More than 50% of postmenopausal ladies expertise hair loss — this is what causes alopecia and methods to deal with it

• The most typical sort of hair loss in ladies is androgenetic alopecia, or feminine sample hair loss.
• Hair loss might be brought on by genetics, stress, drugs, or autoimmune situations like alopecia areata.
• A dermatologist may help decide what’s inflicting your hair loss and the way greatest to deal with it.

Losing between 50 and 100 hairs every day is regular, however shedding considerably greater than that may signal a problem.

Roughly one-third of women expertise feminine sample hair loss, or androgenetic alopecia, in some unspecified time in the future of their lives, and it turns into more and more possible as you age. In reality, a 2022 study discovered that 52.2% of postmenopausal ladies expertise some extent of feminine sample hair loss.

Fortunately, hair loss is mostly not thought-about harmful, in keeping with Jeffrey M. Cohen, MD, Yale Medicine dermatologist.

However, Cohen says it may be an indication of an underlying medical situation that does current well being dangers, equivalent to hypothyroidism. 

Additionally, he notes that hair loss may cause a psychological impression and be emotionally taxing for many who determine as ladies, which might lead to anxiety and depression.

Here’s what to find out about frequent causes of hair loss in ladies, in addition to how it may be handled and prevented. 

Types of hair loss in ladies

Here are among the most typical varieties of hair loss: 

1. Androgenetic alopecia — in any other case often called feminine sample hair loss — is the commonest sort of hair loss in ladies, and it includes hair thinning on the highest and sides of the top. 
2. Telogen effluvium is the second most common. It’s normally triggered by stress, which causes a sudden surge within the variety of dormant hair follicles, thus resulting in elevated shedding. It also can come after you have skilled a excessive fever or sickness, which is why many individuals have reported hair shedding after contracting COVID-19.
3. Anagen effluvium is speedy hair loss brought on by drugs, equivalent to chemotherapy medicine.
4. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition through which the immune system assaults the hair follicles. It typically causes hair loss in patches, however also can have an effect on the complete scalp or physique.

What causes alopecia?

There are many various causes for hair loss in ladies. Some of the commonest are the next:

Genetics 

Female sample baldness, particularly, has been discovered to run in families. If your parents have pattern baldness, you are extra more likely to expertise it. 

While research has discovered a robust hyperlink between hair loss in males and the AR gene on the “X” chromosome, researchers have yet to isolate a particular gene for hair loss in ladies.

Researchers suppose that alopecia areata is perhaps genetic, but it surely may be brought on by environmental elements, equivalent to stress.

Menopause

Post-menopausal ladies sometimes expertise thinning hair, says Alexander Zuriarrain, MD, a double board-certified plastic surgeon with Zuri Plastic Surgery. 

In reality, as much as two-thirds of women expertise hair thinning or bald spots after menopause. 

This occurs as a result of throughout menopause, ladies produce less estrogen and progesterone, which set off a rise within the manufacturing of androgens. Androgens are thought-about to be male hormones which are linked to shrinking hair follicles and hair loss.

Nutrient deficiencies

A 2021 study discovered that vitamin D performs a key function in hair development, and that deficiency on this vitamin is linked to androgenetic alopecia and telogen effluvium, amongst different varieties of alopecia. 

Vitamin D deficiency is quite common, affecting 41.6% of US adults — however you may simply get extra of this nutrient by foods like salmon, mushrooms, egg yolks, fortified orange juice and milk. You also can take an over-the-counter supplement if you don’t choose these meals. 

An iron deficiency also can contribute to hair loss, says Zuriarrain, so it is a good suggestion to include iron-rich foods like lentils and beans, fortified milk, and spinach, or different darkish leafy greens into your weight-reduction plan. You also can strive a supplement.

Symptoms and threat elements

Female sample hair loss can current in quite a few other ways, says Cohen, together with thinning on the high or sides of the top or widening of the central half. 

While your threat of hair loss grows with age, there are additionally different threat elements that enhance your chances of hair loss together with:

How do docs diagnose alopecia?

A physical exam by a dermatologist or different healthcare supplier can reveal what sort of hair loss you could have, which is able to decide the beneficial therapy. 

Your physician could visually study your scalp and gently tug on small sections of hair — if six or extra strands come out, which will indicate you have telogen effluvium, anagen effluvium, or early androgenetic alopecia.

Usually, a dermatologist will be capable of determine the sort and reason behind hair loss throughout a bodily examination, but when they want extra information for a analysis — for instance, in the event that they discover lesions on the scalp — they could conduct blood tests or a scalp biopsy.

Blood checks can verify for: 

• Hormone ranges to rule out underlying causes like thyroid illness or menopause.
• Vitamin or mineral deficiencies to rule out autoimmune ailments which may have an effect on your potential to soak up vitamins. 

A biopsy sometimes entails puncturing the scalp to take away a small pattern of tissue, which is then submitted for testing. A lab evaluation of the pattern may help to determine which type of hair loss you have.

“Women who expertise hair loss not related to being pregnant or stress must be evaluated by their major care physicians to rule out different causes of hair loss equivalent to thyroid illness, anemia, autoimmune ailments, polycystic ovarian syndrome, psoriasis, and seborrheic dermatitis,” says Zuriarrain.

Hair loss remedies

The proper therapy for hair loss relies on the trigger. Zuriarrain says hair loss associated to hormonal modifications from being pregnant or stress is normally solely non permanent, and subsequently could require you to attend to provide start or take steps to mitigate your stress levels so as to deal with it.

If your hair loss appears to be triggered by one thing else, it’s possible you’ll contemplate dietary supplements or drugs. But not all dietary supplements available on the market could have scientific backing. Here are among the ones that do:

• Vitamin D: A 2019 review discovered vitamin D dietary supplements may help enhance androgenetic alopecia and telogen effluvium, two of the commonest varieties of hair loss. 
• Omega 3 and 6 plus antioxidants: A small 2015 study discovered {that a} complement with omega fatty acids together with antioxidants helped to enhance hair density. Of the contributors who took this complement for six months, 89.9% reported a discount in hair loss. If you could have an iron deficiency, supplementing with this mineral could assist to sluggish or cease hair loss. 
• Viviscal: A 2015 study of ladies with self-perceived thinning hair discovered that taking the pure marine collagen protein complement Viviscal for 90 days decreased hair shedding whereas bettering hair high quality and energy. 
• Nutrafol: A 2018 study discovered {that a} “significant percentage” of topics who took the plant-based complement Nutrafol noticed an enchancment in hair development, quantity, thickness, and hair development price.

As for drugs, the one FDA-approved hair loss treatment for each women and men is Minoxidil (2% or 5%). This treatment is offered over-the-counter and utilized topically to the scalp, however could take a number of months till you see outcomes. 

“Minoxidil helps by keeping the hair in the strongest part of the hair cycle to improve the overall thickness of the hair,” says Cohen. “This can be very safe and very effective for women with hair loss.”

Another prescription hair loss medication is Spironolactone, a kind of steroid that hinders the effects of androgens in the body and tends to be simpler for ladies who expertise pre-menopausal hair loss. 

Corticosteroids are generally used to suppress the immune system and treat alopecia areata. They can both be utilized topically or injected straight into the scalp. While corticosteroids could not deal with the situation fully, they’ve been discovered to moderately improve hair development in adults and youngsters.

Beyond dietary supplements and drugs, different therapy choices embody:

• Hormone alternative remedy: For postmenopausal ladies, hormone replacement therapies, like Prempro, are a standard prescription treatment. 
• Laser remedy: A small 2020 study discovered that low-level laser therapy elevated hair density in sufferers with androgenetic alopecia. FDA-approved at-home gadgets embody the HairMax Lasercomb and the Theradome LH80 PRO helmet.
• Hair transplants are a type of surgical therapy that includes grafting hair onto thinning or balding areas. However, it requires you to have a patch of sturdy hair development from which grafts might be pulled. For most, that is sometimes the again of the top.

How to stop hair loss

It’s unlikely you can forestall hair loss associated to getting older, heredity, or illness, says Cohen.

However, in case your hair loss is brought on by one thing that is extra associated to life-style, then there are related life-style modifications you may make to cut back your threat: 

• Maintain a well-balanced weight-reduction plan that meets all of your vitamin and mineral necessities
• Reduce stress in your on a regular basis life 
• Quit smoking 
• Avoid tight hairstyles or hair merchandise laden with chemical substances and sulfates, which might all contribute to traction alopecia

Insider’s takeaway

In ladies, hair loss turns into more and more frequent with age — significantly after menopause. But it will also be brought on by different elements equivalent to genetics, malnutrition, autoimmune ailments, and thyroid problems. 

That’s why it is a good suggestion to tell your physician about your hair loss, to allow them to decide the basis trigger and greatest course of therapy.

While hair loss brought on by getting older or genetics is unavoidable, you may deal with hair loss if it is associated to your life-style by ensuring you are mitigating stress, getting sufficient vitamin D and iron, and utilizing gentler hair merchandise and styling ways. 

If making these modifications does not assist, your physician could conduct a sequence of checks to determine any potential underlying medical situations.