Female Pattern Hair Loss (Androgenetic Alopecia)
Female pattern hair loss is also known as androgenetic alopecia. It is the most common type of hair loss in women and the severity can vary.
Alopecia is the general medical term for hair loss. There are many different types. It is normal to lose between 50 and 100 hairs a day, often without noticing. It is usually nothing to be worried about, but it is often very upsetting.
Hair loss can sometimes be the sign of another medical condition. Some types of hair loss can be temporary others permanent.
Some causes of temporary hair loss can be an underlying medical condition, certain medications, cancer treatments, strict diets and illness.
What causes female pattern hair loss?
This type of hair loss is caused by a combination of genetic and hormonal factors. The hairs produced by the affected follicles become progressively smaller in diameter, shorter in length and lighter in colour until eventually the follicles shrink completely and stop producing hair.
In most cases, it is slowly progressive, but it can cause not only thinning hair but can result in anxiety, depression, loss of confidence and self-esteem.
Hair and scalp conditions treated by our team include:
What are the signs of female pattern hair loss?
Unlike men, women usually begin to lose their hair by going diffusely thin on the vertex (the top of the scalp). Sometimes, temporal recession is also seen (loss of hair at the corners of the frontal hair line). Women rarely tend to go completely bald but thinning can be upsetting.
There are several hair conditions that can result in generalised thinning of hair on the top of the scalp. It is therefore extremely important that the correct diagnosis is made by a dermatologist before embarking on treatment for hair loss in women.
How long does it take for female pattern hairloss to progress?
This type of hair loss can affect women in any age group, but it occurs more commonly after menopause. The hair loss process is not constant and usually occurs in fits and bursts. It is not uncommon to have accelerated phases of hair loss for 3–6 months, followed by periods of stability lasting 6–18 months. Without medication, it tends to progress in severity over the next few decades of life.
Treatment options in Female Pattern Hair Loss
Your dermatologist will first check the diagnosis as many things can contribute to hair thinning or make female pattern hair loss more obvious. Sometimes blood tests are indicated looking at underlying causes and very occasionally a scalp biopsy is performed.
Treatments can include topical treatments, oral medications or procedures to stimulate hair growth. Your dermatologist will discuss various management options with you which may include oral or topical minoxidil, spironolactone, finasteride, or microneedling with growth factors. They will also advise you which products to use to stimulate hair growth. Hair thinning takes time to stabilise and recover and we encourage a series of photographs to monitor progress.
