Causes and How to Prevent Female Hair Loss

Hair is one of our body’s most beautiful parts; it is known to us as our crown. Especially for females, their crowns symbolize many things like feminism, glory, identity, and liberation (read more). Our crown is also essential when it comes to looks as it improves our overall appeal. We tend to take good care of our locks because of this and maintain cleanliness and become free from putrid odors.

Having locks proves to be beneficial when it comes to professional and personal life. It can help us look for a mate, and for business purposes, it could make us look more professional. Additionally, it boosts our self-confidence, so we always see ourselves grooming it, using shampoos and conditioners, treating it to the salon, and being creative with it using dyes!

However, each of us has the chance to lose our beautiful strands. Some may have more chances, and some may have low chances. Hair loss could be devastating, especially for females, as it glorifies their looks. Hence, I will discuss how to prevent hair loss and how to prevent it!

What Is Hair Loss?

Thinning or losing strands may be in patches. Hair loss could be anywhere in the body, but most people commonly refer to the crown of the head, which is essential. Alopecia is a medical term for it, and baldness is another term or a synonym. Baldness can affect both females and males alike, but baldness commonly occurs in males than females.

Despite baldness occurring to men more often, it does not mean the ladies are safe. There are a lot of causes of hair loss that women should watch out for! Some causes can prevent some, and some causes could only manage some. Nonetheless, information about the causes helps in avoiding the possibility of baldness altogether. Without further ado, here are some causes of hair loss:

Family History of Baldness

One of the most common hair loss causes is the hereditary genes from your parents and their ancestors. As this is more of a familial condition, our technology today could not change our genetic structure to prevent baldness. Take note that this increases the chance of baldness occurring, and there is a chance that it will not happen.

Androgenic alopecia is a genetic condition that gradually thins your strands. Male-pattern baldness and female-pattern baldness is another genetic condition, and like the androgenic alopecia, it occurs slowly and often predictable (link: https://dermnetnz.org/topics/male-pattern-hair-loss/). The Male-pattern baldness” is caused by genes and male hormone dihydrotestosterone, while the female version is unclear.

Infection

Many infections cause hair loss, and infections do not always mean the invasion of bacteria in our bodies. Other microscopic organisms could attack our bodies, and some may unintentionally cause baldness. If left untreated, it could cause permanent damage to the follicles, and hairs could not grow back anymore. Below are some infections that could cause alopecia:

• Demodex Folliculorum are microscopic mites that attack the sebum of our locks, losing nutrients for our hairs, and then baldness could occur.
• Folliculitis is the inflammation of hair follicles, making them swell and prevent the growth of a strand.
• Secondary Syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease and may not occur instantaneously. Secondary Syphilis can occur years after primary Syphilis.
• Tinea Capitis, fungal infection of the head.
• Dissecting Cellulitis is a rare infection of the skin that causes scars that prevent the growth of hairs.

Drugs

Many drugs could cause baldness, most commonly from medicines used to treat high blood pressure, diabetes, and medicines that manage hormones like contraceptive pills, steroids, and hormone replacement. Other drugs include the use of antimycotics that are used to treat fungal infections and chemotherapy drugs.

We often see cancer patients not having any locks, but it is false despite a widespread belief that cancer causes hair loss. The baldness in cancer patients is caused by chemotherapeutic drugs that attack rapidly growing cells such as keratin, the dead cells that make up our hairs and nails.

Trauma

Trauma to the scalp causes scarring that may block follicles, which prevents strands of hairs from growing. Trauma may occur in cases like surgery to the scalp and radiation therapy. Traction alopecia can occur for those who braid their locks into a ponytail, and there are continuous pulls that could injure the follicles.

Additionally, hair treatments can cause damage to hair and its roots. High-temperature ironing tools for your locks could also damage your scalp. Further, the use of chemicals such as bleaches could contribute to the damage.

Stress-Related

Trichotillomania is an irresistible urge to pull out a strand in any part of our body. Usually, to ease negative feelings or stress the person is experiencing. Alopecia areata is a stress-related condition that causes our autoimmune system to attack our follicles. 

Here Are Some Preventive Measures for Women:

Exploit the Use of Vitamins!

Several vitamins contribute to our beautiful strands growth, namely Vitamin D, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin B complex (B6 and B12). There are many products of female hair loss vitamins in the market, and they work effectively in prolonged treatment! But do note that it only helps maintain your hair to be healthy, but if the underlying cause of alopecia could not be prevented, you might switch up your gears into managing it instead.

Treat the Infection

This preventive measure may be a given, but it is worth mentioning. Treating the underlying causes such as infection as soon as possible is a great preventative measure. Go to your doctor and get a prescription; the sooner you treat, the better the outcome! 

Less Use Of Follicle-Damaging Chemicals

That means fewer visits to the parlor to get your locks treated. Less use of dyes or bleaches as well to prevent further trauma. It would be better you eliminate some chemical use, but that depends on you, be aware of the causes!

Consider Using Hair Regrowth Products

Companies nowadays produce products that improve your strands’ growth. It usually contains essential oils and minerals for nourishment. Additionally, they could also destroy or wash off some bacteria that latch on and feed on your strands’ nutrients, damaging them.