Female baldness, medically known as female alopecia, starts with thinning of hair. If you have started noticing excessive hairfall of late, it’s in your best interests to initiate its treatment at the earliest.
Baldness occurs when hair falls at a high rate and the growth of new follicle is hampered, primarily due to hormonal changes in the body, aging, and genetic predisposition. Female baldness is a growing problem which starts at an early age and worsens with time. In women, balding may occur as a result of post-menopause hormonal changes or physical or psychological stress. Some women suffer from hair loss after pregnancy, while some girls start experiencing the problem immediately after attaining puberty.
Besides, medicines and medical procedures for the treatment of conditions like cancer and gout, birth control tablets, and blood thinners can also cause hair loss. Imbalance in hormones like androgens and estrogens, has a major role to play in causing female alopecia. Hairfall often leads to depression and embarrassment, and therefore, has to be subjected to proper diagnosis and treatment at the earliest.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Diagnosis of female baldness is often based on appearance and pattern of hair loss. Female alopecia can be diagnosed with the help of a skin biopsy and blood test. The treatment procedure usually depends on the type of hair loss. Ideally, treatment should be started immediately after the onset of the problem. If you notice excessive hair fall regularly, or thinning of hair for that matter, you should consult a trichologist for further course of action.
After undertaking a proper diagnosis, the trichologist will determine the underlying cause and tell you how you can go about with the treatment part. He may prescribe medication, like minoxidil, to stop or slow down hair loss and promote hair growth. (Minoxidil is available in solution dosage and foam dosage forms.) If baldness occurs due to iron deficiency, then intake of iron-rich foods will be recommended. Similarly, hormone replacement pills will be prescribed for the treatment of menopause-related baldness.
The trichologist may recommend a hair transplant, which involves removal of tiny hair from growing area and placing them in bald area, or scalp reduction surgery, wherein the bald scalp is removed surgically and replaced with hair-bearing scalp. Though effective, these methods of treating baldness are highly expensive and even painful at times.
Lower lever laser therapy can be applied to stimulate the growth of hair at the cellular level. It is considered a relatively safe method of promoting healthy hair growth and improving the strength. Some homeopathic medication are also known to help regain natural growth of hair. These medicines, which are prescribed by a homeopathic practitioner, are usually used for the treatment of hormonal imbalance and prevent baldness associated with it.
Besides these treatment methods, cosmetic measures, like perming and dying, can also help women deal with the problem, albeit temporarily. Additionally, wigs and change of hairstyle also assist in disguising female baldness.
