Despite the negative impact of their hair loss on their lives women have been reluctant to seek treatment. But that trend seems to be turning around. “It was always very hush-hush, so women did not talk about it with anyone other than their hairdresser,” Dr. Limmer says.
“But today, more and more women are seeking treatment. Five years ago, one in 25 to 30 of my patients was a woman, now it’s one in every 12 patients.” Sometimes, hair loss is due to an underlying medical condition such as lupus, polycystic ovary syndrome, a thyroid problem, anemia or hormonal imbalances.
Hair loss can also be a side effect of medication such as ibuprofen, antidepressants, hypertension drugs, anticoagulants and chemotherapy.
It’s crucial that any woman who notices hair loss visit a hair loss professional in order to determine the reason for the loss. After pattern baldness, telogen effluvium is the most common cause of hair loss in women. It is a temporary hair loss in which a higher than normal percentage of hair shifts into a shedding phase.
Telogen effuvium can occur after pregnancy or when a woman goes on or off birth control pills, or it can follow an emotionally traumatizing event such as the loss of a loved one.
Studies have also linked crash dieting to temporary hair loss.
Once a doctor establishes that pattern baldness is the cause of the hair loss, women can consider treatment. Minoxidil (Rogaine) is the only medical therapy available to women; it’s been found to help women maintain the hair they still have. The 2 percent minoxidil formula is marketed specifically to women, and the 5 percent formula is marketed to men.
Most hair loss specialists, however, recommend that women with significant hair loss use the 5 percent formula, though they need to be cautious about keeping the minoxidil off their face in order to avoid unwanted facial hair.
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