Are you losing your hair? Join the crowd. Nearly half the people who are losing their hair in the US are women. This can be an extremely traumatic event for a woman. It can happen any time in a woman's life, but many times happens after menopause. In this article, we'll take a look at causes of hair loss in women. We'll start by examining the normal hair growth cycle.
How Does My Hair Normally Grow?
A hair on your head has a normal lifespan of two to six years. This hair will grow about a half an inch a month. 90% of your hair is in this growing phase at any given time, with the remaining 10% in a resting phase. The resting phase lasts about two months, and then the hair falls out, to be replaced by a new hair. As you can see, losing a certain amount of hair every day is a normal occurance. But sometimes the new hair doesn't grow back properly, which can lead to thin spots. There can be a number of causes for this problem.
What Can Cause Thinning Hair In Women?
Hormones are the number one reason for excessive hair loss in women. Many women notice they start losing a lot of hair within three months of having a baby. This is a temporary condition that will reverse itself as the hormone levels even out and return to the pre-pregnancy levels. Hormones in birth control pills can also cause this problem. And women who have gone through menopause may have problems with thinning hair.
Lupus, thyroid problems, and diabetes can also cause a woman's hair to become thinner and more sparse. It's always good to have a check-up with your doctor to be sure you don't have any health issues causing the problem.
Chemotherapy drugs are only one medication that can cause women to lose hair. Other drugs include blood thinners, antidepressants, medications used to treat gout, and even too much vitamin A.
Some women wear their hair pulled back tightly into ponytails, buns, or cornrows. Anything that pulls at the hair tightly for a long period of time can lead to trauma to the hair follicles, which prevents new hair from growing in. The good news is that if you notice hair loss soon enough and change your hairstyle, your hair will usually regrow.
Female Pattern Baldness is a certain type of women's hair loss that can run in the family.
Is My Hair Loss Caused By Female Pattern Baldness?
If women in your family have a pattern of thinning hair, especially after menopause, you could have it too. Women lose hair differently than men do. Instead of becoming bald, women's hair usually becomes thinner, usually over the top and front of the head. This happens when the hair that regrows after normal shedding comes in shorter and shorter. Eventually the hair is so short that it look like "peach fuzz." This can be inherited from either side of your family.
Hair Loss Can Be Emotionally Devastating For Women
If a woman suffers from hair loss or thinning hair, it can deal a strong blow to her self-esteem. There are many causes for this condition, including hormones, medications, trauma to the hair, and heredity. Determining the cause is essential to choose the proper treatment.
Darlene Norris invites you to read What Women Need To Know About Hair Loss for facts on hair loss in women. Discover how you can prevent and treat this problem at http://www.provillus-for-women.com
