Female Hair Loss or Alopecia, its Causes and Treatments
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According to the International Journal of Women’s Dermatology female pattern hair loss or FPHL is the most common form of alopecia or hair loss to affect women. Around 30% of women experience some type of thinning hair in their lives and beyond the physical impact of hair loss there can also be psychological distress and social difficulties. This is why it is important to get an early diagnosis so that the condition can be managed or treated before it worsens. At Ziering Medical, we provide several types of female hair loss treatments.Â
Female Hair Loss Causes
Inherited genetics is the primary reason but other medical conditions can also cause diffuse hair loss among women, including:
* Hormonal changes
* Discontinuation of birth control pills
* Obstetric and gynecologic conditions such as post-partum and post-menopausal states or ovarian tumors
* Anemia or iron deficiency
* Thyroid disease and the medications used to treat it
* Stress or trauma – surgical procedures, general anesthesia, and severe emotional problems
* Poor nutrition caused by sudden changes in diet, crash dieting, bulimia, protein/calorie deficiency, essential fatty acid or zinc deficiency, malabsorption, hypervitaminosis A
* Lupus – a connective tissue disease
* Hashimoto’s Disease
* Certain medications
* Traction Alopecia or hair loss caused from trauma, excessive tension on hair from wearing hairstyles or braiding that is very tight
Female Hair Loss TreatmentsÂ
Ziering Medical addresses hair loss in women and provides both non-surgical treatments as well as hair transplant surgical procedures tailored for their specific requirements.
There are two primary types of procedures. Microscopically Dissected Elliptical Excision (MDEE) and Follicular Unit Excision and Extraction (FUE). The major difference between is how donor hair is harvested.
MDEE, formerly known as FUT and also known as the strip surgery procedure, involves shaving a narrow, linear area on the back of the head before surgically removing a strip of tissue that is dissected using the Ziering Scope into microscopic follicular units. Recipient sites are made then the hair grafts are delicately placed into those sites.
This process will take from 6 to 8 hours. To achieve more hair density, it is common to have a second procedure.
Because FUE requires the entire back of the head to be shaved down and the donor follicles are removed one by one, women prefer the MDEE method over the FUE. In fact, it is rare for women to choose FUE for their surgical hair restoration procedure.
If you are interested in hair restoration treatment, feel free to reach out and book an appointment.