Hair is women’s crowning glory. It helps them put on the best lift they can give their face that fits with the facial type. Women’s hair help accentuate the best feature of their face with different hairstyles that can be worked on. But what happens when a woman’s hair is receding? Although it’s not a very common problem, hair loss in women may also happen due to some hereditary and environmental causes. Alopecia is the medical term for baldness or hair thinning. The name was derived from “alopex” – the Greek name for fox. In the ancient Greek time, foxes were observed to be fur thinning when inflicted by skin diseases.
Alopecia may be permanent or temporary, depending on the pattern occurring. The most common one is androgenetic alopecia, which occurs gradually but stays permanently. This pattern is a combination of androgens (the male hormones) and genetics. Alopecia areata is another form of hair thinning that normally grows back. The most common one is telogen effluvium – a rapid shedding of hair after fever, weight loss, and childbirth. Finally, traction alopecia occurs from certain hairstyles like ponytails and tight braids.
There are quite a few reasons to sudden hair loss in women. Hormonal problem is one; thyroid gland-related sickness is another; stress, chemotherapy and other surgery are also common reasons to baldness. Some women in their early 30′s encounter this problem, due to a genetic pattern occuring or by a hair chemical treatment. Generally, women begin to have alopecia in their fifty’s.
One of the many causes of hair loss in women over 50 is age. Aging causes a lot of bodily changes to a woman like, menopausal and change in hormonal patterns. Sometimes sickness comes due to these changes and may cause further damage on the scalp. At this age, the scalp is no longer supple to produce more hair. Hair loss in women at their 50′s is normally in patches.
The type of sudden hair loss in women that are due to sickness, childbirth, and radiation therapy do not necessarily need treatment as the hair normally grows back once the medical condition stabilizes. Head coverings like hat and wig can be used temporarily. Hair loss caused by age, hormones and genes may be treated with topical or oral medications. Although not a direct treatment to baldness, hair transplants can be considered as a fixed solution to permanent baldness, especially if the issue is significantly affecting a woman. This procedure is expensive and painful, but the outcomes are normally permanent
