Understanding Hair Falling Out Female: Causes and Effective Treatments

Hair loss in women happens when more hair is falling out than is growing to replace it. On average, people shed around 50-100 hairs a day. This is a natural part of the cycle of hair growth, but when it is interrupted, it can lead to hair loss. 

Here we’ll look at the reasons for female hair loss and what the symptoms are, along with the way to go about diagnosing hair loss and potential treatments. We’ll also explore how Hairy Hair can help you with your hair loss if you’re looking for an expert solution.

The hair growth cycle

To understand hair loss, it’s important to know how hair moves through different stages. The three cycles of hair growth are:

• Anagen: This is the growth phase and can last anywhere from two to eight years. It’s also where 85-90% of your hair is at any given time.

• Catagen: This is the transition phase where hair follicles shrink and prepare for shedding, which lasts for about two to three weeks.

• Telogen: This is the resting phase and takes from two to four months. Once hair has gone through the telogen phase, it is ready to fall out from the follicle.

Types of female hair loss

There are a couple of common types of hair loss that affect women. The primary one is androgenetic alopecia, also known as female pattern hair loss. 

This is where hormonal imbalances caused by genetics lead to hair thinning gradually on the top and sides of your head. Pattern baldness works differently for women and will rarely lead to complete baldness as it can for men.

Medications can also lead to a type of hair loss known as anagen effluvium. A common cause of this is chemotherapy, as the growing hair follicles become compromised. This type of hair loss usually resolves on its own once the medication has had a chance to leave your system and no longer comes into contact with your follicles.

Another temporary form of hair loss is telogen effluvium. This is caused by more hair follicles entering the shrinking phase than the growth phase, and can happen as your body responds to a physically or emotionally stressful event. Some examples of this include childbirth or surgery.

While the majority of people think that hair loss targets only males on a grand scale, many women can also develop thinning or shedding. The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology reports that around 40% of women will experience female pattern hair loss by the age of 50.

What can cause hair loss in women?

Some of the causes of hair loss come from changes to your routine, including hair products which you have control over, but others are impossible to prevent, such as age or genetics.

Environmental factors

Damaged hair follicles are a cause of hair loss that may be remedied if your hair care routine includes the use of chemical hair treatments or intense heat styling tools. If you have to maintain these or tight hairstyles, then try using protective treatments beforehand and limit the frequency of these routines if possible.

Changes to your diet can cause hair to fall out as well. Whether this is from dieting or other causes, a major change to the nutrients in your body can negatively impact your hair.

If you’re deficient in certain vitamins and minerals, your body can prioritise sending its reserves to your vital organs and hair follicles aren’t perceived as a priority. Once a deficiency has been remedied, hair should return to normal growth.

Immutable factors

Genetic susceptibility and aging are something that can’t be avoided, so you must make sure that you know whether you have any history of hair loss in your family and watch out for any changes in your regular hair growth. Precautions taken beforehand will give you a higher chance of treating your hair loss effectively.

Menopause can also cause hair loss and excess hair growth in places where it is unwanted. The hormonal change leads to more testosterone being produced and less estrogen. Hair loss from menopause can go on as you age, so you should see an expert if you are experiencing this.

Diagnosing hair loss in women

If you are losing hair, you may get help from a healthcare provider. They will try to find out why it is happening so they can deal with it correctly. They do this normally by carefully examining the area in which you are losing your hair. The doctor will also ask about your history of hair loss within your family and any recent changes in your life. These modifications may involve stress, diet, or illness. All of these elements can affect the way your hair grows.

Tests from professionals can include the following:

• Pull test: Here, a small patch of hair is gently pulled to see how many hairs come out.
• Microscope: Looking at hair strands that have fallen out can point to what stage they were at when they shed, and if there is external damage that is causing the hair loss.
• Blood test: Checking for vitamin and mineral levels is important to rule out a nutrient deficiency that is causing your hair loss, as well as checking hormonal levels like your thyroid, which could be the cause of your shedding.
• Scalp biopsy: This involves removing a small patch of scalp skin, which can be analysed to look at damage to the hair follicle where hair is produced, as well as whether a scalp condition, such as dandruff, is leading to increased shedding.

As part of a diagnosis, your healthcare professional may also inquire about what kinds of products you use and the hairstyles you wear. Hair loss can also result from a condition known as trichotillomania, which involves compulsive pulling of the hair.

Other questions can range from the presence of current or ongoing stressors, types of medications and supplements you may be taking, how long you’ve been experiencing hair loss, and how balanced your diet is.

Treatments for female hair loss

The type of treatment that will work best for you is probably going to be dependent on why the hair loss occurred. It may mean that you need to reduce stress in your life or stop using certain hair products. In some other situations, it could mean that you need to be taking a vitamin or supplement to balance your deficiency level.

For age or genetic permanent hair loss disorders, there are also a few medical treatments and many therapies that are designed to undo continuous shedding and maybe even grow back lost hair.

Clinical therapy options like microneedling, PRP injection, or hair transplanting are available. Less invasive forms of treatment do exist for women, too.

How can Hairy Hair help with my hair loss?

Hair loss can worry many women. An increase in worry about the condition also worsens it, as stress is one of the causes of hair loss. The range of treatments for hair loss can confuse one about how to select the most suitable one. Moreover, one treatment may not be sufficient to handle your particular condition of hair loss.

That’s why Hairy Hair has developed a single daily pill that is formulated with a powerful combination of ingredients that aims to address an array of hair loss issues.

It acts as a dihydrotestosterone (DHT) blocker to prevent hair follicles from shrinking. This is one of the main factors for hair loss in androgenetic alopecia cases. It also works to widen blood vessels in the scalp so more oxygen and nutrients can reach your follicles.

The supplement is rounded out with natural growth promoters to encourage keratin production, the main protein in hair strands, and reduce inflammation.

Through a multi-faceted approach, you may be better equipped to deal with your hair loss than taking a single treatment. 

Hair loss in women and tackling it

The health of your hair can impact many areas of your life, from losing confidence to increasing stress levels. Women can experience hair shedding in many of the same ways as men, though it can present differently.

Understanding the cause of your hair loss can empower you to seek the appropriate treatment and tackle the issue at the root. If you’re struggling with your hair loss, contact Hairy Hair today. Just fill in a brief online questionnaire to get started, so we can learn more about you and your hair loss.

From there, our expert team will create a personalised treatment plan, and a qualified Australian GP will then give you a call to go over it with you as well as address any questions you may have. 

All you need to do after that is wait for your medication to be delivered right to your door. Our dedicated support team will also be on hand through your hair growth journey to monitor your progress and answer any queries you may have along the way. The best time to tackle hair loss is at the first signs, so act now to give yourself the best chance at recovery.