Just because you see more bald men in public does not mean that women do not lose their hair. In fact, studies have shown that forty percent of American women experience thinning hair before they reach the age of forty. Although losing hair does not result in death, unless it is a symptom of an underlying disease, it can have an adverse effect on a person's self-esteem and confidence. This is especially true for women since society has programmed our minds to associate hair with female beauty. A long, healthy, shiny hair is greatly admired and often depicted in shampoo commercials, an image that many women aspire for. Thus, nobody thinks twice when a bald man walks around in public but women with hair loss will get second looks.
What is hair loss? The medical term for it is alopecia and there are many known type of this medical condition. The first is involutional alopecia, which is the gradual thinning of the hair due to a person's age. When a person is already advanced in years, most of the hair follicles are in the resting phase and the ones that grow become fewer; thus, the hair becomes thinner. Another type is androgenic alopecia, which occurs in both men and women. A common term for men is male pattern baldness and for women, female pattern baldness. This condition is genetic and can occur as early as the teenage years or early twenties. Men who have male pattern baldness have receding hairlines and bald patches in the crown of their heads. In contrast, the women experience thinning hair in all parts of the scalp.
There are several factors that lead to thinning loss in women. Although experts have not identified the reason why some hair follicles do not last as long as the others, they all agree that genes do play a significant part in determining whether a person will suffer from hair loss or not. Some conditions are temporary though. This occurs after a severe illness or to someone who is undergoing extreme stress, or to women who have just given birth. There have also been reported cases during pregnancy. Medications and medical treatments can also cause women with hair loss, the most obvious is chemotherapy. Examples of these drugs include contraceptives, anticoagulants and retinoids.
Women who often go to beauty salons for perms, hair bleaches and dyes might find that their hair is thinning. The chemicals used in these procedures do not cause one to lose their hair but they do result in the hair strands becoming brittle and unhealthy. Tight braids and hot curlers also damage hair and scar follicles, which can lead to permanent baldness in some areas of the hair.
No woman wants to involuntarily lose her hair because her crowning glory is a significant part of her personality. However, this condition can occur to some. Fortunately, for women with hair loss, it can be treated or avoided.
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