You are a woman, you lose your hair?

You are a woman, you lose your hair?

Hair loss is resented by most women. It can cause anxiety, stress, or even depression, symptoms that can also help maintain this fall.

What to do if you notice a drop in abnormally high hair?

Do not panic. Hair loss may be transient and may have dozens of possible causes. This is not a reason to neglect it.

First, LOOK! Go see a dermatologist, preferably a specialist in diseases of the scalp. Only a doctor can tell you where did YOU fall and how to treat it.

The main causes vary and women can be:

1 - A hyper-androgenicity (excess of male hormones in the body), the origin of which may be a problem with the adrenal glands, ovaries and pituitary gland, or heredity.

The most common of hyper-androgenicity symptoms: greasy hair, oily skin (with or without acne), hirsutism (excess hair, or hair in unusual places in women), irregular or stopping rules, rules too close and abundant, galactorrhea (abnormal milk flow), rapid weight gain without change in lifestyle (especially if excess fat is around the waist rather than the hips).

The hyper-androgenicity be treated with medications that will regulate the rate and hormonal fluctuations so that the body works normally again and the hair loss stops. This drop is on the top of the head (vertex) or on the front (above the forehead and temples), and is characterized by a broadening of the line with a crown spared.

2 - androgenic alopecia: the issue is not necessarily an excess of male hormones, but rather a hair hypersensitivity to male hormones, although the rate is normal.

The cause is genetic, and treatment is hormonal. The location of the drop is very similar to that caused by hyper-androgenicity. Note that taking contraceptive SOME PILLS can cause androgenic fall, because they contain some progestins mimic male hormones in some of their effects.

3 - A dietary deficiency.

Iron deficiency (iron deficiency anemia type), calcium, essential vitamins, protein and essential fatty acids, or just an overly restrictive diet can lead to hair loss more or less important. The body is wise and protects the face of a too severe food restriction, focusing on key bodies and leaving out everything that is not essential to survival, such as hair and hair. This drop is diffuse and therefore affects the whole head.

4 - A thyroid dysfunction.

A thyroid not active enough or too much can cause significant hair loss. A blood test can give a first idea of the operation and the status of your thyroid.

5 - An autoimmune disease.

This is what is known as alopecia areata. Hair fall in neat circles plates and leave without hair. It may be total (no more hair on the head) or universal (no more hair or body hair), but mostly, it remains limited and resolves spontaneously. The psychological state appear to play a role in the appearance and disappearance of this disease sometimes recurrent, the exact causes are still unclear.

6 - A parasite.

Ringworm is the most common parasites of the scalp. This is a fungus that "mow" the hair at the base, leaving the circles where they do more than 1 or 2 mm in height. The treatment is simple and effective.

7 - In postmenopausal women, estrogen deficiency.

Estrogen protects women's hair. At menopause, with the cessation of ovarian activity, estrogen levels drop, but the adrenal glands continue to produce male hormones. This causes a drop in androgen type, which is most often hindered by hormone replacement therapy (HRT) the most balanced possible.

8 - pregnancies.

  

Some women lose a lot of hair in 2-4 months after giving birth, following the significant decline in female hormone levels. If there are no other problems subjacent, the fall will stop spontaneously about 2 months after it began, and the hair will grow back. There is in principle nothing else to do but wait, but you can supplement vitamins (yeast) to promote regrowth.

9 - other causes.

  

Currently there is much talk of stress and pollution as possible causes. Only your doctor can hope to accurately diagnose the cause of your hair loss.

What tests achieve?

If you lose your hair and diffusely over the entire head, the doctor will probably prescribe a blood test to check for possible iron deficiency or a thyroid problem. In general, an iron supplement is enough to stem the fall in cases of anemia. Thyroid, it depends on the problem detected. These are the Reversing Falls.

If the fall is located on the top of the head, the doctor will confirm the diagnosis by hormonal dosage and sometimes trichogram (review of levying hair in three different parts of the head - front, top and rear) to find out where the fall is abnormal, the number of dystrophic hair - or too fine - and to monitor the effectiveness of treatments. Most of the time, the drop stops with a targeted treatment and it may be back, especially if the problem is dealt with fairly quickly.

The most common in case of fall androgen treatment:

1 - The Pill. The only three to have an anti-androgen action are Diane 35 (and its generics), Jasmine and Jasminelle.

2 - The anti-androgenic: Androcur (cyproterone acetate), Aldactone (spironolactone), Propecia or Proscar (finasteride), Avodart (dutasteride). Note that the latter two do not have a marketing authorization in France for hair loss in women, and a reliable contraception is absolutely essential because they can cause serious fetal malformations.

3 - Minoxidil.

In case of hyper-androgenicity:

Consultation with an endocrinologist is often necessary because the treatment will differ depending on the cause (adrenals or ovaries) and depending on the severity of the case.

In case of alopecia areata:

In most cases, the doctor will prescribe a cream containing corticosteroids. Heavier treatments exist if the disease becomes more important. Medical surveillance will be implemented. Other treatments are currently being tested.

The most common causes of hair loss in women is androgenetic alopecia and anemia.

Now that you can better position in relation to your downfall, do not hesitate to ask questions on this forum, other women are willing to share their experience, their feelings and their treatments!

  

  

  

Medical and surgical treatment of alopecia

  

We will not discuss here the loss of hair that a specific cause and a specific treatment, such as certain deficiencies or hormonal disorders. It is rather interested in androgenic alopecia and other types of hair loss that are irreversible until further order, such as scars or trauma death follicles by compression or by the chronic tightness of trichotillomania.

  

Medications: Here is a list of treatment options currently under discussion. We invite you to consult your doctor for further information.

  

Minoxidil is an old drug used in hypertension. Difficult to tolerate, it had different side effects such as increased hair growth. It is thus used in androgenetic alopecia in lotion to reduce the tendency to hypotension, and at different concentrations according to safety and efficacy.

Usually applied 2 times a day, must in principle take about six months to expect to see slow or stop hair loss. Discontinuation of the situation back to the starting point: the fall continues.

The mode of action of the product is still poorly understood. Vascular component is very likely, but not enough to explain the effect.

The product, rather cheap, are under different names and compounding.

  

The aminexil: this lotion is a kind of derivative of minoxidil. Counter, its efficacy is however generally less.

  

Finasteride: This is initially a drug used for the treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy. By blocking the conversion of free testosterone into DHT, it can slow down and stop androgenetic alopecia. Usually administered at 1 mg / day about, you also need some time to see the possible benefit. The most common side effect is a decrease in libido, transient principle, but can however lead to discontinuation of treatment in many cases.

This product is normally not recommended for women of childbearing age because it can lead to fetal malformations.

  

The dutasteride: Drug hormonal placed on the French market in 2004, to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia. It is a recent development in the same category as finasteride. It seems more efficient, but also more difficult to tolerate. It has yet to market approval, however may soon be on the US market.

Spironolactone: is a long-standing drug cheap, which belongs to a class of diuretics. It has an anti-androgenic activity a priori interesting, but the indication and its cons-indications should be well weighed by a doctor.

  

Surgical treatment

  

It is not to favor a priori. An old adage still applies, is that the surgery is a kind of admission of failure of medicine; Priority is always given to effective drug treatment to regrow hair fell recently and especially to preserve the remaining hair capital. For the time being, the surgery is only entitled to redistribute the remaining hair, nothing more.

  

The (micro-) hair transplant: This is the most practiced of the scalp operations. It involves removing hair in a place where they fall very late in life, and to implement them in areas that believes should be covered to obtain the best aesthetic impact possible.

The former technique, rarely used nowadays involves removing circles (punches) scalp at the back of the skull, in the area called Hippocratic crown. Large grafts, a typical diameter of 5 to 8 mm, usually comprise from 5 to about 30 hairs. The two main causes for the loss of speed of this technique are the reasons of persistence subsequent scars give sprawl unsightly appearance when the hair is wet or short, and the aspect "doll hair" in location of regrowth. This is caused by the disappearance of the skin graft, thus leaving many hair out of a single hole.

Currently, more transplants and especially mini micrografts. Having usually only one follicle (follicular transplantation), which comprises from 1 to 4 hairs, these transplants are done in two main ways:

- The FUT (Follicular Unit Transplantation): one or more strips of scalp are removed in the Hippocratic crown and cut to the naked eye, magnifying glass in front or under a stereoscopic microscope (magnification 20 to 30 times) for the finest hair clearer before being implanted into very thin slits with very small blades, needles or a small instrument called Choi implanter.

- FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction): This is an improvement of the old technique of large grafts, which are removed through small "punch" of small diameter (often well below the millimeter) to leave no real scar and thus afford to wear very short hair, see to remain free shave without leaving any visible trace big at the crown.

  

These two methods each have their indications, advantages and disadvantages, which are the subject of heated debate among the public, while the medical community remains largely divided in their choices. Hair regrowth usually starts between the 3rd and 6th postoperative month.

  

The Calvitron / Omnigraft: This unit was created to automate as much as possible micro-hair transplant. On some to be complex and delicate use, it is used by some practitioners.

  

The scalp reduction: This technique involves removing a piece of hairless skin or very sparse, in principle at the posterior 2/3 of the vertex (crown). The skin is sutured after stretching the surrounding areas and sometimes pre-dilatation with a stent such as the one created by Dr. Fréchet. In a relatively short procedure, an immediate result is obtained, which will most often be further improved by a transplant in the next few months.

The scalp reduction, little practiced and mastered by few practitioners, allows partially correct area without having yet begun the capital (limited) transplantable grafts alopecia.

  

The rotation flaps: currently very little used, demanding great skill in plastic surgery, dexterity and experience, this technique is its most typical case of moving a flap of skin temporoparietal 90 ° to the before to recreate a new front line. This method, again, requires great skill because it can result in necrosis (death) of the flap moved.

We expect the babbling of Enzolebel on "hair additions"

Thank you to Cherry, Lelis and Enzo for writing.