Important Information About Baldness in Women

Never has baldness in women be as widespread as it is today. Ironically it is something that is rarely talked about in the media, perhaps due to its sensitive nature. After all most women take great pride in their hair and expressive how they feel through different looks and colors and thus when hair loss starts to become noticeable a sense of panic sets in only to be replaced by a determination to restore their lost hair.



Hair only grows from one quarter to one half inch a month and each follicle (up to 100,000 by some estimates) can keep growing from 2 to 6 years.



The difference between 2 and 6 years is largely determined by a myriad of factors including general health, scalp health, hormones, and heredity. Once the growth cycle is completed that loyal hair will fall out and go on its merry way only to be replaced by fresh new hair enthusiastic about making you look even more dazzling than before. Baldness in women starts to occur when this simple replacement cycle is interrupted.



Unwise or abusive hair styling and beautification can definitely shorten a hairs growth cycle.



What makes this a little tricky is that everyone is different, with the amount of abuse from styling dependent on heredity, texture, and coarseness. As a general rule the thicker and more robust a woman's hair the larger the follicles from which it grows and subsequently the more abuse it can take.



While such popular hair styling ideas as bleaching, perms, highlights and coloring, over exuberant flat iron use, excessive blow drying, and brushing can both damage the hair and shorten the hair growth cycle they are generally not the cause of baldness in women unless follicle damage has occurred.



An example of self imposed potentially permanent damage is a chemical burn from coloring.



The follicle itself is a small sac like pouch that is located just under the surface of the scalp in an area called the dermis. What we recognize as hair is actually the hair shaft which is comprised of keratin and dead cells which continually pushes upwards until the hair cycles have been completed. As long as circulation is good and follicles remain healthy the changes of permanent baldness in women is virtually non-existent.



But what if there was a condition that both destroys follicles and shortening the hair growth cycle. Wouldn't you want to know about it?



I think the answer is yes, especially if you are seeing unexplained and progressive balding or thinning hair.



This condition is known as female pattern baldness or androgenetic alopecia and is responsible for one in four cases of baldness in women. It is caused by an androgen hormone called DHT which is a form of testosterone. Testosterone is found in small amounts in women and is manufacture by the ovaries and adrenal glands.



Once the conversion from testosterone to DHT takes place a binding process occurs deep within the hair cell which damages every follicle where accumulation occurs. When follicles are damaged they start to shrink and ultimately die. A this point the balding process has started and will not stop unless the binding process is slowed or dying follicles are reinvigorated.



What Next? There are currently a few hair re-growth products formulated for baldness in women which have been proven effective in both in blocking harmful hormones and bringing the all important dead hair follicles back to life.



These specially formulated products can be used both as a preventative tool, starting before hair loss becomes severe, or after loss of hair has become noticeable. Whatever the level of balding or thinning you are experiencing these products could be just what is needed to overcome this latest life challenge.