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Hair Loss Awareness Month: The Unique Challenges Women Face

July 2024


Understanding Causes and Treatments for Female Hair Loss.

We’re back with another Derm Deep Dive, a series where we provide expert advice from our board-certified dermatologists about common skin conditions and treatments. This month, we collaborated with Dr. Gregory Delost of our Mentor, OH location. August is Hair Loss Awareness Month, and we’ve asked Dr. Delost to weigh in on the causes of hair loss in women and treatment options. 

The Unique Challenges of Female Hair Loss 

Our hair is an important part of our identities and one of the ways we can express ourselves and our personalities. When an individual experiences hair loss, whether from aging or another trigger, it can impact their self-esteem and everyday life.  

Harvard Health found that one-third of women in the U.S. will experience hair loss at some point in their lifetime, and 85% of men will lose a significant amount of hair by age 50.  

Because hair loss issues are so widespread and often leave individuals wondering what to do, Hair Loss Awareness Month is a great opportunity for dermatologists to spread the word about hair loss conditions and treatments.  

For this blog post, we will focus on female hair loss, which has several causes and can affect women at any age. Fortunately, there are treatment options to get women closer to the healthy head of hair they love.  

What Causes Hair Loss in Women? 

There are several reasons why women lose their hair. Some female hair loss is temporary, while other types are more permanent or require treatment to manage.  

Let’s start with temporary hair loss. While frustrating and even a bit scary to see hair falling out and thin or bare patches form on the scalp, temporary hair loss occurs because of a specific trigger and will regrow once that trigger is resolved.  

Here are some common causes of temporary hair loss: 

Postpartum hair loss: Losing hair after having a baby actually isn’t true hair loss – it’s hair shedding as your body adjusts to falling estrogen levels. During pregnancy, the body holds onto hair, so you aren’t experiencing normal daily hair shedding. After giving birth, all that hair falls out. It may be a bit shocking but it should taper off by four months postpartum and normal hair growth resumes at about one year postpartum. To reduce the appearance of thin or bald spots from postpartum hair loss, we recommend: 

  • Avoiding heavy or intensive conditioners, as these can weigh down hair 
  • Using a volumizing shampoo to make hair appear fuller 
  • Only conditioning the ends of your hair to avoid weighing your hair down 

Recovery from a major illness or surgery, or weight loss of 20+ pounds: A major trauma or change to the body can cause telogen effluvium, where more hairs than normal begin shedding at the same time. Similar to postpartum hair loss, hair falls out all at once but will taper off after a few months and normal hair growth resumes.  

Cancer treatment: Chemotherapy targets rapidly-dividing cells, which include hair follicles. Hair loss during chemotherapy treatment is normal, and hair typically grows back once the treatment is complete; however it may be thinner or patchy, something you can manage with different treatment options.  

Psoriasis on the scalp: This condition can cause temporary hair loss as the skin is inflamed and irritated. Once your scalp psoriasis has been treated, normal hair growth typically resumes.  

Alopecia areata: This autoimmune condition causes your immune system to attack the hair follicles, leading to patchy hair loss or hair thinning. Alopecia areata can be triggered by stress or disease, but with management and treatment, you can expect normal hair growth to resume.  

Traction alopecia (hair damage or breakage): How we treat our hair is so important to its overall health and strength from the roots to the ends. Hairstyles that pull the hair can damage follicles over time and lead to hair loss. Shampooing your scalp and conditioning your hair keep it healthier and moisturized. Avoid excessive hair brushing and keep exposure to extreme heat, such as hair straighteners or curling irons, to a minimum. 

Scarring hair loss: Inflammatory or autoimmune disorders can lead to hair loss caused by hair follicle destruction. This type of hair loss can also be caused by skin injuries or burns. Systemic and aggressive treatment may be required, to help avoid permanent scarring and hair loss. Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA), is a specific type of scarring hair loss, it often begins in the center of the scalp as a small, balding, and round patch that grows over time. While more common in Black women, this type of hair loss develops in men and people of all races. If you have this type of hair loss, you want to treat it early. Starting treatment early can prevent CCCA from spreading outward and causing more permanent hair loss. 

Female Pattern Hair Loss 

Female pattern hair loss affects millions of women and typically begins in a woman’s 40s, 50s, or 60s. While it is a normal part of aging, hair loss at any point in one’s life can feel frustrating and have a significant impact on daily life.  

Female pattern hair loss is an ongoing condition that doesn’t improve with time, but unlike male pattern baldness, women do not lose all of their hair; rather, it becomes thinner and sparse in patches. 

It can be treated a number of ways depending on the severity of your hair loss and specific situation. Read on to learn about different treatment options for female hair loss.   

Find Your Hair Loss Treatment Plan 

Treatments for hair loss may help stop or slow down hair loss but will not regrow an entire head of hair. The sooner you begin treating hair loss the better, as female pattern hair loss will continue as you age.  

Here are some common treatment options for female pattern hair loss: 

  • Minoxidil: Commonly known as Rogaine, this treatment can stimulate hair growth and slow down hair loss.  
  • Laser: Laser caps and combs have been shown to be successful at treating hair loss and stimulating hair growth; however, not much has been studied about the overall effectiveness or side effect potential for laser treatments.  
  • Microneedling: Typically used in conjunction with Minoxidil or another treatment option, microneedling has been shown to stimulate hair growth. 
  • Corticosteroid injections: This procedure can help stimulate hair growth and can be especially effective for those with alopecia areata.  
  • Hair transplant: An effective and permanent solution to cover an area of baldness or thinness.  
  • Platelet-rich plasma: This procedure separates platelet-rich plasma from your blood, which is then injected into the area of hair loss. It has been shown effective at slowing hair loss when repeated several times.  
  • Prescription medications: In some cases, prescription medications like Propecia are recommended to slow or stop hair loss. You should consult with your dermatologist to see if a prescription medication makes the most sense for you.  

We don’t recommend medicinal treatments for temporary hair loss since it will grow back with time in these situations. However, if you are struggling with your temporary hair loss, here are a few quick tips to improve your hair’s appearance: 

  • Use a volumizing shampoo 
  • Avoid heavy or intensive hair care products that weigh hair down 
  • Keep hair away from extreme heat treatments like curling irons that can damage it and lead to greater hair loss 
  • Avoid hair styles that pull or break the hair 
  • Use a conditioner formulated for fine hair 

If you’d like to meet with a dermatologist to discuss hair loss concerns, schedule an appointment at any of our offices in Indiana, Ohio, New Hampshire, and Maine, and start your journey to stronger hair!