Female alopecia: causes and treatments explained by the trichologist

What is female alopecia? 

Female alopecia, or female androgenetic alopecia, is a disorder that occurs with widespread hair thinning over the entire scalp surface. Unlike male alopecia, in fact, it affects the frontal area, the vertex and the occipital area. It is a disease that can occur at all ages, but is more common in young women during puberty or after menopause. 

Female alopecia: causes 

While in men it is easier to identify a thinning, in women the causes can have different origins: a metabolic and insulin resistance origin, genetics and also an increase in hormones.

First, as Dr. Rosa Giannatiempo, a well known doctor specialized in male and female androgenetic alopecia, explains, female baldness is mainly a genetically determined condition. Therefore, it is very common that other women in the family suffer of the same problem. Alongside genetics, there is also a big increase in the production of androgens.

This phenomenon takes the name of female hyperandrogenism and occurs when in a woman there is an excessive production of male hormones and, specifically, of DHT. Converted from testosterone by the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme, DHT (or dihydrotestosterone) is counted as the hormone responsible for the onset of female and male pattern baldness.

Furthermore, there are other causes that can overlap with female androgenetic alopecia causing hair loss in women. One of these is the metabolic syndrome which manifests itself with polycystic ovary, androgenism and hirsutism. There is also another type of female alopecia which is related to the poor production of local estrogens at the level of the dermal papilla.

Since all these factors manifest themselves with a diffuse thinning, it becomes very important to be able to identify the exact type of female alopecia in order to implement the correct therapy.

Age and emotional impact 

Very often, the real female androgenetic alopecia manifests itself with the advent of puberty and the menstrual cycle. Hormonal hair loss is looming in a delicate phase of life, in which the young woman begins to create the image of herself. Moreover many of these girls suffer from hyperseborrhea hair that require frequent washing over the course of the week. This is why female alopecia has an incredible psychological and emotional impact.

This kind of hair loss can also happen in a more mature phase of women life, the period of menopause: this alopecia takes the name of menopausal alopecia.

Symptoms and diagnosis of female pattern baldness

As said, unlike male alopecia, female alopecia manifests itself with widespread thinning over the entire scalp surface. Therefore, in addition to the hair loss in the upper part of the head, a change in the occipital area also occurs. The hair - says Dr. Giannatiempo - undergoes a structural change and tends to become thinner and thinner until it completely thins out.

In order to correctly diagnose the female androgenetic alopecia, a trichological examination is required as long as some laboratory tests able to identify any potential deficiency states. More in detail, normally a tricho-dermatoscopy is performed,  a procedure that through a trichoscopic pattern identifies which are the so called terminal hair, the intermediate hair, the thin hair and the vellus. 

Female alopecia: topical treatments  

As Dr. Giannatiempo points out, the approved therapy in use to combat female alopecia is Minoxidil 2% with a strong anti-DHT action. Often, this drug is used in combination with other ingredients to promote the activation process on the dermal papilla so as to stimulate hair regrowth. Among these active ingredients, we can find retinoic acid, azelaic acid, estrone or 17 alpha estradiol. These are galenic lotions that are prepared and applied twice a day (every 12 hours) on thinned areas.

Although essential to combat hair los these, topical anti-DHT drug therapies can leave the hair dry and dehydrated. In these cases, it is recommended to select specific detergents and conditioners for daily cleansing. Kmax Stimulating Leave-In Conditioner, for example, was formulated precisely to counteract the dryness induced by anti-DHT therapies. At the same time, the whole Kmax Stimulating line uses the best known anti-hair loss and stimulating active ingredients (such as the aforementioned azelaic acid) to block hair loss and speed up hair growth.

Female alopecia: oral treatments and supplements 

Hyperandrogenism is not the only cause of hair loss in women. In fact, it is often increased by specific dietary deficiencies, such as low ferritin. In these cases, it is necessary to adopt a combined therapy which, in addition to hormonal treatment, also includes taking specific food supplements at home. 

Next to this home therapy, some outpatient treatments can be performed. These are treatments that can be carried out in a trichological studio, by locally injecting some specific products based on sulfur amino acids, multivitamins (B vitamins), vitamin B6 and / or zinc for a natural anti-DHT action.

For women of childbearing age, these are the possible therapeutic protocols to combat female alopecia.

Waiting for the results: the role of cosmetics  

Female alopecia can have a big psychological and emotional impact and those women who are facing this disorder would like to obtain immediate results. Unfortunately, anti-DHT therapies take time and consistency before the first results could be seen. This is why it is essential to contact an expert as soon as possible to promptly start the correct treatments.

While waiting for the first results, a great help comes from cosmetics. On the market in fact, there are many hair make-up products specifically formulated to mask thinned areas and naturally cover imperfections to recreate the normal hair look. Keratin microfibers, hair foundation and colored sprays represent a quick and effective solution against female alopecia while the first results are still to come.

Stay up to date!
Spring is coming and with it the
seasonal hair loss as well.
Find in the next article, the best tips
to fight it!