Hair loss in women over 40

Age and hair

As people slowly approach the autumn of their lives, numerous physical changes take place. One of these changes may be the loss of hair. This is a natural occurrance thet takes place in the aging process. . When it comes to women, besides a loosening of the skin, hair thinning and hair loss constitute the second biggest concer. In the United States, there are as many as twenty million women having hair loss issues.

With hair thinning, an important factor to consider is that in a great majority of cases, the main culprit are genes, that is hereditary loss of hair – also known as the androgenic alopecia. As much as 95% of hair thinning is to be blamed on heredity. Unfortunately, not many women are aware of this problem and this condition, which makes it even more difficult for them to accept.

Androgenic alopecia

This is a condition that is characterized by loss of hair induced by androgens – hormones otherwise present in each person, be it a man or a woman. Once the hormonal shift takes place, many physical changes occur that can alter natural bodily processes. As a direct consequence of this, hair loss may occur. This is regarded as a key factor of women’s sensitivity to the male hormone testosterone. As it is already known, this hormone gets transformed inside the body into dihydrotestosterone that is responsible for the decrease in size of those delicate hairs and follicles.

Treatment aids

The three possible remedies to this unpleasant condition are, with medical treatment, surgical procedure and cosmetic procedure. The first treatment technique uses the topical drug Minoxidil, which is known to have the potential to bring the decrease in size of hair follicles to a halt (60% success rate). Surgical procedure for the restoration of hair is next on the list of effective ways to combat this problem, and is known to give best result in those cases when the thinning primarily occurs on top. Last, but not the least, is cosmetic procedure that rests on the use of cosmetic enhancements.