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Home > Hair Loss > Hair Loss Causes
Causes of Hair Loss
What are the reasons cause your hair loss ?
5 Common
reasons cause to hair loss
5 Common
reasons causes of male hair loss, Why men alopecia ?
Type of
female hair loss & causes
Top
seven health risks leading to women's hair loss.
What
is DHT and how does it
cause hair loss?
Stress and
hair loss.
Your hair loss only because of stress probably.
Lack
sleep cause
hair loss.
Historical
diseases and
possible hair loss etiologies.
Appearance of
hair loss and
possible etiologies.
Type of Female in Hair Loss & Causes of Women in Hair Loss
Diffuse Hair Loss
The most common type of hair loss in women occurs in
a diffuse pattern. Diffuse hair loss is most often
hereditary, but it can also be caused by underlying
medical conditions, medications, and other factors.
Common or "hereditary" baldness in women, also
called female pattern alopecia, is genetic and can
come either the mother’s or father’s
side of the family. It is caused by the actions of two enzymes; aromatase (which is found predominantly in women) and 5-a reductase
(which is found in both women and men). The action of 5-a reductase is the main cause of androgenetic alopecia in men, as this enzyme
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converts the hormone testosterone to DHT. DHT is
responsible for the miniaturization (shrinking) and
gradual disappearance of affected hair follicles.
Women have half the amount of 5-a reductase compared
to men, but have higher levels of the enzyme
aromatase, especially at their frontal hairline.
Aromatase is responsible for the formation of the
female hormones estrone and estradiol. It also
decreases the formation of DHT. Its presence in
women may help to explain why the presentation of
female hair loss is so different than in males,
particularly with respect to the preservation of the
frontal hairline. It may also explain why women have
a poor response to the drug finasteride (Propecia),
a medication widely used to treat hair loss in men
that works by blocking the formation of DHT.
Women’s hair seems to be particularly sensitive to
underlying medical conditions. Since "systemic"
problems often cause a diffuse type of hair loss
pattern that can be confused with genetic balding,
it is important that women with undiagnosed hair
loss, be properly evaluated. Medical conditions that
produce a diffuse pattern include:
Medical conditions that can cause diffuse hair
loss in
female (women)
• Obstetric and gynecologic conditions such as
post-partum and post-menopausal states or ovarian
tumors
• Anemia -- iron deficiency
• Thyroid disease
• Connective tissue diseases such as Lupus
• Nutritional - crash diets, bulimia,
protein/calorie deficiency, essential fatty acid or
zinc deficiency, malabsorbtion, hypervitaminosis A
• Stress – surgical procedures, general anesthesia,
and severe emotional problems
A relatively large number of drugs can cause
“telogen effluvium,” a condition where hair is
shifted into a resting stage and then several months
later shed. Fortunately, this shedding is reversible
if the medication is stopped, but the reaction can
be confused with genetic female hair loss if not
properly diagnosed. Chemotherapy causes a diffuse
type of hair loss called “anagen effluvium” that can
be very extensive, but often reversible when the
medication is stopped.
Drugs that can cause diffuse hair loss in
female (women)
1. Blood thinners (anti-coagulants), such as warfarin and heparin
2. Seizure medication, most commonly dilantin
3. Medication for gout, colchicines and alopurinol (Xyloprim)
4. Blood pressure medication, particularly the
b-blockers (such as Inderal) or diuretics
5. Anti-inflammatory drugs such as prednisone
6. Medications that lower cholesterol and other
lipids
7. Mood altering drugs - lithium, tri-cyclics,
Elavil, Prozac
8. Chemotherapy
9. Thyroid medications
10. Oral contraceptive agents, particularly those
high in progestins
11. Misc. – diet pills, high doses of Vitamin A,
street drugs (cocaine)
Localized Hair Loss
Although there are a host of dermatologic conditions
that cause hair loss, they produce a pattern that is
different from the diffuse pattern of genetic hair
loss commonly seen in women and are easily
differentiated from it by a dermatologist.
Localized hair loss in women may be sub-divided into
scarring and non-scarring types. Alopecia Areata is
a genetic, auto-immune disease that typifies the
non-scarring type. It manifests with the sudden
onset of discrete round patches of hair loss
associated with normal skin. It can be treated with
local injections of steroids.
Scarring Alopecia can be caused by a variety of
medical or dermatologic conditions such as Lupus,
Lichen Planus, or local radiation therapy. Hair loss
from injuries, or from local medical problems that
have been cured, are usually amenable to hair
transplantation. Radiotherapy can cause both
scarring and non-scarring localized hair loss and it
also can be treated with surgical hair restoration
if the area is not too large.
Localized female hair loss that occurs around the
hairline after face-lift surgery may be permanent.
Traction Alopecia, the hair loss that occurs with
constant tugging on the follicles, can also be
permanent if the habit persists for a long period of
time. Both of these conditions can be treated with
hair transplantation.
Patterned Hair Loss
Women with this type of hair loss have a pattern
similar to what we observe in men. In other words,
they have thinning in front or on top of their scalp
with preservation of the hair in the permanent zone
around the back and sides of the scalp. Thus, the
balding is in a characteristic "pattern" rather than
generalized. Women with patterned hair loss and a
stable donor area may be excellent candidates for
surgical restoration.
