Hair Loss

Hair is a vital part of the human body. Not only does it enhance the look of a person, it also helps in providing adaptability to weather conditions. For women, hair is one of the determining factors associated with beauty. And in such a state, hair loss for women can be quite upsetting. But unlike men, women do not easily go bald but face excessive thinning of hair. This kind of hair loss in women is called Female pattern hair loss. This is a condition which affects at least 20% of women.

Female pattern hair loss can be caused by many various conditions, all of which are difficult to diagnose. This condition can happen anywhere on the body but mostly happens on the scalp. The most prevalent type of hair loss among women is female pattern thinning, known medically as Androgenetic Alopecia.

Normally, at any point of time, almost 10 percent of the hair on your scalp is in a resting phase. After 2 to 3 months, the resting hair falls out and new hair starts to grow in its place. This growing phase lasts for 2 to 6 years. It is normal to shed some hair each day as part of this cycle. Sometimes excessive hair loss may be experienced; this is in reaction to intense stress on the body's physical or hormonal systems, or some reaction to medication. This condition can occur at any age, generally begins fairly suddenly and gets better on its own within about six months, although for a few people it can become a chronic problem. Fortunately, it often gets better with time.

Telogen effluvium is a phenomenon related to the growth cycles of hair. Hair growth cycles alternate between a growth phase (called anagen, it lasts about three years) and a resting phase (telogen, which lasts about three months). During telogen, the hair remains in the follicle until it is pushed out by the growth of a new hair in the anagen phase. Another common type of hair loss in women is androgenetic alopecia, which is related to hormone levels in the body.