HAIR LOSS PREVENTION (8)

HAIR LOSS PREVENTION (8)

Women’s Issues

The term Male Pattern Baldness (MPB) tends to lay
credence to the thought that hair loss is primarily a male
problem. While males do lose hair more readily and tend to
lose hair in sections, women suffer baldness and hair
thinning also, except the thinning is more uniform
throughout the head. With this is mind, women are better
candidates for surgical hair replacement and weaving
treatments, because large portions of the scalp are highly
unlikely to be bald on a woman suffering with androgenetic alopecia.
Because a great deal more emphasis is put on the
beauty of a woman’s hair, this is becoming a great concern
for today’s woman. While the general information covered
thus far is good for all persons in general, there are a few
things specific to women concerning hair loss.
Many women suffer hair loss and an increase of
facial hair after the onset of menopause. This is because of
the drop in estrogen production, changing the ratio of
estrogen to testosterone in a woman’s body. Prior to
menopause, a woman’s body is constantly producing
estrogen, which binds excess testosterone to proteins called
globulins. Therefore, there is little excess testosterone in a
woman’s body. After the onset of menopause this estrogen
is no longer present, thereby exposing it to a similar
although milder type of syndrome that males go through
concerning the overproduction of DHT. An interesting note
is that once again, the syndrome of menopause and its
unique effects are not as common in the Eastern world, but
are specific to Western civilization. The key differences are
the consumption of less red meat and fatty foods in Eastern
lands than in the West and less daily stressors in most
Eastern lands as compared to Western civilization.
Anorexia is an eating disorder that is becoming
more prevalent among women in the past few decades and
is psychologically driven in Western society due to the
emphasis put on slender women being the ideal in Western
civilization. Needless to say, if you or a loved one is
suffering with this disorder, a qualified physician should
treat any cases of anorexia. However, some of the side
effects of anorexia can be hair loss due to the malnutrition
the syndrome caused. In this case, it is vital to carefully
follow the advice given in the sections Nutrition, Diet, and
Hair Loss, and Natural Hair Remedies.
It is of course recommended in all cases that you
reduce your intake of red meats, fatty foods, and reduce
stress, however due to your profession and engrained habits
there may be a limit to how much you can change this part
of your lifestyle. There is another factor in Eastern
civilizations that may cause a stark difference in their
women not suffering through typical menopausal
symptoms here in the West. The consumption of soybeans
and soybean products is much higher in the East. This is
significant because soy contains estrogen-like substances
and work in the body similarly to estrogen. Therefore there
is not an extreme drop in estrogen levels in women who
consume soybean products, thus reducing the symptoms of
menopause typically suffered in the West.
Some women who suffer hair loss tend to have
gastrointestinal problems that do not allow them to absorb
proteins and zinc that are necessary to maintain a healthy
head of hair. If you think that you have problems with your
gastrointestinal system and are experiencing unusual hair
loss, of course see your doctor. You may be able to take
some natural non-dairy acidophilus after meals for a couple
of months in order to increase your digestion of these nutrients.
There are a number of myths associated with hair
loss in women particularly. Many were told that brushing
the hair 100 strokes each night will promote healthy hair
growth. As mentioned earlier, extreme brushing of the hair
can cause stress on the hair which can cause breakage and
hair loss. Also, just as hats have been rumored to cause hair
loss, wearing wigs has also been rumored to cause hair loss.
This is very untrue, especially if the scalp is given
sufficient time to breathe at night and hair is washed
regularly to avoid buildup. Although stress can cause
temporary hair loss, permanent hair loss is usually
unconnected to stress. Last but not least, the belief that
there are cosmetic products that are out on the market that
grow hair is simply unfounded. There is only one product
on the market that has been proven to grow hair on women
safely, and that is women’s Rogaine® discussed later in the
section Over The Counter Treatments.
During pregnancy hair growth increases
dramatically in most women. This increases the usual
percentage of hair normally growing on the head.
Therefore, after childbirth there may be an increase in hair
loss due to more hair follicles than usual entering the rest
phase. The temporary excessive loss of hair usually occurs
between one and three months after childbirth and is quite
normal; it should balance out a few months after childbirth
at most. Similar syndromes occur after ceasing birth control
pills or switching types of birth control pills.