Causes of hairloss in women
Hair loss is a cause of havoc in many women. One sensible idea will be to first know the right cause and then look for an effective treatment. There can be several causes of hair loss in women. It may be due to hormonal imbalance, nutrients' deficiency, traumatic conditions, and even due to genes. Following is a brief description of some of the causes of hair loss in women.
Common Causes of Hair Loss in Women:
Dihydroxytestosterone: Women have testosterone, a male sex hormone, in trace amounts. An enzyme called Type II 5-alpha reductase converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). High levels of DHT get attached to hair follicles in the scalp. As a result, the hair follicles shrink and find it difficult to survive, hence hair loss. It is studied that even lower levels of DHT cause hair loss in women. Andogenetic alopecia is the medical term given to such a kind of hair loss.
Stressful Events:
A strand of hair completes its life-cycle in three stages. The growing phase called anagen, resting phase called catagen, and shedding off phase called telogen. Under certain traumatic or stressful events, 85% of hair makes a shift from anagen and catagen phase to telogen phase directly and very early. Thus, you experience loss of hair. Stressful events, therefore, can be one of the causes of sudden hair loss in women. Such events can be childbirth, a severe infection, malnutrition, major surgery and extreme stress. This type of hair loss is called Telogen effluvium. It is generally reversible.
Chemotherapy: Any impairment in the mitosis or metabolism process in the hair follicle, leads to a kind of hair loss called Anagen effluvium. Mostly, such impairments are caused by chemotherapy. The reason is, that chemotherapy targets rapidly dividing cancerous cells. However, other rapidly dividing cells in your body, which are absolutely normal, also get affected. Cells in the hair follicles, which are in the anagen phase of growth, are one of them. Anagen effluvium is the term assigned to such a type of hair loss.
Tight Hair Styles:
Some tight hair styles such as braids, cornrows, ponytails and hair extensions constantly pull at hair. Over a period of time, a localized trauma is produced on the hair follicles, which eventually leads to hair loss. Such a hair loss can be avoided by detecting and stopping the cause on time. This type of hair loss is medically called Traction alopecia.
Hair loss is a cause of havoc in many women. One sensible idea will be to first know the right cause and then look for an effective treatment. There can be several causes of hair loss in women. It may be due to hormonal imbalance, nutrients' deficiency, traumatic conditions, and even due to genes. Following is a brief description of some of the causes of hair loss in women.
Common Causes of Hair Loss in Women:
Dihydroxytestosterone: Women have testosterone, a male sex hormone, in trace amounts. An enzyme called Type II 5-alpha reductase converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). High levels of DHT get attached to hair follicles in the scalp. As a result, the hair follicles shrink and find it difficult to survive, hence hair loss. It is studied that even lower levels of DHT cause hair loss in women. Andogenetic alopecia is the medical term given to such a kind of hair loss.
Stressful Events:
A strand of hair completes its life-cycle in three stages. The growing phase called anagen, resting phase called catagen, and shedding off phase called telogen. Under certain traumatic or stressful events, 85% of hair makes a shift from anagen and catagen phase to telogen phase directly and very early. Thus, you experience loss of hair. Stressful events, therefore, can be one of the causes of sudden hair loss in women. Such events can be childbirth, a severe infection, malnutrition, major surgery and extreme stress. This type of hair loss is called Telogen effluvium. It is generally reversible.
Chemotherapy: Any impairment in the mitosis or metabolism process in the hair follicle, leads to a kind of hair loss called Anagen effluvium. Mostly, such impairments are caused by chemotherapy. The reason is, that chemotherapy targets rapidly dividing cancerous cells. However, other rapidly dividing cells in your body, which are absolutely normal, also get affected. Cells in the hair follicles, which are in the anagen phase of growth, are one of them. Anagen effluvium is the term assigned to such a type of hair loss.
Tight Hair Styles:
Some tight hair styles such as braids, cornrows, ponytails and hair extensions constantly pull at hair. Over a period of time, a localized trauma is produced on the hair follicles, which eventually leads to hair loss. Such a hair loss can be avoided by detecting and stopping the cause on time. This type of hair loss is medically called Traction alopecia.
