Hereditary hair loss (alopecia androgenetica) among women is caused by the degree of sensitivity of certain hair follicles to the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This DHT is formed from the hormone testosterone under the influence of an enzyme (5-alpha reductase, types I and II). The DHT binds to the androgen receptor (a "biological magnet") of the hair root follicle, which becomes less well supplied with blood as a result.
Table of content:
- How do you recognise hereditary hair loss?
- What can you do about hereditary har loss in women?
- Beginning hereditary hair loss among women
- Moderate hereditary hair loss among women
- Advanced hereditary hair loss among women
The growth phase of the hair is thereby shortened from three to five years, to only a few months, causing the hair to fall out earlier than normal. Each hair follicle can produce a hair about 20 times per human life, after which it dies. The affected hair becomes finer and shorter with each hair cycle, and the hair root follicle eventually dies off at an accelerated rate. Thus, when this process occurs in many hair follicles, the hair over the entire head becomes thinner and thinner.
How do you recognise hereditary hair loss?
Most women experience thinning hair all over the scalp, starting around the middle parting. The scalp becomes increasingly visible through the hair. Most women do not get bald spots. Also, the front hairline usually remains intact. Some women suffer from hereditary hair loss following the "male pattern". In these women, the hair becomes thinner at the inlets and/or crown.
What can you do about hereditary har loss in women?
Hereditary hair loss among women is often seen as something that little or nothing can be done about, but nothing could be further from the truth. If you catch it in time, you can greatly reduce hair loss and thinning of the hair and even stimulate regrowth. Depending on the degree of hair loss we recommend using 1 or more products. A shampoo/conditioner is a good basic treatment and you can combine it with a lotion or nutritional supplement, or both for the most powerful treatment. Another option is to opt for laser therapy.
Beginning hereditary hair loss among women
Recognisable by:
- Hair slowly becoming thinner
- You find more hair than usual in the shower drain
- Hair loss has started recently
- You begin to notice that your hair is thinning on top of your head or around your middle partition. The hair loss is not yet very visible or the degree of hair loss is fairly stable.
Moderate hereditary hair loss among women
Recognisable by:
- Wider middle parting
- Hair has been falling out for a while
- The hair loss and thinning of the hair is now increasingly visible
- Your hair around the middle parting is thinner. Your hair loss is starting to become more noticeable and is visible upon closer inspection of the hair. Also, the thinning of hair has been going on for some time.
Advanced hereditary hair loss among women
Recognisable by:
- The hair loss is clearly visible
- Clearly thinner hair on top of the head or at the inlets
- Hair loss has been going on for several years
Your hair loss has been going on for some time now and only seems to be getting worse. Your hair (on top of the head) has thinned considerably. Your hair loss is also clearly visible.
