Common Causes of Hair Loss in Women

Many women take pride in the way they look.

And in this day and age, social media makes it all too easy to compare ourselves to one another constantly. That’s why there is no denying that many people believe there is a negative stigma attached to male pattern baldness.

Alternatively, women can also experience thinning hair and hair loss.

In fact, it is much more common than you think and much less talked about than it should be.

If this is happening to you, you are not alone! While it can be daunting and somewhat difficult to pinpoint the specific cause of thinning hair, it doesn’t hurt to learn more about why you may be experiencing some form of hair loss.

Heredity

You could have a genetic predisposition to thinning hair.

Similar to male pattern baldness, female pattern hair loss is known as androgenetic alopecia, the most common cause of hair loss.

While men tend to notice their hairline receding with age, women with hair loss tend to see the thinning as a widening in their part.

Depending on the person, this may happen in your twenties or thirties, or you may see a gradual thinning with age.

Contrary to popular belief, hair loss isn’t solely linked to just the mother or father.

Though there are products on the market to help keep hair on your head, hereditary hair loss cannot fully be prevented.

Medication

It is important to read the possible side effects listed on any medication you take internally and apply externally.

Never hesitate to talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns regarding a medication because your hair loss may be directly related to something you are prescribed.

Most commonly, blood thinners and blood pressure medications (beta blockers) are known to cause chronic hair shedding. Additionally, some antidepressants have also been known to cause some degree of hair loss.

Is something in your medicine cabinet hurting you? You wouldn’t want your family members getting hurt. Take a minute to learn more about what goes in your body and on your skin.

Beauty Regimens

Hair and face masks are extremely popular these days. You can find hundreds of fancy hair products, as well as tons of instructions on DIY hair concoctions all online. Beware! What you put on your hair could also lead to hair loss.

Be careful not to overuse heat, when dying your hair, and when attempting a handful of intense hair treatments in hopes to reduce prior hair damage. You may actually cause further damage to your hair.

Give your hair a rest from time to time. Unplug the flat iron and blow dryer. Over washing, dying, and styling could be the culprit to unhealthy, falling out hair.

Stress

It’s a terrible reality that both physical and emotional stressors do have a rather large range of harmful effects on the body – hair loss is one of those unwanted possibilities.

Did you know that hair loss can even be most noticeable up to six months after a traumatic experience in your life? This is sometimes known as telogen effluvium, which often occurs post pregnancy, major surgery, and life altering event.

Thankfully, in regards to hair loss and stress, your hair and body can recover, leading to new hair growth.

Trichotillomania is an impulse control disorder (running in the same family as OCD), where people pull out their own hair.

It is often triggered in preteens and teens due to anxiety and stressful events.

Anxiety and stress are no joke.

In this case, treatment should be sought to better manage and possibly eliminate this behavior.

Health

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Medical Conditions

Do you struggle with dramatic weight loss? Anemia? What about diabetes? There are many medical conditions that either cite hair loss as a side effect or hair loss is the main issue like alopecia.

To name a few: Thyroid disease (particularly hypothyroidism) is most common in women and can affect the growth of your hair.

The chronic autoimmune disease known as lupus does anywhere from mild to extreme damage to hair.

Skin conditions on the scalp such as psoriasis and ringworm can block hair follicles, damage the scalp, and lead to hair loss. The list goes on.

Certain diseases and medical conditions can lead to permanent hair loss. If you are losing hair rapidly or notice hair thinning, it could be linked to another medical issue. Please contact a medical professional.

Nutrient Deficiencies

Our bodies need certain vitamins and foods to stay in good health. Unfortunately, we don’t all produce the same amount of necessities such as vitamin B12.

While others do not consume enough of certain nutrients needed for common applications in the body to take place like hair growth.

It is common for women to not get enough protein in their diets. Your hair follicles are made from a protein, thus without eating the proper amount of protein, your body may stop producing new hair and stop growing.

Iron is a key component in producing hair cells.

The all too common iron deficiency may be the cause for your hair loss.

As mentioned before, lack of vitamin B12 can also be a contributor to hair loss.

Try taking more supplements and eating a wider variety of healthy vegetables and proteins.

Hormonal Imbalance

In some ways tying in to medical conditions, medications, and stress, hormonal imbalances can lead to a lot of mental and physical changes.

When hormones are not properly regulated in the body, everything from weight gain to depression can occur as a reaction.

Polycystic ovary syndrome causes an imbalance in male and female sex hormones.

Generally, there is an influx of the male hormone androgen in the body, which can lead to facial hair in women, infertility, and head hair loss.

Have you recently switched to a new birth control or stopped taking the pill altogether? Any kind of extreme change like this regarding female hormones can send the body into hair loss.

Radiation / Chemotherapy

Hair loss does not just affect the hair on your head. In some cases, hair loss can be seen on any part of the body.

This is common during extreme medical treatments such as radiation or chemo for cancer patients.

During radiation, many people lose the hair on all different parts of their body. Where you lose hair depends on where the radiation is being focused.

Whereas with a strong dose of chemo, it is known to cause total hair loss of the body including eyebrows and eyelashes.

Though your hair can grow back once chemo and radiation treatments are complete, your hair may be a different color or texture.

Listen to your body

Losing some hair daily from showering or brushing is part of the hair cycle and life, but losing huge chunks of hair or noticeably thinning hair can be startling to say the least.

Don’t be afraid to sit down and ask your doctor what may be contributing to your hair loss.

You may find you are simply experiencing a temporary bout or even something preventable.

Others with more serious thinning, there are ways to combat hair loss and better your chances of keeping hair on your head at the end of the day.

Don’t feel discouraged.

Jazz Goddard

Jazz is one of the leading hair care experts with a practice of his own. He also loves to share his experience in this field and offers the best advice for all your hair loss issues.