Do you ever wonder how you still have any hair on your head after looking in your shower drain or hairbrush? Is your scalp prone to sunburn, or are you noticing hair thinning around your part? You could be undergoing female pattern hair loss, which is far more frequent than most people realize.

Thinning Hair Happens as We Age

A University of California associate professor and a dermatologist at the Ablon Skin Institute and Research Center in California, Glynis Ablon, once said, “By the age of 50, about half of all women will have some hair loss, and by the age of 60, about 80 percent of women will have some hair loss.”

The good news is that thinning hair in menopausal women can be treated with a variety of procedures.

Female Pattern Hair Loss and How It Affect You

Androgenetic alopecia, or female pattern hair loss, is the most frequent kind of hair loss in women (FPHL). Hair follicles shrink, leading the hair to become thinner and finer, with a reduction in the overall amount of hairs. The hair’s growth phase shortens, and fewer hairs enter the active growth phase.

This hair condition appears with age and is usually mostly experienced by women who are at their menopause. The frontal hairline usually stays the same with female pattern hair loss, although the part can broaden and the hair can thin in the center. At an annual event held by the North American Medical Society (NAMS) in Washington, DC, September 22–25, 2021, Dr. Bruce, a dermatologist at Mayo Clinic, provided information on prevalent reasons for midlife hair loss and novel therapy options.

The ‘Root’ Cause of Thinning Hair

A timely visit to your primary care doctor is a good place to start if you’re worried about your hair loss or thinning hair. Female pattern hair loss is most likely to blame, but only a clinical examination can establish this.

If your hair loss doesn’t look like female pattern hair loss, your doctor will probably run a few tests to understand out what’s going on.

• A complete blood count (CBC) test is adopted to assess overall health and can detect a variety of illnesses, including anemia, which can result in hair loss.
• Thyroid function testing may show thyroid problems that are linked to hair thinning.
• A dietary assessment, or an in-depth discussion of what you eat, can help you figure out if you’re eating a healthy diet and if you have any vitamin deficiencies.
• Inflammation caused by the immune system Your doctor might look at disorders that cause inflammation in the scalp, such as autoimmune diseases, which can cause hair loss.
• A hormone test may be performed, though it is believed that a hormone imbalance is rarely the cause of hair loss.

Genetics is a Common Cause of Thinning Hair

It’s critical for women to understand that genetics and the aging process play a large role in why they may experience hair loss. She also points out that a genetic cause does not always imply that it is something you received straight from your mother or father.

Hair loss is linked to a number of different genes, and it’s a complicated interplay of many genes. If you’re otherwise healthy, you shouldn’t presume you’ve done anything to trigger your hair loss.

Thinning Hair Can Be Caused by Excessive Stress

Hair loss might be a concern if you are under a lot of stress. Telogen effluvium is the name for the condition, and the hair loss it causes is only transitory.

All hair follicles have a cycle, and physical or emotional stress can cause more follicles to enter a resting phase than typical, resulting in a large volume of hair loss at once. It can take a really long period for the cycle to return to normal after that stress.

For many women, the pandemic seems to have increased stress levels, which resulted in hair loss. Pre-pandemic, a large number of patients came to the hospital with hair loss, roughly three times as many as a year previously.

Hormonal Changes in Midlife Could Lead to Thinning Hair

A change in hormones could also cause hair loss. Androgens, which include testosterone and androstenedione, do not rise during the menopause transition; however, the ratio of estrogen to androgen shifts, resulting in less estrogen and more androgen.

DHT, a testosterone byproduct, has been associated with male baldness in studies. There’s a suggestion that shifting ratios are linked to female hair loss.

Preventing Thinning Hair with Over-the-Counter and Prescription Drugs

Starting with 5 percent minoxidil, which is available without a prescription, is the simplest method. Rogaine is the brand name, but generic versions are also available. About two out of every three patients who utilize this treatment find it to be successful.

Because you must use it every day to keep the benefits, compliance might be a problem. Although both men and women have drugs, women can utilize the men’s formulation, which is generally less expensive.

Female Pattern Thinning Hair and Oral Prescription Drugs

Female pattern hair loss has been proven to be helped by oral prescription medicines. As reported by the American Academy of Dermatology Association, these medications are approved for use in other illnesses but are used “off-label” for FPHL by clinicians (AAD).

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, spironolactone, a diuretic (a medicine that stimulates the production of urine), can stop thinning hair from worsening and restore hair growth. Other medications reduce androgen levels or prevent the effects of circulating androgens.

According to the AAD, these oral drugs should not be used by women who are pregnant or expecting to become pregnant.

Non-pharmaceutical Thinning Hair Treatments

Although there is no “wonder cure,” there are some alternatives that can help with FPHL:

• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection is a treatment that involves drawing the patient’s blood and centrifuging it to concentrate the platelets before injecting them into the scalp. According to the notion, platelets contain growth elements that stimulate hair development.
• Lasers with low levels of light: Without a prescription, these laser combs, helmets, and other gadgets can be used at home. According to the AAD, laser light has been demonstrated to increase hair growth in a few trials.
• Supplements: Ablon just finished a study on Nutrafol Women’s Balance Capsules, a nutraceutical supplement that contains bioactive substances derived from dietary sources such as curcumin, ashwagandha, saw palmetto, and tocopherol. The six-month results were published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology in January 2021, and the 12-month results will be available soon. When the researchers analyzed the data after 6 and 12 months of treatment, they discovered that mean total hair counts increased dramatically and gradually. Global hair quality improved by 40%, with little or no adverse effects and a reduction in hair shedding.

Before commencing any treatment, prescription, or nondrug, speak with your doctor about any medication interactions or difficulties, as well as medical factors for your hair loss. Do not assume that your medical insurance will cover any operation or therapy.

For Some Women with Thinning Hair, Hair Transplantation May Be an Option

Hair transplantation may be an option for women who are more upset by their hair loss or who have more substantial hair loss. This is a costly and potentially intrusive operation. Hair follicles are taken from a donor site, usually at the back of the scalp, and then redirected to areas where the hair is thinner.

Lifestyle and Home Remedies for Thinning Hair

• If you’re uncertain about your thinning hair, there are solutions other than treatments and surgeries that can help you hide it.
• Wear a wig, an extension, or a hairpiece to hide your baldness. This is a viable choice for some ladies.
• Alter the way you style your hair. An expanding section may become less obvious as a result of this.
• Hair powders are a good option. These have small fibers in them; you sprinkle the powder in your hair, and the fibers cling to the hair shaft, creating the illusion of thicker hair and disguising the scalp.
• Make an appointment with a hairstylist. Some stylists specialize in hair that is thinning.