In general most people these days are aware they can blame their parents for genetic baldness, and fortunately, the old snake-oil cure-alls are fading out. Most ‘cures’ were vasodilators (opening blood capillaries), while at the same time creating heat. The principal (first expounded by Hypocrites about 2,500 years ago) was that the ‘Tonic’ would heat the scalp, blood vessels would open to disperse this heat and in so doing, would feed hairs. It wasn’t until transplanting hairs came along that it was found your own body, not wasting anything, shut down the blood to bald scalps where the hair roots no longer needed the strong sub-epidermal capillary supply.
Female Thinning
Female genetic thinning is recessive and is inherited from both parents. It is possible for a thinning daughter to have both parents with a full head of hair while her own hair thins, exposing more and more scalp. Often this starts with the hair parting becoming more noticeably thinner, then slowly the hair thins all over the scalp.
Genetic thinning will never lead to baldness in women, but if not treated early, the thinning can make a person very self-conscious. Overall, genetic thinning is increasing and is now occurring at an earlier age in both women and men. Thirty percent of women will experience thinning hair before they reach 30. But over 50% will notice genetic thinning after menopause. This compares with 50% of men going bald by the age of 50.
Female hormones can be taken to counteract the androgens that affect hair growth. Birth control pills like Diane 35 have a high estrogen level, which counters excessive testosterone. Long and short term side effects should be noted, particularly weight gain. These measures will not bring hair back, but they may stop or slow the process.
Hormones and blockers are effective only while you are taking them. Natural testosterone blockers like Saw Palmetto, although less powerful, they can be taken or applied by females and have no detrimental side effects for either sex. Natural topical blockers include Vitamin B6, Zinc, and Azelaic Acid. These were found to block up to 95% of the baldness triggering messenger dihydrotestosterone. Published in the British Journal of Dermatology (1988), 119, 627 – 632.
Excessive Hair Loss in Men & Women
Most people with diffuse hair loss fear baldness, but although the hair thins, it is normally replaced. If your rate of hair loss increases suddenly, the cause would have occurred about three months beforehand. For example, the birth of your baby in April could cause hair loss in July. Having a fever in May could cause hair loss in August. In most cases, the loss will correct itself shortly after the cause of the problem is rectified.
Diffuse hair loss of more than four months may indicate you have a medical or nutritional problem. Three common medical causes of diffuse hair loss include anemia, thyroid imbalance, and sugar imbalances such as hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) or diabetes (high blood sugar). A hair mineral analysis can often give clues to internal disorders or an unbalanced diet that may be the cause of your hair loss.
Some examples of temporary self-correcting diffuse loss are:
1. Crash Dieting
This often leads to temporary diffuse hair loss. The main point is not which diet is followed, but how quickly the weight is lost. Rapid weight loss invariably leads to temporary hair loss as your body’s nutrients disregard non-essential cells like hair roots. After a two to four-month resting period, the hair falls out, long after the ‘fad’ diet is forgotten.
2. Shampooing
Shampooing with normal/quality products will not affect the number of hairs falling out or cause baldness. But if you shampoo less often (because you think a lot of hair comes out when you do), then ironically, you will have amassed more hairs due to fall, and it will look like a tremendous loss of hair. The best answer may be to wash it more often. This will also keep the scalp cleaner and decrease scalp oils, perspiration and any hormones that could affect the hair.
3. Hairdressing Services
Perming, tinting or bleaching the hair may break or split hairs if incorrectly applied, but will not cause loss unless they burn or irritate your scalp. Some patients believe short cut hair reduces the rate of hair loss – it does not. Neither will shave the head make any difference. You will just see less hair falling out.
Alopecia Areata (Patchy Baldness)
The third common type of hair loss that can affect women, men, and children is Alopecia Areata (hair loss in circular patches). This is considered to be an Autonomic Nervous System disorder and can be triggered by many varied factors but is usually associated with stress.
The disorder often runs in families and may be an inherited inability to uplift specific amino acids from the diet when under stress.
Most commonly a few patches (approximately 4cm diameter) of baldness rapidly occur, sometimes overlapping, sometimes in completely different areas.
It is more common in dark-haired people but is equally distributed in all races, affecting children and younger people more severely. There is no related illness and seldom any other noticeable signs or symptoms, although some clients notice a slight itching in a patch that is just starting to lose hair. Often there is a ‘port-wine stain’ noticed just inside the hairline at the nape of the neck. Steroids both externally applied and/or injected into the patches will sometimes release hair growth, but the hair often falls out again when the therapy is discontinued. It is felt the steroids may take over from white corpuscles that are attacking the hair roots on (misguided) instructions from the defense mechanisms involved in the Autonomic Nervous System.
Hair growth in men and women can be affected by:
- An inherited genetic predisposition towards baldness. This is where the hair growing structures on the top/front of the scalp can be detrimentally influenced by sex hormones causing the hair follicles to shrink in size genetically. Inheritable in males from either parent; in females from both parents. After puberty, men’s hair can start to thin, depending on their inherited characteristics. Thinning of this hair can indicate either a genetic message and/or a sex hormone imbalance. Often the causes are multiple and can be compounded by on other disorders.
- Imbalances of nutrients available to the hair roots – either through poor diet, malabsorption or maldistribution.
- The tension of the skin crown area, causing a decreased blood supply which can produce weak hairs. Although massage or topical vasodilators treatment containing the drug minoxidil can benefit circulation by carrying more oxygen and nutrients to the hair roots – beware, the extra blood will also carry more hormones which could trigger more baldness.
- Stress (mental, dietary, or physical) in either sex can promote enzyme activity within the cell and stimulate testosterone production mainly from the adrenal (stress) glands. You should monitor stress levels or ask a Trichologist for help in assisting your body in dealing with stress. In general, anything unusual experienced by the body causes stress – this can be either an unpleasant or pleasant experience.Pituitary, adrenal, or ovarian gland disorders can trigger androgen levels to increase. In these cases, usually other signs and symptoms will become evident particularly in females, such as facial and body hair increasing, skin becomes oily, irregular periods, change of hair texture. Appropriate tests should identify the cause, which can then be corrected.
- Scalp disorders can also cause hair loss either directly or indirectly.
Through any of the above, hormones can more readily enter cells in the follicles and hair roots where they will unite with enzymes, creating a chemical messenger capable of triggering an aging factor in the DNA. This aging of the hair follicle cells will result in miniaturization of the hair follicles resulting in decreased blood availability at the hair roots. The sub-epidermal area can carry 75% of scalp blood (and is the first area to be affected as the scalp tightens). When the hair follicles atrophy, they will draw blood increasingly from the dermal area, which carries only about 20% of the blood of the scalp.
Decreased need for sub-epidermal blood results in calcification of that capillary bed, resulting in less blood available, slower healing and less hair. Follicle length also determines the length of the Anagen (growth) phase of that particular hair – short follicles produce short hairs like those found on the arms and face of a child. In an adolescent male, the facial and main trunk hairs, genetically designed to grow, are stimulated by the production of dihydrotestosterone to produce deeper follicles resulting in stronger hair in those areas.
Regrettably, the same reaction will miniaturize scalp follicles and hairs. At that stage treatment with a strong stimulant like minoxidil can improve the length of those hairs by up to 100% – possibly doubling the length of the hair – while it is applied. Once the minoxidil product is stopped though, the next generation of hair will return to, at most, its genetically shortened length. Adding on ‘Enzyme Blocker’ will help to stabilize the loss. The drug Finasteride used in Propecia (1%) and Proscar (5%) have been medically shown to reduce enzyme 5 Reductase activity, although multiple side effects can restrict its use. For further details or advice, contact a Trichologist or your doctor.