Testosterone the clue to female hair loss

Hormone changes are a major cause of hair loss in women. Most women would have guessed that to be the case. But would you have guessed that changes in your testosterone levels are a key cause of hair loss in women?

Specialists divide the causes of hair loss in women into traumatic or stress related hair loss and non traumatic - which includes just about everything else.

The most accepted cause of non traumatic hair loss in women is an androgen called DHT or dihydrotestosterone.

DHT is formed in the hair follicle from the male hormone testosterone which women possess as well as men. During most of our lives estrogen acts as a blocker to testosterone and prevents the production of excess levels of DHT.

Before the menopause women naturally have high levels of estrogen but there is a rapid decline after the menopause and this is when age related hormonal hair loss can be at its worst.

The result of more DHT in the hair follicle is a shorter hair growth cycle, finer hair and eventually general “effluvium” or hair loss resulting in thinning hair or patchy hair loss.

Women with ‘androgenetic alopecia’ - as this kind of hair loss is known - lose hair in a different way than men with male pattern baldness. In women, the hair becomes thinner all over the head, and the hairline does not recede. Androgenetic alopecia in women rarely leads to total baldness as it often does for men.

There are other factors which can contribute to androgenetic alopecia - or certainly make it worse. Genetics may play a role - if your mother had the condition it may be that you are more likely to develop it.

Another possible contributor is a high fat, high calorie diet. Just how all this works together is still not yet properly understood by hair specialists.

What is very clear is that hair loss is extremely distressing for women - almost certainly more so than for men. The good news is that treatment can be very effective.

The most common and most effective treatment for hair loss in women is the drug minoxidil which is available over the counter as Rogaine. Minoxidil has a long history of positive results for women with hair loss. As an alternative - there are natural treatments too, like the Hair Genesis range.

So - don’t dispair. Although the treatment is not a quick solution - if you are suffering at least you know that there is something you can do and your hair loss could be a thing of the past.

Related articles:

• How stress can make your hair fall out
• Keep your hair on - watch how you diet