason why hair loss is associated with pregnancy is that many women take oral contraceptives for some time until they wish to become pregnant, and then discontinue the birth control. Discontinuing birth control also causes hair loss in women for the same hormonal reasons. Since many women discontinue their oral contraceptives just before pregnancy, they associate this hair loss after pregnancy, when sometimes it is due to discontinuing birth control.
Many women actually experience hair growth during pregnancy, their hair appearing shiny and lustrous, but then experience hair loss after the pregnancy. This is perfectly natural and most often the changes are only temporary. When the hormone levels begin to re-adjust after the birth, the excess hair grown during the pregnancy falls out.
The hormonal situation in a woman’s body while she is pregnant keeps the hair in a strong growth phase. Many will comment to a pregnant women, how healthy and thick her hair looks. This is due to the fact that she is not losing hair that she would normally be losing and so the density of her hair increases during her pregnancy. So not only do you have above average normal hair growth during pregnancy, you also do not lose hair during pregnancy that you normally would.
Certain drugs can also cause hair to shed. The most common medical treatment that causes hair loss is chemotherapy. The drug medication attacks the hair cells, causing hair loss from the scalp. Certain prescription drugs (for thyroid hormone deficiency, diabetes and lupus) and dieting supplements are also causes of hair loss. Once these drug medications are stopped, the hair loss problem should disappear.
The treatment for female hair loss depends on the cause and condition of the specific case. If the hair loss experienced is known to be temporary, most likely the solution will be to simply be patient and hair will grow back on its own. Treatments for permanent female hair loss include medications and follicular unit transplantation procedures. To determine what is the best hair loss treatment for your particular hair loss case, contact Pistone Hair Restoration for a free consultation.
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