Category: Cosmetic Health

Female Hair Loss

Hair loss is a common problem amongst all the men and women. Many of the women of our society are facing the problems of hair fall and even going almost bald. The cause may be any but sometime it affects the confidence of women more in comparison to their male counterparts. Hair of a woman is the important asset to make her healthy and gorgeous. For many of the women hair problems are not only a biological setbacks but a part of self-esteem too.

The root cause of hair loss in women is not genetic but it is related to several other metabolic problems like, pregnancy, stress, chemotherapy, crash diets / anorexia, thyroid hormone deficiency, major surgery, sever infection or high fever. Hair loss in female due to above mentioned factors is normally temporary, so if you are facing hair loss and at the same time going through any of the above mentioned trauma, dont be panic, keep patience, take prescriptions and precautions and after all a diet rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals. Definitely your hair will grow again and as healthy as before.

The pattern of hair loss in females is completely different from males. While males go bald, the baldness in females is rare. The normally occurring pattern of hair loss in females are found as thinning and lessening in shaft hair diameter around the forehead and crown of the scalp. The pattern is more to be found in females in the forties. This pattern may also found in the females with the beginning of menopause. According to clinical trial and statistics, about 13 percent of females experience hair problems before menopause while this number is alarmingly high, about 37% for post menopause.

As a female grew old, the intensity and level of a hormone called Estrogen drops in her body. The estrogens blocks the steroid hormone pre menopause, which results in low level of DHT. Post menopause the level of DHT in females rises and some time it is so high that it causes hair problems.

Amongst commonly occurring post menopause hair problems are decline in hair growth, thinning of hair and general effluvium. As a female enters into her 80s, the follicle shrinks completely and hair growth stops.

Major Causes of Hair Loss in Females

The most common type hair problems diagnosed in females is Androgenetic alopecia inherited. However, this is most common cause of hair problems in males as well. Androgenic alopecia in females is seen as hair thinning which means the number of hair on female head heavily reduces. Since the reason of hair loss varies individual to individual and hence proper medical help is of utmost importance.

Some other common causes of hair problems of females are mentioned here:

1.Alopecia areata- This is patchy loss of hair from the scalp. Sometime eyebrows and other hair bearing parts begin losing hair. This type of hair loss is considered to be due to autoimmune.

2.Traction alopecia- This type of hair loss occurs because of continuous traction pressure on hair follicles. Sometime this may occur because of tight braiding or corn rowing of hair.

3.Trichtotillomania- This type is supposed to be cause of stress or result of some other psychological disorder.

4.Telogen effluvium- This is associated with poor nutrition, drugs and stress.

5.Loose anagen syndrome- This disease is more common in fair haired ladies. This is the situation in which bunch of hairs drops down while combing, shampooing, etc. Normally the scalp hair comes out very easily and this lessens the hair density on your head.

Female Hair Loss Vitamins

Hair loss is one of the most common problems, and also the most difficult to tackle. While healthy hair indicates good general health, hair loss can be an indicator of a deeper internal health problem.

Hair loss in women has been attributed to several factors till now: stress, lack of iron or anemia, condition of the scalp, condition of vital internal organs like the kidneys, liver, thyroid etc., emotional disturbances, menstrual problems, illness or lack of essential vitamins and other nutrients in the body etc.

Hair loss generally indicates a deficiency in vitamin B1, vitamin C, lysine and iron. Vitamin Cs antioxidant properties help to make skin and hair healthy by aiding body metabolism, and converting fat and carbohydrates into energy. It helps in the development of healthy collagen that binds tissues together.

Hence it is effective in preventing breakage and split ends. Vitamin C is present in good quantities in Citrus fruits, strawberries, pineapple, tomatoes, green peppers, potatoes and most dark green vegetables. A daily dose of 60 mg is recommended for good health. Vitamin B1 or Thiamine aids in protein building and thus makes the hair healthy, giving it volume, shine and a good texture.

This is ensured by providing nutrition to the scalp. Other vitamins that help to prevent hair loss in women are: other Vitamin B complex vitamins like Biotin, Inositol, Niacin and vitamin E. Minerals like iron, zinc, magnesium are also effective in preventing hair loss. The most common food-based sources of these vitamins are: citrus fruits, green vegetables, fruits like pineapple, strawberries, kiwi, potatoes, green peppers, vegetable oils, soybean, raw seeds, dried beans, wheat germ oil, brewers yeast, whole grains, eggs, liver, rice, milk, fish, turkey, chicken and red meat. Other products found to be efficient in combating hair loss are Saw Palmetto, nettle root, pumpkin, gotu kola, eleuthero, Uva-Ursi, Muria Puama and others.

There are hundreds of products in the market today that promise to prevent hair loss. These products are generally prescribed by experts though some over the counter drugs are also available. There are companies that specialize exclusively in the production of hair loss drugs.

Information about these products is also available on the Internet on the websites of these companies. However, it is better to consult a physician to know the exact cause of hair loss before using any of these products.

Did I Inherit A Hair Loss Gene?

Men who start to go bald even before a mid-life crisis may have their mothers to blame, according to a new study. Researchers have found that the main construction manual for a full head of hair is located on the X chromosome, which sons always inherit from their mothers.

This genetic storage space contains the so-called androgen receptor gene, a long time balding suspect. Looking at men who were losing their hair at a relatively young age, a team led by Markus Nothen, PhD, of the Life & Brain Center at Bonn University, Germany systematically examined all of the genetic patterns within the X chromosome to see why certain hairlines recede faster than others. Its not a pretty picture.

The study, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, claims that a single alteration in the androgen-receptor gene is the major reason why some men end up going bald before their fathers. Nearly half of bald men would not be bald if they did not have this genetic variation. The hair loss in these younger men, he added, was much more severe than in the men who still had a reason to use a comb in their 60s.

The two approved medicines to treat hair loss (Rogaine and Propecia) need to be taken for a long time to see results. With Propecia, doctors sometimes advise their patients not to expect any results before at least six to eight months. And both need to be used indefinitely to maintain its effect. Once you stop, hair loss will continue.

Although there are only two medicines approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat hair loss, many people are interested in other, alternative treatments. The herb saw palmetto has been used for many years in Europe to treat symptoms of an enlarged prostate and there is some evidence that it may also be effective in treating hair loss.

Common Causes of Hair Loss

It is very natural for a person to loss 50 to 100 hairs each day under the bodys hair renewal process. But most of the people at least once in their lifetime suffer with heavy hair loss. There may be various reason behind this; like medication, chemotherapy, exposure to radiations and certain chemicals, nutritional and hormonal factors, thyroid disease, skin disease or stress, etc.

In most of the cases hair loss is temporary but in certain cases it may be permanent depending on the severity of disease. Some of the most common causes of hair loss are explained here.

Hormonal

Hormones are stimulant to hair growth and causes hair loss problems. Hormones affect heavily our hair growth. These affect both male as well as female hair health.

Hair thinning is one of the hormonal problems and affects both men and women. Hair thinning in male is specific and follows a pattern from the front through to the crown. Hair thinning in female does not follow any specific pattern.

Hair thinning is caused by androgen DHT or Dihydrotesterone. Everyone has DHT but only some suffers with hair problem, are you wandering, why? This owes to the hair follicles, which have a greater number of androgen receptors for the DHT to attach with. Till date the most effective treatment for the problems of hair thinning is; anti androgens. Anti androgens are preventive drugs that prevent the creation of DHT. In future we may get genes therapy for hair thinning problems.

Childbirth

Many of the females experience hair loss after labor. In such a situation many of the hair enters the telogen or resting phase. Some of the females experiences hair loss within two to three months after giving childbirth.

Hair problem due to pregnancy is temporary and in many of the cases eradicate within time, say 1 to 6 months. This occurs because of diverse hormonal changes that take place within the body during pregnancy.

Birth control pills

The females who are genetically programmed with Androgenic Alopecia, if takes birth control pills at much younger age encounters hair loss. Androgenic Alopecia is caused due to various hormonal changes.

The females who have history of hair loss in their family must consult doctor before taking any birth control pills. This type of hair loss is temporary and may stop in 1 to 6 months. But in some of the cases, it has been noticed that a female cannot regrow some of her hair that was lost due to Androgenic Alopecia.

Deficient diet

A good balanced diet rich in varied variety of nutrients is equally important to your hair health. The person who eats less of proteins or has irregular eating habits suffers with hair loss. Generally to save protein our body pushes growing hair into resting phase. If your hair can be pulled out by the root very easily, then this may be due to lack of a well balanced diet. This condition can be prevailed by eating a diet rich in proteins and other necessary nutrients.

Low serum iron

If some person either may not have access to iron rich food or his / her body may not absorb enough of iron then this may cause hair problems. Women during menstrual period are more prone to be iron deficient. Low iron in the body can be detected by laboratory test and can be corrected by taking a diet rich in iron and iron pills.

However, hair loss problems of any sort are generally temporary and can be solved by taking good nutritious diet and professional help.