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Female pattern baldness or androgenic alopecia in females is the most common cause of hair loss in women. It is similar to the androgenetic alopecia in males, which is also called male pattern baldness. It is normal to have hair loss for women at one or another point in time. However, less than fifty per cent of women will have a head full of hair post sixty-five.
Although it is customary to lose fifty to a hundred hair strands each day, any woman suffering from androgenic alopecia in females can lose a lot more than that. However, unlike men, women are less likely to go completely bald unless they are troubled by alopecia totalis, where the scalp is entirely devoid of hair.
Androgenic alopecia in females or female pattern baldness occurs in the presence of androgen dihydrotestosterone that binds the hair follicles to the androgen receptors. In return, the androgen receptors activate the genes responsible for transforming the large hair follicles to miniaturized hair follicles and gradually, no hair follicles at all.
So what exactly causes androgenic alopecia in females? Is it possible to prevent this issue? This article broadly discusses the causes of androgenic alopecia in females and the food that can help you save your glorious traces. Stay tuned.
Reasons for Androgenetic Alopecia in Females
Androgenic alopecia in females can be caused due to a number of reasons, including age, genes, hormones, or any medical issues.
Old age is inevitable, and so its effects. Thinning hair or hair loss is a common effect of old age that many men and women go through, and androgenic alopecia in females is no exception. Old age leads to hair loss, bald patches and thinning of hair.
Hair loss, like most other physical traits, is passed down from one generation to another. If any of your parents or a close relative have a history of androgenic alopecia in females, you are most likely to inherit genetic hair loss.
The hormone plays its role in contributing to hair loss in females or androgenic alopecia in females. Endocrine or a hormone-secreting hormone is another underlying reason for hair loss. Apart from these, any severe medical conditions such as severe acne, abnormal weight gain, thyroid, stress, or irregular period are some of the reasons responsible for alopecia in women.
Can Women Get Alopecia In Their Early 20’s?
There are fewer chances for women to develop alopecia before midlife. Like most men, women too are more likely to start losing their traces between forty and above. Androgen, as we have discussed earlier in this article, contributes a lot to male pattern baldness. Androgen is a are sex hormones that also contribute to females pattern baldness or androgenic alopecia in females.
Even though most women can get their traces halved through hair loss, it is essential for teens and girls in their early 20’s to take proper care of their hair. When you give up on bad habits such as smoking and drinking and follow a holistic approach, the hair loss process slows down for you, and you have a beautiful head full of traces even in your fifties.
Other Factors That Can Cause Pattern Hair Loss in Female
Now that we already know that androgen, genes, and medical conditions can significantly cause pattern baldness in women, be informed that androgenic alopecia in females is also caused by a bunch of other factors such as:
- Ovarian cysts in women
- Taking high index birth control pills
- During pregnancy
- Menopause
- Major surgery
- Traumatic childbirth
- Severe scalp infection
- Poor diet or malnutrition
If you have experienced any of these factors, there are chances that you may experience hair loss. In the presence of any of these events mentioned above, your hair goes through deep stress. Around ninety per cent or more of your hair in the growing phase or anagen phase can shift all at once into the resting phase or telogen phase.
The telogen phase is the hair’s shedding phase, which can occur anytime between six weeks to three months after any stressful or traumatic event.
Sometimes, people also get bald patches all over their scalp, also known as alopecia areata, which is not similar to androgenic alopecia in females and males. If you are experiencing patchy baldness on your scalp, it is best to consult your doctor immediately.
Is It Possible To Prevent Genetic Alopecia?
You cannot prevent genetic alopecia, but you can protect your hair from further damage and loss. There are different types of alopecia: androgenetic alopecia, alopecia areata, or alopecia totalis. Since we have already discussed the causes of androgenic alopecia in females, genetic hair loss is unavoidable.
Hereditary hair loss runs in the family and affects the scalp the most; however, it can occur in any part of the body. That said, early detection and treatment can help you combat genetic alopecia and can stop it from causing more hair loss.
Here are some hair care tips that you can follow for beautiful and healthy hair:
- Eating a healthy diet and add more greens and vitamins
- Avoid smoking and alcohol consumption. Smoking damages your hair follicles and speed up hair loss
- Avoid treating your hair chemically. It is best to stop using curling and straightening tools on your hair
- Always cover your head when exposed to the sun. The UV rays aren’t good for your hair
- Sleep adequately and skip the stress
These holistic approaches to a good and healthy lifestyle can help you maintain good scalp and hair health and can slow down the process of hair loss.
Foods That Can Help Prevent Alopecia
Good food is always a top priority when it comes to good health. Apart from medicines, a good diet is essential to tackle androgenic alopecia in females or males. Below we have listed some of the superfoods that can help you tackle alopecia:
- Beans
- Eggs
- Nuts and seeds
- Low-fat dairy products
- Chicken
- Spinach
- Sweet potatoes
- Red bell pepper
- Lean poultry
Supplements also help in managing good hair health and may help you to tackle androgenic alopecia in females and males:
Multivitamins such as iron, zinc, vitamins A, B, C, D, and selenium. Adding biotin and ginseng to your diet may also help in promoting your hair growth.
How Does Traya’s Treatment Plan Help with Androgenetic Alopecia in Females?
Androgenic alopecia in females can occur due to hormonal imbalance and metabolism to stress and environmental factors. Each of these has immensely contributed to your hair loss issue. Traya believes and stands by its holistic approach to tackling hair loss by finding the root cause of your hair loss and then giving you an effective and proven solution.
The Ayurvedic doctors and dermatologists at Traya take the hair loss issue in three-fold ways. They combine the goodness of the three sciences - Ayurveda, Dermatology, and Nutrition and then personalize the remedy for you.
Traya, unlike all other commercial hair care brands, is a completely natural hair care solution that not just provides you with medication to be applied topically but supplements for the overall health of your hair. You can take the Traya’s hair test and know about your scalp health.
There is a complete range of Traya’s natural hair care products that can help you combat hair loss issues. The dermatologists at Traya will do a thorough analysis of your hair loss issue. After finding the root cause of your hair loss, they will prescribe you effective medications such as Minoxidil 5% and minoxidil 2%, hair fall shampoo, hair root serum, hair ras, herbal hair oil, scalp controller, or health tatva. Explore the complete range of Traya’s hair care products to find your natural solution to hair problems.
Hair loss, when caused by alopecia, is inevitable in most cases. But with a balanced life and healthy habits, you can keep a tab on your hair loss to an impressive extent.
FAQs
- Can female androgenetic alopecia be reversed?
Androgenic alopecia in females can be reversible upto some extent and mainly depends upon hair type, scalp conditions etc. However, timely and proper treatment can stop hair loss and can even contribute to a certain extent.
- What causes androgenic alopecia in females?
There are several factors responsible for androgenic alopecia in females. Genes, hormonal imbalances, family history, poor diet, existing health issues, pregnancy, childbirth, thyroid, environmental factors, deficiency of vitamins and essential nutrients, high dose of birth control pills, or severe infection may lead to androgenic alopecia in females.
- Can your hair grow back if you have androgenic alopecia?
With age, our hair follicles stop growing hair, and this condition is also called androgenic alopecia. Generally, this type of hair loss is permanent, meaning there are no chances of developing hair back on the scalp. As this condition occurs due to several reasons listed out, the hair follicle becomes dormant and thus incapable of producing any hair.
That said, you may be able to slow down the process of androgenic alopecia by following a healthy lifestyle, good diet, proper treatment such as usage of minoxidil 2% in case of women, finasteride, and natural hair care products with no harmful chemicals.
