The term "male pattern baldness" is familiar to most people. But many women, too, suffer from hair loss, says Lisa Earnest Ishii, assistant professor for facial plastic and reconstructive surgery in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine's department of otolaryngology and neck surgery.
Everyone "sheds" or loses some hair; what do doctors consider "hair loss" that could lead to thinning of the hair or balding?
In general, hair loss greater than 100 hairs a day is considered abnormal. Otherwise, it is based upon what you see: Obviously, if you start to see the scalp showing through the hair, that is abnormal.
Does hair loss in women look the same as it does in men?
The pattern that you see in women is called female pattern balding and is not the same as in men. It is a diffuse spreading of hair loss that typically spares the front [hair] line. What bothers women is that the hair thins so that you can start to see the scalp all over the head.
There are two peaks of hair loss in women - in their 30s and in their 50s. And those who begin to lose hair in their 30s are going to have more loss in the end.
How common is hair loss in women?
The numbers that are most accepted is that [hair loss] affects 30 percent of post-menopausal women. ... There have only been three large studies of hair loss affecting women, and of those studies, the largest was 1,000 women. Part of the problem is that this is an area that hasn't received enough attention.
What causes hair loss in women?
The most common cause is female pattern baldness, which is a multifaceted problem, related to heredity and endocrinology (hormones). It is thought that it is a response to either an increase or decrease of circulating androgens (or male-type hormones such as testosterone, which women also have).
What are some other causes of hair loss?
Other factors should be considered and ruled out ... such as iron deficiency; or an under-active thyroid.
There also is something called polycystic ovary syndrome, which is a familial endocrinal disorder that can affect women in their reproductive years. Classically, these women have infertility and hair loss, as well as obesity, but the triad of symptoms is not always obvious.
Anything else?
Another important cause to consider is called telogen effluvium. This basically refers to a shift in the normal growing phase of hair follicles so that an unusually large number of hair follicles are in the resting phase.
