Hair Loss In Women The Balding Truth

Do you suffer from Hair Loss? Perhaps you’ve noticed that your hair is thinning? If like me your one of the estimated 8 million women across the UK and Ireland suffering with premature female hair loss, then you too understand that thinning hair in women is still a taboo subject. Hair is not just a ponytail full of fibre but an expression of our sexuality and self-esteem. Each strand intrinsically linked to our femininity and our contribution to society’s perception of the “ideal woman”. So as we sit back and marvel at Nicole Scherzingers voluminous mane it’s sobering to learn that up to 45% of women will have some degree of female pattern hair loss by the time they reach 50. So what is the long and the short of it I hear you ask, and what can we do about it?

Unlike our male counterparts, hair thinning in women can be attributed to mainly four biological processes:

Androgenic Alopecia: Who can we thank for this hair thinning process? Whilst the genetics courtesy of Mum or Dad have a hand in this, our hormones, pregnancy, menopause even birth control pills can bring about the gradual diffuse shedding of Androgenic Alopecia. Hair may or may not grow back with this condition. Treatments range from Laser surgery to hair growth shampoos.

Model/Actress Diane Kruger suffers with Androgenic Alopecia note thinning on frontal hairline.

Telogen Effluvium: Step up to the plate stress! Traumatic events such as illness, child birth or even grief can precipitate the alarming shedding associated with Telogen Effluvium, usually 6 weeks to 3 months after the event. This is often a temporary result of your physical and emotional wellbeing. It can potentially take weeks ,months even years for your hair to grow back to its former volume; this is one of the main causes of hair thinning in women. Often a reputable hair growth shampoo such as Nioxin can support regrowth. (See Beautyfeatures.ie for Nioxin reviews)

Singer Fergie with wide part from telogen effluvium often caused by childbirth! Stress is a major cause of Telogen Effluvium -Amanda Knox

Anagen Effluvium: Chemical process such as chemotherapy initiate this type of hair thinning and eventual hair loss, fortunately hair does regenerate once treatment is finished.

Traction Alopecia: Now there is a price to pay for beauty! As our vanity increases so does the use of hair extensions, potentially plucking hair violently from the root. Tight ponytails even braiding can produce this type of hair loss and thinning in women.

Model Naomi Campbell with classic Traction Alopecia and Kim Kardashian showing the effect s of heavy extensions!

Modern media is awash with miracle cures, Googleing hair loss in women emits 200 million responses in 0.35 seconds! Thinning hair in women is big business for both beauty and pharmaceutical companies, but without thousands for hair replacement surgery or chemically based regimes costing hundreds of euros per month what can we do? For those of us follically challenged the brilliant B vitamins are oft touted in the prevention of female hair loss, as are reputable and well researched hair growth shampoos such as the Redken Intraforce range and hair loss prevention systems like the excellent and proven Nioxin collection. (See Beautyfeatures.ie for Nioxin reviews and information).

So whilst it is considered normal to lose between 50 – 100 hairs per day, and that the average head hosts over 100,000 hairs, if like me those numbers continue to dwindle along with your sense of self, personality and style, the clever teams at Nioxin and Redken have produced hair growth shampoos and regenerative systems with real results now available through beautyfeatures.ie!