Unfortunately women, like men, can lose significant amounts of hair, but they rarely go completely bald except perhaps in cases of severe emotional trauma or chemotherapy.
Even the, the hair usually grows back in time, given reasonable return to health by the individual.
Hair loss in women does not follow the typical pattern of men with receding hair line and thinning on the crown.
Instead it is much more variable and difficult to self diagnose.
If you are a woman losing scalp hair you would be well advised to see a trained physician or dermatologist.
The main cause of hair loss in women is the same as that in men - Androgenetic alopecia, or male pattern baldness.
This is an inherited sensitivity of hair follicles to the effects of male hormones which are present in women as well as men.
The patterns of hair loss in women are quite different and variable.
There is often diffuse thinning of hair over the entire scalp but coupled with areas of more severe thinning, either at the back or the front of the head.
Unlike the case for men, thinning scalp hair in women due to androgenetic alopecia does not grow uniformly thinner (miniaturize).
Women tend to have miniaturizing hairs of various diameters over all affected areas of scalp.
Miniaturizing hairs are a feature of androgenetic alopecia but can have other causes as well.
Female pattern baldness can start as early as the late teens or early twenties, and if left untreated can result in significant hair loss over time.
There is some evidence also that treatment is more successful if started early, before large areas of scalp become denuded.
Women can suffer other forms of hair loss apart from androgenetic alopecia, and some of the more common ones are: Trichotillamania - This is compulsive hair pulling due to psychological or emotional problems.
This tends to cause patches of baldness to develop as the hair pulling is concentrated in roughly the same areas.
Hair can often be restored once the underlying problem is resolved.
Alopecia areata - This is thought to be an autoimmune disorder where hair follicles are mistakenly treated as foreign by the body and damaged by the body's defence mechanism.
It can cause diffuse hair loss or progress to cause extensive bald patches.
The condition requires medical investigation.
Triangular alopecia - This is loss of hair in the temporal regions, leaving either triangular bald patches or just a few hairs remaining..
The condition can be treated medically or surgically.
Telogen effluvium - This is a condition where a large percentage of hairs go into the telogen or resting phase prematurely, and are then subsequently shed a few weeks or months later.
This type of hair loss can be caused by physiological or emotional shock as previously mentioned.
Other possible causes are hormonal or nutritional.
The hair often grows back eventually but can take time.
In the meantime there are scalp treatments to promote hair growth, or methods of covering baldness with mesh and hair extensions that will restore appearance whilst waiting for new hair growth.
Scarring alopecia - This can occur in post-menopausal women when inflammation of hair follicles can occur and leave subsequent scarring.
It is also sometimes seen in women who have a habit of tightly braiding their hair.
The causes of hair loss in women are various and can be somewhat complicated to unravel.
There are however, trained professionals who are able to help overcome the problems associated with hair loss, and to help maintain one's appearance and self esteem.
Even the, the hair usually grows back in time, given reasonable return to health by the individual.
Hair loss in women does not follow the typical pattern of men with receding hair line and thinning on the crown.
Instead it is much more variable and difficult to self diagnose.
If you are a woman losing scalp hair you would be well advised to see a trained physician or dermatologist.
The main cause of hair loss in women is the same as that in men - Androgenetic alopecia, or male pattern baldness.
This is an inherited sensitivity of hair follicles to the effects of male hormones which are present in women as well as men.
The patterns of hair loss in women are quite different and variable.
There is often diffuse thinning of hair over the entire scalp but coupled with areas of more severe thinning, either at the back or the front of the head.
Unlike the case for men, thinning scalp hair in women due to androgenetic alopecia does not grow uniformly thinner (miniaturize).
Women tend to have miniaturizing hairs of various diameters over all affected areas of scalp.
Miniaturizing hairs are a feature of androgenetic alopecia but can have other causes as well.
Female pattern baldness can start as early as the late teens or early twenties, and if left untreated can result in significant hair loss over time.
There is some evidence also that treatment is more successful if started early, before large areas of scalp become denuded.
Women can suffer other forms of hair loss apart from androgenetic alopecia, and some of the more common ones are: Trichotillamania - This is compulsive hair pulling due to psychological or emotional problems.
This tends to cause patches of baldness to develop as the hair pulling is concentrated in roughly the same areas.
Hair can often be restored once the underlying problem is resolved.
Alopecia areata - This is thought to be an autoimmune disorder where hair follicles are mistakenly treated as foreign by the body and damaged by the body's defence mechanism.
It can cause diffuse hair loss or progress to cause extensive bald patches.
The condition requires medical investigation.
Triangular alopecia - This is loss of hair in the temporal regions, leaving either triangular bald patches or just a few hairs remaining..
The condition can be treated medically or surgically.
Telogen effluvium - This is a condition where a large percentage of hairs go into the telogen or resting phase prematurely, and are then subsequently shed a few weeks or months later.
This type of hair loss can be caused by physiological or emotional shock as previously mentioned.
Other possible causes are hormonal or nutritional.
The hair often grows back eventually but can take time.
In the meantime there are scalp treatments to promote hair growth, or methods of covering baldness with mesh and hair extensions that will restore appearance whilst waiting for new hair growth.
Scarring alopecia - This can occur in post-menopausal women when inflammation of hair follicles can occur and leave subsequent scarring.
It is also sometimes seen in women who have a habit of tightly braiding their hair.
The causes of hair loss in women are various and can be somewhat complicated to unravel.
There are however, trained professionals who are able to help overcome the problems associated with hair loss, and to help maintain one's appearance and self esteem.