Hair loss in women can be devastating. Whether single, in a relationship, or married, hair loss can affect the livelihood of women, no matter their age or relationship status. Women experiencing noticeable hair loss feel like they have lost their femininity and self-confidence.
In this article, we discuss female hair loss, including coping with hair loss, causes and factors, treatments, and more.
Article contents:
- Causes of Hair Loss in Women
- Coping with Female Hair Loss
- How Women Can Navigate Hair Loss
- Female Hair Loss Treatments
- Exploring Other Solutions
- Normalizing Hair Loss in Women
Potential Causes of Female Hair Loss
Investigating the cause can help diagnose hair loss issues and why it’s occurring to help find a solution.
Stress
Stress can lead to hair loss. Studies have shown that high levels of stress can force a woman’s hair follicles into a resting phase, interrupting growth cycles and causing temporary hair loss. Women that have gone through significant stress or trauma, such as childbirth or the loss of a loved one, can perpetuate hair loss.
Poor Diet
Your diet affects hair loss. A poor diet that results in vitamin deficiencies contributes to hair loss. Hair needs nutrients to flourish. Thus, vitamin deficiencies can cause hair thinning and subsequent hair loss in women. Be sure to incorporate a healthy diet to ensure you’re getting vitamins and nutrients needed to prevent your hair from thinning. Sources of iron, vitamin C and can reverse hair loss in women.
Aging
Age can play a part in female pattern baldness. Hair growth slows as people age. Sometimes, the growth rate declines to the extent that an aging woman’s hair strands become smaller, lose pigment, and eventually break off.
Genetics
A common cause of female hair loss is genetic or hormonal influences. Genetics plays a critical role in hair loss for both women and men. Hair loss can be hereditary and can be passed down maternally, paternally, or both.
Hormonal Changes
Although most people think of estrogen or testosterone as a hormone imbalance, issues with your thyroid can also lead to hair thinning. Menopause affects the production of several hormones and can often trigger hormonal hair loss in older women.
Coping With Female Hair Loss
Hair loss makes women, as they age, feel like they are unattractive or ugly. For women who have a history of depression or anxiety, female hair loss can exacerbate mental issues.
Of the 157 women interviewed in this study, 54% reported hair loss, and 29% reported at least two key symptoms of depression.
Support Group
An effective way to copy is to join a support group for female hair loss. A group will help you meet other women losing hair and gain insight from their perspectives. You can find a group online and attend meetings virtually or in person.
Therapy
Women suffering from hair loss often experience depression. If you think you may have depression because of your hair loss, seek the help of a therapist. A therapist will have the training and resources needed to make a diagnosis and help you cope with your symptoms.
Discussion
Talking to a family member or friend about your hair loss journey can be cathartic. Your loved one may be willing and able to provide emotional support and reinforce your esteem.
Patience
Some hair loss cases are temporary. If yours is temporary, seek medical assistance immediately and exercise patience because it may take a while for your hair to grow back.
Acceptance
Some hair loss cases are permanent. If yours is permanent, practice coming to terms with it and accepting your predicament. You may have to cover your hair or alter its style.
How Women Can Navigate Hair Loss
Featured Contributor: Stefanie Safran
Stefanie is a professional matchmaker and dating coach that helps women “market” themselves when they are out in the dating world. We asked her for personal tips for how women experiencing hair loss can maintain their confidence and appearance.
Stefanie’s Tips
As a woman herself who has experienced hair loss; I can speak from my own research. Here are my tips for women going through hair loss.
1. Pick A Hairstyle To Maximize Your Hair
Certain hairstyles can maximize your type of hair, while other hairstyles can induce hair loss. Here are a few tips for women on hairstyles:
- Don’t do tight braids that might exacerbate hair loss.
- Get bangs if they help make your hair look fuller
- Extensions, extensions, extensions. These days, extensions are much more natural, and many people have them!
2. Find An Experienced Hair Stylist
There have been months when I thought I was losing more hair than I really was. My hairstylist checks me in check. Find a hair stylist with some experience with treating hair loss, so they can track it for you.
Your stylist should be able to recommend the correct products to use for your hair, including what types of heat styling tools you should limit in your daily route. Ask about the proper nutrition, supplements and vitamins that you can add to take in your daily routine.
3. Remember, Nobody Has Perfect Hair
Don’t assume that everyone has “perfect” hair. So many people use different tricks to appear like they have fuller hair. Ricki Lake talked about how she needed wigs since her 20’s.
Google can be your friend if you look up people, influencers, and celebrities to get tips and tricks on masking hair loss. TikTok also has influencers who can direct you to their videos so that you may learn something.
4. Visit A Dermatologist Or Medical Spa
See a dermatologist or a medical spa if you have concerns about female hair loss. Sometimes women (like myself) find out that they need special shampoo to help during stressful times to help the scalp stay healthy.
Medical spas have services, some that run about $1000 treatments that are worthwhile alternatives to the “plugs” people will do. Don’t assume that you ONLY have to talk to a hairstylist; so many things are out there that you can look into to feel you are living your best life!
Female Hair Loss Treatments
Here are a few ways women can address hair loss.
Medical Treatments
To treat female hair loss medically, see a doctor or dermatologist. They may prescribe topical creams, foams, liquids, or pills to help regrow and strengthen your hair.
Vitamins & Supplements
If you suspect that your hair loss is due to vitamin deficiency, purchase vitamins and supplements and take them daily. There are some supplements on the market designed to combat hair loss.
Healthy Diet
A healthy diet filled with whole, nutrient-rich foods is ideal for treating or preventing hair loss in women. Diets consisting of leafy greens, whole grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes have the power to reverse hair loss.
Hair Transplants
For women that have not responded well to medications or other forms of treatment, a hair transplant procedure is an effective solution to hair loss. It involves transferring hair from one part of the head to another. This procedure is not just for men. Female hair transplant procedures have aided many women going through hair loss.
Exploring Other Hair Loss Solutions
In addition to the ways to treat hair loss mentioned above, women experiencing hair loss can also try other solutions.
Headwraps
If you want to know how to cope with hair loss as a woman, explore other solutions. For instance, you can invest in colorful headwraps that hide your hair problems.
Wigs
Wearing a wig is another option for hair loss. Women can wear wigs that match their hair texture. Some wigs are synthetics, while others consist of human hair. Look online for tutorials on how to install a wig.
Hats
Use hats to cover up any bald patches you may have. There are many different hat styles that women can wear to hide signs of hair loss, such as fedoras, baseball caps, and bucket hats.
Bold Styles
You can be bold and go bald if you have lost a significant amount of hair. Baldness can bring out your bone structure and complement your facial features.
Haircuts
Certain haircuts can mask hair loss problems in women. For example, you could sport a pixie cut if you notice that parts of your hair are thinning and falling off.
Normalizing Female Hair Loss
In society, thinning hair and balding are more associated with men than women. While thinning hair in men has become more “normalized”, hair loss in women is just as prevalent. As a result, women are often unprepared for hair loss.
In terms of thinning hair and gender roles, women are often more critical of their appearance, and looking good overall is more important. Societal expectations put pressure on women to be graceful and beautiful. That’s why it’s so devastating for women who experience hair loss, regardless of age.
Learn More About Female Hair Loss
The doctors at Natural Transplants can answer any questions you may have about female hair loss and whether a hair transplant is the best solution for you.
Women who are experiencing hair loss travel from all over nationwide and globally to visit our hair loss clinics in South Florida and Washington DC. View these before an after images for women’s hair transplants.
