Hair Loss Treatments For Women

Hair loss in women poses a different problem than hair loss in men. Most of the research into baldness has focused on men instead of women. In fact, it has only been recently that women had any options other than wigs.

Using a wig works well if the woman does not plan to partake in any physical activities. Wigs tend to slip and fall off so they are not very practical for today’s woman. A woman now wants to be riding bikes, surfing, and hiking in the back country.

The increased activity levels of women have necessitated new techniques being developed. Some of the methods that have been used on men for years will work for women, but some won’t. Now that so many women are leading active lives, it has driven a lot of research into female hair loss.

The number one cause of hair loss in men and women is a condition known as androgen alopecia which is also called pattern baldness. This condition is caused by a build up of DHT at the blood boundary of the hair follicles. This causes a loss of oxygen and nutrients to the hair roots and the eventual death of the unit. The only way to treat this condition is to increase blood flow to the hair.

DHT is a metabolite of testosterone. Although testosterone is called the male hormone it is actually found in both men and women. One drug that has shown great success in men at controlling DHT is Finasteride, also known as Propecia. Originally developed as a treatment for male prostrate problems, this oral medication has helped a lot of men grow hair.

Unfortunately, this drug has a nasty side effect of causing birth defects so it is not prescribed for childbearing age women. Another drug that is used by women is Minoxidil or Rogaine. This medication works to increase the blood flow to the hair follicles and thus improve hair growth.

Hair implants are another procedure that were originally not applicable for women. Female pattern baldness is usually associated with thinning hair over the entire scalp. The standard hair implant process required an area of the scalp with good hair growth to be used as a donor area. Most women did not have this thick hair anywhere on their head so they couldnt use hair implantation surgery.

The solution to this problem is an implantation method known as Follicular Unit Extraction. With this procedure individual hair follicles can be removed from any area of the body with hair growth. These hairs can then be transplanted onto the scalp. Now it is possible for women with thinning hair to get hair implants to treat their pattern bald areas.

As more and more women demand hair loss treatments that work, more products and procedures are coming on line. Wigs are no longer the only method of treating hair loss in women.