Female Alopecia

Androgenetic alopecia is the most common type of hair loss for women. This is better known as female alopecia.

This condition affects a third of all women that are susceptible to hair loss, and this most often happens after a women goes through menopause.

While there is usually a notable amount of hair that is lost, this is not the main concern though for women, it is the thinning of the hair.

Understand that it is perfectly normal for a person to shed hair. We generally loose 100-150 hairs a day. If you loose less than that you probably already have thin hair. In female alopecia when the hair is lost the root will grow a shorter hair in its place. This shorter hair eventually resembles the soft "peach fuzz" that is felt on a baby's head when they are first getting their hair.

While in men, baldness comes from the maternal side of the DNA, in women it can come from either side of the family. The female alopecia can start during puberty. When this happens you need to look at whether there is more facial or body hair and if so you should seek medical attention and request that a hormone evaluation be done. Hormonal imbalances are a major reason for female pattern hair loss.

There are two other female conditions that can trigger female pattern hair loss, and those would be giving birth and stopping birth control pills.

If you have undergone a sudden stress, whether it was physical or psychological you can also experience female hair loss. The hair loss that happens during these times is most often temporary and will discontinue when the body returns to a more homeostatic place. Keep in mind though that the hair loss due to these causes can take up to three months to happen and then up to 8 months for the hair to grow back.

If you are looking at the treatment options that are available for female alopecia it is best that you talk with your doctor or medical practitioner as they will no your full medical history andan recommend the correct course of action with this in mind.

Remember, never feel alone if you experience female alopecia or any other form of hair loss. Always talk to your doctor or go to your local health service centre and they should be able to give you information on support groups and forums to link up with other people who are effected by hair loss.