Women have been experiencing hair loss as long as they”ve been giving birth: i.e. throughout the entire existence of mankind. There are a lot of questions surrounding the condition since it is such a strong source of embarrassment for most women. This article addresses some of the most common of these questions.

Is there such a thing as Female Pattern Baldness?

There sure is; the medical term for it Androgenetic Alopecia. This type of hair loss – one of many, mind you – is responsible for about 95% of cases. While it can occur at any age, female pattern baldness most commonly occurs after menopause when more testosterone is present. (Women generally start out with the same amount of testosterone as men but most of it gets converted into estrogens).

Excess testosterone in the scalp can be converted into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a substance which binds to hair follicles and causes them to shrink. As hair follicles shrink, they produce thinner and thinner hairs until eventually they’re so narrow they can’t produce a hair, resulting in baldness.

What causes Androgenetic Alopecia?

The cause is actually in the name. Say it slower; did you hear the word genetic in there? Yeah, you can blame your mom and dad. Androgenetic Alopecia is caused by a genetic mutation which you can inherit from your mom, your dad, or both.

Why do women bald differently than men?

Balding caused by Androgenetic Alopecia affects men and women differently due to several factors, one of the more influential being the distribution of androgen receptors in the scalp. In order for DHT to have its hair follicle-shrinking effect, it must bind to an androgen receptor on the hair follicle. Men have approximately 40% more androgen receptors in their frontal hairline follicles than women, causing receding hairlines to be more common in men.

Is my hair loss the result of excessive washing?

Unless you wash your hair with hydrochloric acid or some other harmful chemical, you probably aren’t losing more than the normal amount of hair to washing. The shampoo and conditioner you may apply to your hair in the shower only touches the dead, outer part of your hair called the hair shaft. Damage to the shaft doesn’t cause hair to fall out. While damaging the hair follicle will cause hair to fall out, most things you apply to your head can’t be absorbed through the skin and therefore won’t ever reach the follicle.

Can chemical hair treatments cause hair loss?

Potentially, yes; while the mild chemicals in shampoos, conditioners, hair gels and sprays won’t damage your hair follicles and therefore cause hair to fall out, harsher chemicals like those used in some hair treatments can damage the scalp and the hair follicles within.

Why is my hair suddenly falling out?

Most of the time when hair suddenly falls out it’s because about three months ago your body went through some hard times. Anything that causes your body to shift resources away from growing hair – such as giving birth, having surgery, not eating enough protein, getting sick, etc. – can cause hair to go into a resting state. The cycle of hair growth is a one way street, and once a hair follicle enters the resting state it will inevitably fall out in a couple months. Not to worry though: hair lost this way will grow back once nutrition and health is restored.

Sources:
http://www.hairlossinformation.com/hair-loss-in-women/androgenetic-alopecia-women.shtml
http://www.follicle.com/
http://www.ahlc.org/causes-f.htm