Everyone wishes for long, healthy, and shiny hair as they are the most vital part of your body. But for various reasons, hair loss is more common than ever. Most people believe that men rather than women mostly face hair loss. However, it is only a myth that 50% of women experience severe hair loss. So, if the part in your hair is widening, you are noticing more bald spots, and shedding more than 125 hairs per day, you are going through severe hair loss. In this situation, one should consult a plastic surgeon immediately and gather more information on hair loss management. 

We are back with this article to help you overcome this and inform you to take care of your hair. After having a detailed conversation with Dr. Shilpi Bhadani at SB Trichology about treating hair loss in women in Gurgaon. So, let’s get started by getting an overview of hair loss in women. 

What’s Hair Loss In Women: Get An Overview 

Hair loss in women is seen when a woman experiences an unexpected, heavy loss of hair. Though shedding hair is a part of a natural balance, when hairs fall out, others grow in; when this balance erupts, the medical term for hair loss is called “alopecia.”

Hair is known to grow on almost all skin surfaces except for the palms of your hands, soles of your feet, or eyelids. Light, fine, short hair is identified to be ‘vellus hair’ while terminal/androgenic hair is thicker, darker, and longer. 

Types of Hair Loss 

There are three types of hair loss: 

• Telogen Effluvium: This is caused by an increase in hair follicles reaching the telogen phase, where your hair falls out. 
• Anagen Effluvium: It is caused by medications that trouble a growing hair follicle.
• Female Pattern Hair loss/baldness: This is the most common type. In this, hair gets thin over the head or on the sides. 

Who Are All Likely To Experience Hair Loss?

Anyone can experience hair loss, but it is more common in: 

• Females older than 40 years of age 
• Females using harsh chemicals on their hair 
• Females going through menopause 
• Women who have just delivered or are pregnant 
• Women undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy or who are taking medications that induce hair loss.

Myths Associated With Hair Loss In Women 

The long list of myths associated with hair loss in women includes: 

• Dandruff leads to permanent hair loss in women 
• Using shampoo too much leads to hair loss
• Shaving your head will result in thicker hair 
• Hats cause hair loss in women 
• Brushing your hair excessively and too many times will make your hair healthier. 
• Intellectual womens are more prone to hair loss. 

Symptoms 

The common symptoms of hair loss in women are:

• Circular or patchy bald spots 
• Gradual thinning on top of the head 
• Full body hair loss
• Sudden loosening of hair 
• Patches of scaling that spread over the scalp 

Causes 

Common causes of hair loss in women are: 

• Vitamin deficiency 
• Dieting
• Adopting various hairstyles
• Restrictive diets 
• Over-processed scalp hair 
•  

Causes of Anagen Effluvium Hair Loss 

Toxic substances like chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and some medications are the causes of anagen-effluvium hair loss. This type of hair loss results in sudden hair loss anywhere on your body. It generally happens to hair in the growth stage; in some cases, this type of hair loss is permanent if your air follicles get damaged. 

Causes of Telogen Effluvium Hair Loss

• High stress or sudden shock to your body 
• Abnormal thyroid
• Extreme emotional stress. Such as the death of a loved one, emotional illness 
• Taking medications and supplements such as blood pressure and gout medicines and high doses of vitamin A
• Hormone fluctuations resulting from pregnancy, menopause, or birth control 

Causes of Female Pattern Hair Loss 

• Genes
• Ageing 
• Menopause 

Besides this, other conditions that affect hair loss is Alopecia Areata. It is an autoimmune skin condition that causes patchy hair loss on your head and possibly other places on your body. Generally, they are temporary. 

Is There Any Link Between Hair Loss in Women and Menopause?

At the time of menopause, you may encounter any of these situations: either you start growing hair in places where it was not present, or you notice the hair has begun to thin, particularly on the head. The female hormones, i.e., estrogen and progesterone, fall while the effects of the androgens, or male hormones, are increased. The DHT leads to the follicles shrinking, leading to slow hair growth, and falls out more easily in these cases.

Diagnosis 

Both simple and a little complicated diagnosis tests will be performed: 

• Scalp examination under a microscope or trichoscopy.
• Scalp biopsy to remove and examine a minor piece of scalp. 
• Blood tests check for vitamin and hormone levels like vitamin D, vitamin B, zinc, and iron hormone levels, including thyroid and sex hormones.
• Your doctor will ask questions about habits, products used, hairstyle, dietary habits, or any recent infection. 

Management And Treatment 

It is important to note that if you are going through severe hair loss, it is best to consult the best skin-care specialist. This is done to plan for a hair transplant surgery; the suggested techniques as per doctors are: 

• FUE: In this type of hair transplant, the surgeon extracts each follicular unit one by one with the help of a micro punch. There can be many types of punches and ways to use them, like manual punches, motorized punches, sharp, blunt, etc., and all offer good hair transplant results. 
• FUT: In this, a strip of scalp is surgically removed from the donor area, and the follicular units are prepared outside the body by technicians using microscopy. Follicular units are removed one by one, leading to many punctiform scars. 
• Hairline Advancement Surgeries: Females have a high hairline pattern, often resembling a male hairline pattern. In these cases, forehead reduction surgery is the most preferred choice to correct the hairline. This surgery is often combined with frontal bending correction and is commonly performed in female feminization surgery. 

Post-Care Surgery And Maintenance 

• Mid swelling and discomfort are expected, with numbness for the first few days after the surgery, for this medication is prescribed as per your dermatologist. 
• You must avoid heavy weight lifting and strenuous activities for at least 6-8 weeks. 
• You can return to your day-to-day activities after your stitches get removed.  

In Conclusion 

Hair loss can trouble your life and cause you stress. It doesn’t matter the reason behind the hair loss, whether it be due to hormonal imbalance, genetics, poor lifestyle, menopause, etc. You should know that hair loss can be reversible. Only you have to seek the top plastic surgeon specializing in hair transplants. 

You can consult Dr. Shilpi Bhadani at SB Trichology. She is renowned as the best hair transplant surgeon in Gurgaon due to her proven success record of treating hair-related issues for thousands of patients. With her compassionate approach and 14+ years of experience, she provides the best results to her patients. To book your appointment with her, visit SB Trichology today!