Hair Loss Medicine

Hair loss can be caused by a variety of factors but heredity is the number one reason why men and women lose their mane. Hereditary hair loss in men and women has the same main cause, which is dihydrotestosterone (DHT) attacking our hair follicles. DHT is a metabolite of the male hormone testosterone but it is also present in the female body. Men and women lose their hair not because of increased levels of DHT in their bodies but due to the susceptibility of their follicles to DHT attacks, although the exact mechanism and reasons why certain hairs, mostly those on the top of the head, are more vulnerable to such attacks are not yet know.

The main difference between the male and female form of hereditary baldness is in its shape. The male form has a characteristic horseshoe pattern whereas the female form is usually a diffuse thinning across the entire scalp and is therefore less easily-recognised. The female form of hereditary hair loss is, in its form, practically indistinguishable from hair loss caused by various other factors. The second most common reason for a woman to lose her hair are hormonal imbalances during and after pregnancy or menopause. Such changes are typically of a temporary nature and so also is the hair loss, although post-menopausal hair loss is in most cases permanent.

When it comes to treating female hair loss there are some specifics. First, most women do not make very good candidates for hair transplantation due to their diffuse thinning pattern, which makes it impossible to identify the hair that will be resistant to future miniaturisation. Secondly, finasteride, which is one of the only two FDA-approved hair loss treatments available today, cannot be used on women and neither can dutasteride, which is its closest relative. Rogaine (generic name minoxidil) is the second FDA-approved hair loss treatment and its approved concentration for women is only 2% versus 5% for men. However, many doctors recommend their female patients use 5% minoxidil formulations such as Rogaine foam. Aminexil is a molecule similar to minoxidil and it is often recommended to women who are pregnant or breastfeeding as a safer option than minoxidil.

Although some anti-androgens such as finasteride or dutasteride cannot be prescribed to women, there are other anti-androgen medications that can be effectively used to treat female pattern baldness. Spironolactone (trade name Aldactone) and cyproterone acetate (used in contraceptives such as Ginette 35, Diane 35 and Diane 50) are anti-androgens most commonly used to treat female pattern hair loss.

Another therapy with seemingly satisfactory rates of success is topical estrogen solutions such as Crinohermal, which use a female hormone, estradiol, as their main active ingredient. Estradiol inhibits the conversion of testosterone into follicle-harming DHT. Hormone replacement therapy is another hormonal treatment suitable for women at menopause, with estrogens and progesterone pills and creams being the most common forms of treatment. Estrogen levels in the body decline with time. As women enter the menopause, estrogen levels decline and hence more of the male hormone testosterone is then bioavailable to be converted into follicle-harming DHT.

This list of treatments for female pattern hair loss is not exhaustive, though. A number of other remedies exist that are often claimed to help promote hair growth in women, such as ketoconazole, fluridil, flutamide, alfatradiol, as well as numerous substances of natural origin. Despite the fact that there are female patients who will swear by some of these treatments, none of them has ever been sufficiently clinically tested, let alone approved by any major national health supervisory authority as a treatment for female hair loss and the claims of their guaranteed effectiveness should be taken with a grain of salt.

As a female, if you are facing thinning and losing hair, you are probably pretty stressed by it. However, you will not be worrying and causing more hair to drop once you understand some facts about female hair loss.
You see, in many cases, female hair loss is just a temporary occurance and hence, finding a hair loss solution to it is relatively easy.

Androgenetic alopecia is the hereditary form of baldness that affects 50 percent of men, and some women after 40. Female hair loss usually starts after menopause although it can begin earlier. The main reason for this is that estrogen levels decline. Hormonal changes cause hair to thin.

It is comforting to note that other than androgenetic alopecia, the most common cause of hair loss in women, is a result of metabolic and hormonal changes. Thus, the hair loss is usually temporary. Also, unlike men, women rarely become totally bald. However, what females generally experience is the thinning of their hair.

For example, in the case of pregnancy, hair loss is temporary and should stop about 6 months after birth. When a woman is pregnant, a large amount of oestrogen is produced causing the hair follicles to go into their growth phase. Once the baby is born, the woman’s hormonal balance is restored. The reverse now happens with the hair follicles going into a hair loss phase.

While nothing much can be done to prevent hair loss during this period, applying hair tonic to hasten hair re-growth can be a helpful solution.

Crash diets leading to rapid weight loss over a short period of time prompts excessive hair loss.

Physical and emotional stress can cause hair loss but this usually only occurs after a prolonged period of time and in extreme cases. Once stress levels are restored to normal levels, hair loss should stop. Thus, a good hair loss solution is to find ways to reduce stress!

Female hair loss treatments often differ to men’s, for a number of reasons. The main prescription hair loss treatment for men, the drug propecia, is generally not as effective in women, although an Italian study seemed to show some promise with it.

The study followed the experience of 37 women who were given 2.5 mg of propecia a day, as well as the contraceptive pill. As propecia can cause deformities in the development of a male fetus’ sex organs, propecia cannot be given to women who have a chance of conceiving, or who are pregnant.

Results were measured by taking photos of the women’s heads, and using a technique called computerized light videodermoscopy to measure the density of hairs. Women tend to have thinning hair when they suffer hair loss, and don’t often go completely bald.

After 12 months of treatment, 23 women (62%) had improvements in their hair thickness. Those women who had most hair loss down the middle of the top of the head, showed the most improvement. Only one woman was found to have worse hair loss.

But more studies on propecia as a female hair loss treatment need to be conducted before it is given the green light as a treatment option. Not only is there the issue of fetal damage, making it a risky drug for women, but this study is not conclusive as evidence that it will actually work for all, or most, women.

Generally, women are given topical treatments like minoxidil to encourage hair growth. Minoxidil has drawbacks in that it has to be applied to the scalp twice a day, and some women are allergic to it. Unfortunately, scientists have not come up with a hair loss medication that will definitely work for women.

Another reason female hair loss treatments differ to men’s is that the causes of female hair loss often vary. Hair loss in women is often associated with hormonal changes like menopause, discontinuing birth control pills, and after pregnancy. There is a 3 month delay before signs of hair loss will appear, so if you’re noticing hair loss now, it was probably triggered 3 months ago. And it can take another 3 months before new growth starts to show.

Another factor in female hair loss is excessive dieting or sudden weight loss. Hair requires nutrients to grow just as any other part of the body does, What we eat can not only affect how shiny and healthy our hair appears, but also hair loss. Whilst men can suffer hair loss from similar weight loss, women tend to be more involved with extreme diets than men.