Healthy Her | Hair Loss

50% of women will experience noticeable hair loss. Typically, humans shed between 50-100 single hairs daily, allowing for new growth. However, if the balance of new growth and shedding is interuppted, hair loss occurs. Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) is the most common type of hair loss that women experience. While FPHL often occurs after menopause, it can also be caused by:

• Aging
• Changes in the levels of androgens (hormones that can stimulate male features)
• Family history of male or female pattern baldness
• Heavy loss of blood during menstrual periods
• Certain medicines, such as estrogenic oral contraceptive

FPHL can be diagnosed by your physician who will assess your medical history, evaluating the pattern of hair loss and rule out conditions such as thyroid disorder or iron defeciency. Your physician can also conduct biopsies and evalute you for over production of androgen.

Without treatment, FPHL is permanent. Treatments can include medications, interventions like hair transplants as well as hair pieces or hairweaving. However you can avoid treatment if you are comfortable with your appearance.

You should consult your doctor if,

• You are losing hair in an unusual pattern.
• You are losing hair rapidly or at an early age (for example, in your teens or twenties).
• You have any pain or itching with the hair loss.
• The skin on your scalp under the involved area is red, scaly, or otherwise abnormal.
• You have acne, facial hair, or an abnormal menstrual cycle.

Find a physician near you at infirmaryhealth.org/doctors.