Diseases Of The Hair
Reference Book Of Diseases

Alopecia in Women: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

click fraud protection

It is a mistake to think that baldness refers to a man's problems as a result of a number of adverse factors, alopecia can also occur in women. To stop the loss and restore normal hair growth need time to consult with a specialist, who will appoint a woman an effective treatment.

Etiological factors of the disease

A small amount of hair falls in a healthy person on a daily basis, but alopecia is characterized by abnormal, intense hair loss, which is significantly higher than normal. Occurrence of alopecia on the head of a woman may be related to adverse effects of factors external or internal environment (and often a combination of both). The main causes of alopecia in women are:

  • Acute or chronic psycho-emotional stress. Average circulation of the scalp is closely related to the nervous regulation, but because of the nervous shock of blood microcirculation deteriorates.
  • Lack of nutrients in the diet. For normal growth and strengthen the hair needs zinc, B vitamins, vitamin C, a large amount of amino acids. If a woman eats poorly, it primarily affects the state of her hair.
  • insta story viewer
  • Taking medicines. Such drugs as drugs for weight loss, anti-depressants and gormonosoderzhaschie drugs can lead to hair loss in women.
  • Hormonal imbalance. Malfunction of the thyroid gland or ovaries. In women, the cause of alopecia is a lack of estrogen and thyroid hormones.
  • Traumatic head injury to the skin. Burns and wounds lead to the growth of connective tissue, which has no hair follicles.
  • Ringworm. Fungal scalp lesion leads to alopecia and the appearance of a woman of a number of other unpleasant symptoms.
  • Chronic infectious and inflammatory diseases. Immune disorders and the presence of inflammation in the body leads to an intensive focus loss and deterioration of the hair.
  • Disorders of the blood system. By losing large amounts of hair can cause iron deficiency anemia, since this pathology is a marked hypoxia of organs and tissues.
  • Pregnancy and lactation. During this period the woman is deficient of many important vitamins and minerals.
In some cases, the cause of alopecia in women and is not found in such cases symptomatic treatment.

If the causative agent was able to ascertain, the main therapeutic measures will be used to its full or partial elimination.


Classification and clinical picture

To determine further treatment tactics, it is first necessary to determine the type of alopecia. Depending on the clinical picture, secrete androgen alopecia, diffuse scar and alopecia in women. Also for androgenic alopecia type is characterized by the staging of the pathologic process. To determine the stage of alopecia in women is applied Ludwig scale, according to which emit three steps:

  • For a typical first stage a minor reduction in the amount of hair in the frontal and parietal area.
  • In the second stage of hair thinning is more pronounced.
  • The third stage is characterized by a significant loss of hair in problem areas, up to their complete absence.
Hair thinning and occurs mainly near the parting, gradually alopecia distributed along the periphery. These types of alopecia in women is androgenetic, diffuse, focal and scar occur for different reasons and have different clinical manifestations.
Androgenic alopecia type most characteristic of men, but women, too, are sometimes faced with such a problem. In the development of the variety of the disease It plays an important role imbalance of male and female sex hormones in the body. When excessive amounts of androgens begin degenerative changes in the hair follicles and the scalp of women.
The main symptoms of the disease is the thinning and discoloration of the hair with their gradual replacement with vellus that can barely cover the scalp. It affects mainly the frontal and the parietal region and the occipital zone virtually not involved in the pathological process.
Female diffuse alopecia is characterized by hair loss evenly throughout the scalp. Most often the disease process occurs on a background of major disruptions in the body. For this kind of baldness cause stress, prolonged therapy with certain drugs, the presence of chronic diseases. Distinguish as anagen and telogen form of diffuse alopecia. Anagenovoy type occurs when an acute toxic substance poisoning after chemotherapy and radiation therapy in cancer patients.
A special type of hair loss is alopecia or alopecia areata. Depending on the extent of the pathological process, it is focal, multifocal, subtotal, total and universal. At the heart of the development of the disease is an autoimmune destruction mechanism, as well as genetic predisposition.

Local hair loss may be combined with nail lesions, indicating that the prevalence of pathological process.


Sometimes a woman alopecia occurs after a traumatic head injury to the skin. The so-called scar alopecia occurs due to the replacement of damaged sections of connective tissue with no follicles. This alopecia is clearly localized, hair growth is not only the site of injury. May develop after infectious diseases, such as syphilis, herpes, lichen planus, leprosy.

How to diagnose the disease in women

Hair loss for a woman is always a severe psychological shock, so it is important to promptly begin an effective treatment. The problem of female hair loss can consult a dermatologist or a trichologist. Trichologist is a specialist and is engaged in the diagnosis and treatment of hair diseases, but this doctor is difficult to find in a normal clinic. Sometimes you may need to consult an endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, psychologist.
To begin, the doctor find out the history of the disease, because an accurate diagnosis is necessary to know when It began an intensive hair loss and binds a woman this phenomenon with any provoking factor. after inspection doctor establishes the form of alopecia, and assigns a number of laboratory and instrumental investigationsTo identify the exact cause of the pathological process. The comprehensive examination of the body with alopecia in women include:

  • General blood analysis. Reveals anemia, symptoms of allergies and immune disorders.
  • Investigation levels of male and female sex hormones.
  • Thyroid ultrasound and examination of thyroid hormones.
  • The hardware structure of the study of the hair shaft under the microscope.
  • Conducting tests with hair sipping as an important symptom of alopecia in women is an increased loss of hair.
  • Wasserman (for suspected syphilis).
  • Microscopic analysis of scrapings from the affected areas of the scalp to detect pathogens of fungal infection.
  • Analysis of the biopsy sample from the lesion eliminates systemic diseases and fungal infections.
Since women often suffer from alopecia on the background of chronic stress, it is necessary to eliminate the negative impact of psychological factors. Full survey complex may also include other diagnostic measures, which will depend on the availability of related symptoms in women.

treatment Guidelines

Treatment of alopecia is a complicated and often lengthy process. With timely treatment to the doctor, the correct diagnosis and treatment of the full observed quite a high chance to restore the scalp. If alopecia in women developed after being poisoned by toxic substances, radiation or a course chemotherapy, the hair will resume its full growth within 3 months after the termination of the provoking factor a. In other cases an integrated approach to the treatment of alopecia.
In cases where hair loss in women occurs on a background of chronic disease or hormonal failure, remedial measures should be directed at the underlying disease. As the recovery gradually in women will improve the condition of hair.
If alopecia caused a violation of ovarian function or thyroid, the reception rate of hormone replacement therapy can help restore hair.

Supplementation of iron or vitamin B-12 in anemia also have a positive impact on the state of the hair follicles.


Psycho-emotional shock is also a common cause of hair loss, in such cases, the treatment of alopecia in women is not only used agents acting on the scalp, but also psychotherapy. Alopecia areata may be due to fungal infection, so the treatment is used for topical antimycotic preparations (creams, ointments) and systemic (tablets) administration.
Androgenic alopecia form requires a special approach to treatment. For women to effectively use the drug minoxidil, which improves the trophism of the scalp. It is applied locally to the affected areas. Scar alopecia can not be a successful medical treatment and requires surgical intervention.
The most radical method of treatment of baldness is surgery. Hair Transplants from other areas of the head is a variant symptomatic treatment, that is, without identifying the exact cause of hair loss relapse can occur. The main types of surgery is patchy and follicular, sometimes hairs taken not from the head, but from other parts of the body (legs, groin, chest, chin).
In the treatment of alopecia in women is also applied a special medical cosmetics and traditional medicines to improve blood circulation and nutrition of hair follicles. Developed a whole series of comprehensive care for the scalp to prevent baldness and deceleration.

prevention methods

Every woman dreams for many years to keep the thick and shiny hair. To prevent the development of alopecia, it is necessary to follow simple guidelines:

  • Time to treat diseases of the skin and internal organs.
  • Avoiding chronic stress.
  • Maintain a healthy lifestyle.
  • Choose the appropriate means for daily care of the hair and scalp.
  • If there is a genetic predisposition to visit trichologist to diagnose the condition of hair.
  • Avoid aggressive treatments like perming, coloring frequent.
  • Not supercool and do not overheat the scalp (wear a hat in cold weather, do not attend with her head uncovered baths and saunas).
  • Buy quality hair brush that will not pull hair.
If you notice heavy loss of hair or change their structure (become brittle, dull), the you must pay special attention to their nutrition, Take extra vitamins for skin, hair and nails. If such measures have not had the desired effect, the woman is better to consult a specialist. Timely access to a doctor significantly improves the chances of a full recovery.

Found a bug? Select it and press Ctrl + Enter

  • Share
Diseases of scalp and hair
Diseases Of The Hair

Diseases of scalp and hair

About 60% of people in the world have these or those problems with hair and scalp. The causes of hair loss and poor health of the scalp are m...

Hair loss treatment in the home folk remedies, vitamins, drugs from pharmacies
Diseases Of The Hair

Hair loss treatment in the home folk remedies, vitamins, drugs from pharmacies

Hair loss treatment is required, if at the time of combing the person loses more than 100 hairs. This symptom indicates a strong weakness of hair o...

Much hair fall: reasons women home treatment pills and vitamins after 50 years. What's a girl to do?
Diseases Of The Hair

Much hair fall: reasons women home treatment pills and vitamins after 50 years. What's a girl to do?

Alopecia (baldness) - the process of a strong hair loss in women for various reasons. its treatment is time consuming, involves the use of complex ...