Hair Restoration and Replacement

For decades women have been left behind when it comes to methods for treating hair loss. If a woman suffered from Female Pattern Baldness or hair thinning it was taboo to talk about the subject. She was expected to buy a wig and pretend like nothing was wrong. This no longer is acceptable to woman who are active in their lives and have no desire to worry about a wig falling off when they are skiing or running or boating. The time is ripe for women to have successful treatments for their hair loss problems just like men.  It is time to stop hair loss now before it gets any worse.

Causes Hair Loss: Women

There are many possible reasons why a woman may lose hair. These range from hormonal changes after child birth to medical procedures and medications. These usually result in sudden hair loss. Women who experience this usually get their hair growth back within a few months or a year. Although some women suffer hair loss because of these types of external causes the majority of women who experience hair loss have a genetic condition known as Female Pattern Baldness (FPB). Like the male counterpart, Female Pattern Baldness is passed down from either the mother’s or the father’s side of the family. FPB manifests itself by causing hair follicles, the part of the hair unit that actually creates the hair shaft material, to become susceptible to a hormonal metabolite Dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The DHT bonds to receptors on the hair follicle that are active when the woman is suffering from FPB.

The hair follicles normally go through a growth and dormancy cycle every couple of years. The follicle manufactures hair material for several months and then spends a short amount of time resting before it starts the cycle again. If the woman is suffering from pattern baldness or pattern hair loss then the growth segment is shortened and the dormant stage is increased. This causes the hair shafts to become thinner and thinner until they turn whispy and break off or fall out. When this happens the hair follicle is no longer capable to produce hair and the woman develops thinning hair or balding spots.

One women hair loss medication is based on the drug Minoxidil. Minoxidil has been approved by the US FDA as a treatment that really does help with hair loss. It is applied topically to the scalp twice a day. This treatment works by inhibiting the bonding of the DHT to the hair follicle receptors. The Minoxidil causes the receptors to become immune to the DHT and thus it can not bond to the follicles and cause them to change their growth cycles. The most popular product that contains Minoxidil is Rogaine for Women. It contains 2% Minoxidil which seems to be the most effective level for females. Men use a 5% solution but this has shown no benefit for women over the 2% solution which is less costly.

By using a product with this drug the woman can stop most further hair loss caused by female pattern baldness. It also seems to allow some hair follicles to become active again as long as their dormancy caused by DHT has not lasted long. Some women see new hair growth and some don’t.

If you are seeing the results of thinning hair then visit your doctor immediately and ask about this hair loss drug. Once the hair starts to fall out it is only a matter of time before the hair loss becomes very noticeable and maybe causes completely bald spots on the head. Finding the proper hair loss treatment is essential to your ability to keep hair growing where it belongs.