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 treatment. You could lose your lustrous hair due to many reasons. In the United States alone, more than 2% of people are affected by alopecia. Most cases being of people suffering from alopecia areata. In 95% of the cases, it has heredity as the root cause. The remaining 5% of the cases can be attributed to other causes of hair loss, such as stress, lack of quality diet and various illnesses.

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. 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. Female pattern baldness is not same as that found in males. In this type, the hair thins all over the head. However, it is observed that the frontal hairline is retained. The crown may lose an average amount of hair, but it can hardly be as extreme as is found in men.

The treatment 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 treatment for baldness. 5% minoxidil, in clinical trails, has been found to cure hair loss 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. The cure for what is known as traction alopecia, in this case, can be very easily achieved by letting your hair a little bit lose, 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 Treatment Options
In the future, the cure to feminine baldness 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.

If you are looking for an instant cosmetic treatment, you may also explore the option of the hair transplant as a solution to emotional problems that you are facing. The state of your hair reveals the state of your general health, therefore adopting balanced diet and healthy lifestyle, may prove to be the natural prevention. However, you must be aware that it is difficult to beat the inherited genes responsible for the baldness!