Men aren’t the only ones who have to worry about losing their beloved hair. While it may be more common among men, hair loss in women isn’t as rare as you might think. It’s estimated that hair loss affects 50% off women at some point during their life. And some of this is because of hormonal imbalance.
While you can be genetically cursed with “not so thick locks”, stress and hormonal imbalance will certainly bring out the worst. Hair loss is dramatic to all people that experience it. The most common types of hair loss are telogen effluvium and alopecia areata. Although it’s more common than alopecia areata, telogen effluvium is less severe.
Telogen effluvium occurs when the hair follicles stop growing and lie dormant and fall out within two to three months. Telogen effluvium is often caused by stress, trauma or medications, hair growth is typically restored within six months.
Much more serious is alopecia areata. This type of hair loss happens when white blood cells attack hair follicles, causing the hair to thin and fall out, usually in round patches. This type of hair loss will require treatment as hair may not grow back.
Dr. Slater and team draw blood to find the exact cause of hair loss in women and men, when in doubt. Hair says a lot about your overall well being. When the body goes into stress- crisis mode, hair growth is not on top of the list. In order to redirect energy to other cells throughout the body the follicles are neglected. So, hair loss is often the first sign of trouble.
While age can definitely be a factor of hair loss, hormonal imbalance and hair loss are related. One of the most common temporary hair loss causes is emotional stress, medications and hair care products. All of those mentioned causes can potentially lead to extreme thinning of the hair and even baldness. The best way to get to the root of the problem is to determine the underlying cause.
Hair loss in women is largely attributed to hormonal imbalance, as it is in men and is one of the lesser known and less common menopause symptoms. Hair loss is not as prevalent in women because women have more estrogen than men and that in turn helps balance out the effects of androgens, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), that typically lead to female hair loss. Other hormonal imbalances such as thyroid problems and genetic hormonal responses to autoimmune conditions can also cause thinning of the hair and premature balding in women.
Although women don’t have nearly as much testosterone as men, when women undergo intense stress, the adrenal glands become overworked due to an increased need for the “stress hormone” known as cortisol. This causes the body to produce more adrenaline and testosterone, and DHT, a stronger variant of testosterone. The increased production of these hormones can sometimes cause the hair to fall out due to the resulting hormone imbalance.
It’s common for women to experience hair loss following pregnancy, when her hormones are in disarray. It takes some time for hormone levels to return to a normal range, so it’s perfectly common for post-partum mothers to experience thinning of the hair and even bald patches. In cases such as these, the hair loss is only temporary and treatment isn’t essential, though platelet rich plasma treatments can work like a fertilizer and help grow the lost hair back faster. Following pregnancy, women can expect hair to re-grow naturally after a few months. If the hair doesn’t grow back within the first year, chances are something else is going on. Hormonal Imbalance could be lingering.
A variety of medications can result in hair loss in women. Perhaps the most common is birth control. Currently the millions of women use the pill each year, making it the most popular form of birth control to date. According to the American Hair Loss Association (AHLA), it’s recommended that women should consider using a low-androgen index birth control pill to avoid the effects of DHT, especially women with a predisposition to hair loss. The AHLA adds that women should exercise caution with any hormonal medication or therapy, as they can all trigger hair loss.
If you are young, hormonal imbalance is unlikely, but since we as women take pride in our beautiful hair and get up, over stressing the hair and pulling harshly can also be the cause of hair loss. We color it, cut it, style it, wear it up, braid it, put weave in it and on and on. While it may look great now, we never consider the potential damage that we could be doing to our precious hair. Harsh brushing, blow-drying, styling gels, chemical straighteners and hair color. All of this can damage our hair follicles and cause irritation of the scalp. If you’re experiencing hair loss as result of hair care products your first order of business is to get rid of the products that are damaging your hair. If hair growth is not restored within a few months, additional methods might be in order. “PRP Therapy” and low level light laser therapy are effective, affordable options if you damaged your hair with harsh products.
If you’re suffering from hair loss and you are over forty, or just had a baby, chances are a hormones are to blame. The tests used by Dr. Slater test your female hormones: estrogen, testosterone, thyroid hormones and cortisol are just a few that can determine if your hair loss is hormonal or genetic. If a hormonal imbalance is the culprit, Dr. Slater will prescribe bioidentical hormones in form of creams and tablets made by a compounding pharmacy to help you bring your hormone levels back to optimal level and therefore effectively treat hormonal hair loss. While you cannot fight your genes, you can fight the issues of aging and hormonal imbalance by using bioidentical hormones to not only prevent further hair loss, but also to regrow hair that you’ve already lost. Let us help you give your hair what it needs to grow thick and healthy. Dr. Slater and team are experts when it comes to BHRT.
For more information, please contact us to schedule an appointment today!
