Female pattern baldness: Treatment and cost
Did you know that over 50 percent of women experience female pattern baldness? It is normal for women to shed off their hair on a daily basis. There is a possibility that they shed around 100 hairs each day that is a normal occurrence. However, there is a new hair growth that replaces these hairs that have been lost. The female pattern baldness in women may be causing or come as a result of hair loss, thinning and may require treatments. Hair falling off may be a result of numerous reasons. It can be temporary, reversible, or perhaps permanent solutions that you can consider taking. The most crucial one is consulting a doctor who will diagnose the cause of your hair loss.
It is always important to understand the root cause of losing hair as it will help you in determining your hair loss which in turn will help you determine your options. In the end, there is always a way of saving the cost of treatment.
Causes of hair loss
The female pattern hair loss is temporary or permanent, and all this depends on what causes it. Some of its causes are temporal, while others may need a solution to correct. Here are common causes of temporary loss of hair.
- Stressful events of life in the likes of death of a loved one
- Low levels of vital vitamins in the likes of vitamin, zinc, and iron
- Sudden loss of weight
- Tight hairstyles
- Chemical treatment chemotherapy
- Genetics
- Aging
- Menopause
- Alopecia areata
Heredity, or rather genetic, plays a huge role when it comes to female pattern hair loss. Some genes that you inherit from the parents can increase your chances of the hair loss experience that one may undergo. As you age, there likelihood to experience hair thinning or hair loss as your body experiences many changes. During menopause, for instance, estrogen levels fall. It will leave you with room for high male sex hormones that may cause hair thinning and the entire female pattern hair loss. The genetic aspect is the most significant factor when it comes to developing female pattern baldness, whereby the condition happens to run in the family. Women can inherit the female pattern of baldness from any of the parents, but the condition tends to be common during the midlife stage. Often, it takes place right after menopause as the hormones change, which could also be a contributing factor on the same.
Treatment
The treatment method usually depends on the extent to which hair loss happens together with other contributing factors. Treating this condition can help in preventing future hair loss problems as it enhances the regrowth of some lost hairs. In many instances, long-term treatment is required to prevent hair loss from taking place. Some of these treatment options include.
Oral medication
This is one of the most common methods where you treat the female pattern of baldness through oral medication, which is diuretics—these help in removing excess water from one’s body. The medication may also block androgen, preventing hair loss and enhance hair regrowth.
Minoxidil
This is a topical medication commonly used in treating the loss of hair in both men and women. The treatment gets applied to the head scalp daily to stimulate the growth of hair and prevention of hair thinning.
Hair transplant
Some women may decide to go for the hair transplantation technique when it comes to hair transplantation. Usually, hair loss affects some particular areas during which hair transplantation doctor removes hair follicles from the donor area to the recipient section that has had lost hair. It is important to note that the area in which the surgeon will transplant the hairs will remain unaffected by the loss of hair. The doctor performs the procedure while at the same time that are awake, takes many hours with a just an anesthetic pain reliever, and the process is done within no time. You will just have t wait for the results, which might take some months before you see the results.
Laser treatment
It is the wish of some people to try the laser treatment at home to correct the hair loss problem. These devices usually work best through emitting low levels of laser light in stimulating the regrowth of hair. However, there is a need for enough research to determine the effectiveness of this treatment since it is possible to be funded partially.
Prevention
While the female pattern baldness may be as a result of heredity or rather a genetics may make it impossible to prevent. But, there are other steps a woman can take to keep her hair healthy as much as possible. This may include following a particular routine, products to prevent hairs from breakage, or any kind of damage. Here are some hair care tips that you should consider implementing as they can work pretty well.
- Limit treatments to avoid hair breakages in the likes of perming, straightening, and extension. Eat a well-balanced diet
- Protect your hair from direct sunlight damage by wearing headgear.
- Avoid hair brushing, especially when it is fragile, like when wet.
Conclusion
The female pattern baldness is a stressful condition that can literary affect a woman’s self-esteem, confidence, and self-image. Women who undergo hair loss in excessive dimension should talk to their doctors to help them come up with a solution that will best treat their prevalent hair loss problem.
