Baldness Treatment for Women

It is heartbreaking for women to lose hair, which is one of the most beautiful components of our personality. But, if baldness is your reality, then it is best to start searching for the right baldness treatment. You could lose your lustrous hair due to many reasons. The following is some information on baldness treatment for women.

Baldness Overview

In the United States alone, more than 2% of people are affected by the alopecia or baldness. Most cases being of people suffering from alopecia areata. In 95% of the cases, baldness has heredity as the root cause. In the remaining 5% of the cases, baldness can be attributed to other causes of hair loss, such as stress, lack of quality diet and various illnesses.

Treatment for Baldness Conditions in Women

Alopecia Areata
The scientists researching baldness believe that it falls into the class of autoimmune diseases. Alopecia areata, an immune disease, that is common among both sexes, in which the hair follicles are attacked by the immune system.

Treatment for alopecia areata can be achieved by using hormones, such as glucocorticoids, and topical immunotherapy, such as Anthralin and 2% Minoxidil, as hair loss solutions. The course of action followed by your dermatologist, would depend on the gravity of the hair loss.

Some physicians may also prescribe oral and topical estrogens, as baldness treatment for women. However, it is advised that oral contraceptives that are used to treat female hair loss, should not exhibit androgenic activity. It is believed that it is better to stick to norgestimate or ethynodiol diacetate based oral contraceptives and to avoid testosterone.

Androgenetic Alopecia
Referred to female pattern baldness, androgenetic alopecia, is the most common type of baldness in women. Female pattern baldness is not same as that found in males. In this type of female baldness, the hair thins all over the head. However, it is observed that the frontal hairline is retained. In female baldness patterns, the crown may lose an average amount of hair, but it can hardly be as extreme as is found in men.

The baldness treatment for women, for this condition, is to apply 2% solution of minoxidil to the scalp directly. 2% minoxidil is found to stimulate hair growth and is the only drug approved by the FDA, as a baldness treatment for women. 5% minoxidil, in clinical trails, has been found to cure hair loss and balding in women.
Oral and topical estrogens are also used to treat this condition.

Tight Braids and Ponytails
Proper hair care is not only about using hair care products, like shampoos and conditioners. Sometimes, the cause of hair loss in women, is of their own making. Their choice of hairstyle! Baldness treatment for women, for what is known as traction alopecia, in this case, can be very easily achieved by letting your hair a little bit loose, rather than bunching them together into a tight braid or a ponytail. Tight hairstyles, as well as use of hair extensions, over a period of time, culminates into local trauma by exerting constant pull on the hair follicles, which in turn lead to hair loss in women.

Other Treatments for Baldness in Women

In future, the baldness treatment for women may be achieved by using drugs based on the thymosin, a hormone produced by thymus gland. It is believed that the thymosin may overcome autoimmune reactions that harms hair follicles. This may help cure female hair loss. In clinical trials, a new drug, Thymuskin based on thymosin, was found to be 95% and 85% effective, for treating androgenic alopecia and alopecia areata, respectively. It is believed that the thymosin-based drugs may prove useful in hair loss prevention especially, during chemotherapy, menopause, pregnancy related hair thinning. It is believed that, this new drug which is not yet approved by the FDA, may also stimulate new hair growth. The FDA has approved Thymuskin formulations for cosmetics purpose only. More on:

• Causes of Hair Loss in Women
• Treatment for Female Baldness
• Alopecia Areata Treatment

If you have are looking for a quick baldness treatment for women, you may also explore hair transplant, as an option to overcome social and personal problems, you are facing. While, keeping in mind that the condition or state of your hair can reveal the state of our health, a balanced diet supplying minerals, vitamins etc., and well supported by a healthy lifestyle, may prove to be a natural baldness prevention. However, you must be aware that it is difficult to beat the genes that you have inherited!