Hair Loss in Women
Losing up to 100 hairs each day is considered normal. In a normal growth cycle, hair grows for a few years and then rests for a few months, sheds, and then the cycle starts over. However, when this cycle is disrupted, hair may begin falling out in patches or falling out evenly over the entire scalp, this iis most often caused by hormones, illness or genetics.
Other factors that affect hair loss in women include androgenetic alopecia – which is caused by the androgen dihydrotestosterone, or DHT hormone, which causes the hair follicle to shrink until it is no longer securely attached to the scalp. This prompts an excessive amount of shedding and eventually leads to baldness. Also traction alopecia – which is hair loss as a result of stress placed on the follicles, such as from tightly pulled hairstyles.
Lastly, hair loss may occur due to alopecia areata – which is an autoimmune disease in which the person's immune system attacks their hair follicles. No matter what the cause, determining the basis of thinning and shedding of hair is essential to stopping the progression of hair loss and stimulating the regrowth of lost hair.
