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Female Hair Loss Treatments Abound

Lots of options exist for female hair loss treatments. Finding a few more hairs in drain can make us nervous, but it doesn’t mean necessarily that you are going bald or have some serious hair problem. Most female hair loss is either due to natural losses or breakage.

• Natural Female Hair Loss  ~~  It is normal thy you lose some hair every day, usually 150 to 200 strands. Hair follicles go through three stages of development:

• The Growth Phase lasts anywhere from two to six years. Hair grows approximately one half to one inch a month. The hair shaft is thickest during the growth phase.
• The Resting Phase lasts just a few weeks.
• The Shedding Phase usually lasts five six weeks. New hair begins to grow, and the old hair is shed an replaced. New hair is very fine.

• Shampoo Make sure your routine shampoo says it is pH-balanced and avoid those that are alkaline. Alkaline shampoos strip the hair’s natural oils and disrupt the acid mantle, causing dehydration and leading to porous, fragile hair.
• Hot-Oil Treatments Hot-oil treatments have become very popular. However, the very heat that causes them to penetrate the hair shaft can also lead to further damage of the hair. Over time, the continued, excessive heat exposure will cause the hair to become weaker. Stick with regular conditioners.
• Leave-In Conditioner Consider the routine use of a leave-in conditioner or detangler. Typically applied after towel-drying, these help reduce trauma and breakage when you comb through wet hair.
• Styling Minimizing the use of daily hot rollers, blow-dryers, flat irons and chemical applications can reduce the trauma on the hair shaft and help minimize female hair loss.

But, if you suspect your hair is thinning beyond normal female hair loss and breakage, you should talk to your dermatologist, who may have better knowledge of the causes than your regular physician. There are many options to choose from in female hair loss treatments, and your dermatologist can recommend one that is right for you. Some formulas you might hear:

• FNS Follicle Nutrient Serum  ~~  Contains natural ingredients said to stimulate hair regrowth.
• Nizoral Shampoo  ~~  May provide some benefit to women with female-pattern alopecia.
• Rogaine ~~ A topical medication that helps trigger growth of hair. Women should stick with the 2% formula to minimize growth of hair elsewhere (like the face).
• Propecia  ~~ A prescription medication taken once a day to help regrow recently lost hair and slow or stop hair loss.
• Flutamide  ~~ A prescription medication that can help reduce female-pattern alopecia.
     

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