Home | Consult Us | Hair Loss Blog

Hair Loss Article

Female Experiencing Rapid Hair Loss, What Hair Restoration Options are Available? - Thursday, January 17, 2008

Question:

I am a 35 years old female and have been losing hair rapidly, mostly in the front starting at my hairline and continuing back about one inch.  No one in my family has a history of hair loss nor thinning hair. In consulting with a physician, found through blood work that I have a very low level of testosterone. Could this possibly be causing the hair loss?  If it is and this normalizes, could I regrow hair? 

Answer:

The most important thing to do at this point is to first determine the cause of your hair loss which could be a number of possibilities. I have listed some of the possibilities below:  

Androgenetic Alopecia (Hereditary Hair Loss)

The most common form of hair loss is Androgenetic Alopecia (hereditary hair loss).  Keep in mind however, that female pattern hair loss can be inherited from either side of the family (your mother or your father) and from either sex.  The cause of this type of hair loss is the genes. Certain hair is genetically predisposed to a hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which is created when the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase combines with testosterone. Hair genetically predisposed to DHT will weaken and die when DHT binds to the receptor of the hair follicles.

It is typically more rare for women to experience genetic hair loss than men due to the lower testosterone and higher levels of estrogen. At the same time however, genetic hair loss impacts many women worldwide. Generally speaking, less testosterone means less production of DHT. However, in your case, It is quite possible that your lower testosterone levels are due to the fact that more of it has converted to DHT. If you are genetically predisposed to hair loss, DHT could be causing the loss of hair.

Hereditary hair loss is more difficult to treat and there are only a few options available to women which include Rogaine with Minoxidil for women (2%) and hair replacment surgery for those who are good candidates.

Diffuse Alopecia (Telogen Effluvium)

But there are other things that can cause hair loss unrelated to genetics such as diffuse alopecia of which telogen effluvium is most common. Telogen effluvium can typically be characterized by diffuse hair thinning all over the scalp.  Typical causes of telogen effluvium include:

• Hormonal changes (brth control pills for example)
• Certain medications such as retinoids (including excess Vitamin A), beta-blockers, propylthiouracil, anticogulants, and immunization agents
• Allergic dermatitis of the scalp
• Medical conditions such as thyroid conditions, etc.

The good news is, with proper treatment to the condition causing it, this type of hair loss is often a reversible process

Traction Alopecia

This type of hair loss is characterized by a receeding hairline such as in your case. This is typically caused by excessive styling or pulling of the hair which ultimately damages the hair follicles and can even cause scarring in the hairline. As long as scar formation has not occurred, it is quite possible that stopping the action that is causing this excessive pulling will reverse the hair loss process in that area.

My Advice

My advice would be to seek out a dermatologist or hair restoration specialist to determine the cause of your hair loss condition.   Once it has been diagnosed, a proper hair restoration treatment program can be implemented.