Discovering the cause, understanding the underlying processes and knowing what to do (or not do), can help preserve your hair or reverse the loss. A variety of factors can contribute to thinning hair.
Genetics: Heredity accounts for 95 percent of the estimated 20 million American women with hair loss. But it’s not an obvious diagnosis. “Female hair loss is more complicated than male hair loss,” Dr. Gary S. Hitzig, a New York cosmetic surgeon who serves on the board of directors of the American Hair Loss Council. “It’s very easy to diagnose a man.” Familial male pattern hair loss causes the classic bald top while sparing side and back hair. A similar pattern occurs in women too, but it’s much more diffuse and can be confused with other causes of thinning.
Thyroid: If hair thins evenly over the entire scalp, not just the top, suspect thyroid imbalance. Either too much or too little thyroid hormone can cause hair loss. Simple blood tests can provide an answer. “It’s better to catch it earlier rather than later,” Dr. Hitzig says, because your chances of a quick, complete reversal improve.
Stress: Major life events that can speed up hair loss include rapid weight loss, prolonged illness, tragedy, surgery and anesthesia and moving to a new country. Stress won’t cause permanent loss of hair that Nature and genetics intend for you to keep; that hair will grow back when the stress passes. But stress can advance the clock.
Hormones: Estrogen is the protector against hair loss. That’s one reason women with familial hair loss have a more diffuse thinning instead of the bald pate men get. Anything that lowers estrogen — pregnancy, birth control pills, menopause — can allow greater expression of testosterone, the culprit responsible in genetic hair loss.
Diseases and medications: Some everyday medications, such as some blood pressure pills and diuretics, can cause hair to fall out. Sometimes the hair loss that’s an occasional side-effect of Accutane prescribed for severe acne, can be permanent.
Pulling and tugging: Wigs that attach by tugging on small areas of hair can create bald spots [italics added]. So can styles such as tight pony tails or tiny, braided “corn rows.” Constant pulling on the hair causes inflammation, which over time kills the hair-producing follicles.
Treatment: Your medical evaluation should include checking your medications, examining your entire scalp and testing thyroid function. You may want to see a hair loss specialist. Dr. Hitzig cautions that many doctors don’t understand hair loss. Even specialists can steer you wrong. Be wary if someone wants to start with a hair transplant, which can accelerate thinning of surrounding hair. Although more products are in the research pipeline, Dr. Hitzig says there are only two good treatments for genetic hair loss in women, minoxidil, (for example, Rogaine) and Tricomin, which is new. In fact, minoxidil works better in women than men.
To read this complete article and more on this topic, go to www.medhealth.com/thinhair.html
