Globusz^® Publishing 

re young American women having a “bad hair day?” Are American women becoming bald?

There is no clear-cut answer to this pressing problem. We do know, however, that in the past few decades there have been more and more complaints in dermatologists’ offices from young women about hair loss – steady, progressive, diffuse, mysterious hair loss. This female pattern hair loss is quite common, beginning in the late 20s and reaching almost 30 percent in women over 30 years of age. There are very few medical conditions that produce more emotional trauma than thinning of scalp hair in young and middle-aged, healthy women.

Years ago, doctors rarely saw cases of female hair loss. But recently, young women have begun to notice a gradual and progressive increase in the number of hairs lost with each brushing and combing – more hair on the comb, more hair in the brush, more hair in the washbasin. And, after months or years, a realization that there has occurred visible thinning – a euphemism for baldness.

The healthy scalp loses between 50 and 120 hairs daily. This loss, let me reassure you, is balanced out by continuous regrowth. When the rate of hair loss, however, exceeds the rate of new growth, thinning and balding become apparent.

As a rule, there really is not an excessive amount of hair loss; rather there is an underproduction of new hair. This lack of production of new, viable hair can be due to a dozen different reasons.

The major factors in what the dermatologist terms “female pattern hair loss” are hormonal changes, heredity, and the aging process. Hormonal changes are those that occur after childbirth and with certain types of endocrine tumors and imbalances (thyroid trouble, ovarian problems, and other hormone conditions). In addition, if you are taking the low-dose birth control pill, you may be experiencing hair loss.

Hereditary factors also play a strong role in pattern hair loss. If your mother or grandmother had sparse hair, it is likely that you (and possibly your daughter) may suffer from the same deficiency.

Finally, the aging process (due to diminished production of female hormones) is a strong factor in female hair loss. After producing for so many decades, the hair follicles become weak, tired, and sluggish. Some of them fade away and produce no more – one of the prices we must pay for growing old.

Other causes of thinning and balding in our modern women are due to environmental changes and the products used for beautification. Here are some examples:

• Mechanical tension and violence on the hair shaft due to new hairstyles and cosmetic aids. These cause injury to the hair follicle and, when prolonged, interfere with the scalp’s circulation.

• Excessive chemical exposure associated with hair styling (for example, cold-wave solutions, bleaches, and hair straighteners), and increased exposure to synthetic detergents and other additives in commercial shampoos, dyes, and hair sprays.

• Nutritional deficiencies, such as those seen in “crash-dieters,” in vegetarians who may develop protein malnutrition, and in those suffering from iron-deficiency anemia.

• General anesthesia during surgical operations.

• Various drugs used to treat cancer, and anticoagulants (blood thinners) used in heart disease. Other drugs that may cause hair loss are ACE-inhibitors, beta-blocking agents, cholesterol-lowering drugs (Pravachol, Zocor, Lipitor), antidepressants, high doses of vitamin A, and dozens of others. If you have any doubts about whether or not a medication can cause hair loss, ask your physician or pharmacist.

• Emotional stress and tension, which are believed to impair the circulation of the hair follicle.

What’s a woman to do? Here are a few basic do’s and don’ts for healthy hair:

• Shampoo your hair regularly, daily if at all possible.

• If you comb and brush your hair, use only pure bristle brushes and hard rubber combs. Don’t use the plastic or metal varieties.

• Reduce excessive mechanical manipulation of the hair shaft. Avoid teasing and ratting, vigorous combing and brushing, tight, restrictive hairstyles, tight braids and ponytails, and excessive hot combing.

Hair responds best to gentle care.

• Avoid excessive bleaching, dyeing, and hair straightening.

• Keep up your general health, avoid crash diets, and cut down on smoking.

• If you are taking the low-dose birth control pill, ask your gynecologist if you may change these to the higher-dose variety.

• Avoid emotional stress and tension.

• There is a topical medication – Rogaine for Women – that purportedly stops excess hair loss and promotes hair growth. It is an over-the-counter medication (no prescription from a doctor is required), but if you use it you must use it forever. Check with your dermatologist anyway, if you are interested. He or she may be able to give you more information regarding this topical preparation.

• Other than Rogaine, don’t be misled by those advertisements and commercials for potions and unguents that promise to grow hair. They do not work.

I also advocate taking a multivitamin-mineral supplement along with Biotin Forte 3 milligrams – nothing less than 3 milligrams will work! – on a daily basis.

Finally, if your situation does not improve, see your dermatologist. There may be some infection, some hormonal imbalance, or some medication that you have been taking that might be responsible.

And remember: women don’t get bald the way men do. While you may have to get used to a thinner crop when you are in your forties, it is highly unlikely that you will lose all of your “crowning glory.”

For further information about hair loss, log on to: www.aad.org 1-888-462-DERM x22 or www.familydoctor.org/handouts/061.html

RECAP

• In the past few decades there have been more and more complaints in dermatologists’ offices from young women about hair loss – steady, progressive, diffuse, mysterious hair loss.

• The healthy scalp loses between 50 and 120 hairs daily. This loss is balanced out by continuous regrowth. When the rate of hair loss, however, exceeds the rate of new growth, thinning and balding become apparent.

• Hereditary factors also play a strong role in pattern hair loss. If your mother or grandmother had sparse hair, it is likely that you (and possibly your daughter) may suffer from the same deficiency.