What causes baldness in women? And why is it more distressing for women?

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We commonly talk about the causes of hair loss in men, but it is not only men who lose their hair. The question for today is what causes baldness in women. Because baldness in women, although not as common as it is in men, is still a significant problem.

It is a problem because balding in men is socially accepted to a degree. In some cases it is even fashionable to shave your head. However that is not the case for women.

It is quite common for women to experience emotional distress when they suffer from thinning hair, particularly when it becomes more advanced.

There is a range of causes of baldness in women. Women can experience balding for the same reasons as men. For example there are prescription medications as well is medical conditions which cause thinning hair in women, the most well-known medication causing hair loss in women is chemotherapy. And hair thinning can be a sign of an underlying medical condition or a hormonal imbalance. So if you suddenly start to experience hair loss the first thing to do is to visit your doctor.

Hair loss in women can also be caused by stress, poor diet or childbirth and it is estimated that almost 40% of women suffer from some loss of hair at menopause. In each case if the underlying problem is corrected, or after the baby is born, or after menopause, the condition should correct itself.

It is known that hair relies heavily on an optimum supply of nutrients and the Western diet high in red meat, sugar and salt often does not supply sufficient nutrients to the hair. Dietary inadequacy can be corrected by changing the diet and this will not only improve the health of your hair but also improve your health generally.

However it is estimated that up to 95 percent of hair loss in women is caused by female pattern baldness. Just as men can inherit pattern baldness from previous members of their family women can also do so. It is more common in men which is why you see more men with hair loss problems however it is still relatively common in women. Estimates are that up to one in 4 women can suffer from some degree of female pattern baldness.

Technically called androgenetic alopecia, baldness in women is commonly genetic. If you can see the baldness in either males or females in your family you may have inherited the genes.

Pattern baldness is the major balding cause of female balding by far. Other forms of hair loss in women, other than temporary causes of baldness in women, are relatively rare.

Female pattern baldness, like for men, is a condition where a hormonal attaches itself to the base of hair follicles and slowly limits their ability to take up essential nutrients. Just like where diet is inadequate, the hair is unable to remain healthy without sufficient nutrients and will start to weaken, thin and fall out. Although all hair has a limited life it is normally replaced with new healthy hair once it dies however in cases of female pattern baldness hair is not sufficiently replaced with new healthy hair.

If you have female baldness there are things you can do about it. Although there are 2 products approved by the FDA for use in men, minoxidil and finasteride, only one is approved by the FDA for women. This is minoxidil and minoxidil has been shown in trials to be effective as a hair loss treatment for women.

There are 2 strengths approved by the FDA for minoxidil use by men. One is a 2% solution and the other is a 5% solution. However only the 2% solution is approved for use by women for treatment of androgenetic alopecia.

Although it is not entirely clear how minoxidil works to stimulate hair growth in women it is thought that it increases the blood supply to the hair follicle thereby allowing it to take up more nutrients. Minoxidil was originally intended as a treatment for high blood pressure however it was observed in studies that people taking it exhibited increased hair growth.

The best hair loss treatment for women, called Provillus, using minoxidil combines a topical application of minoxidil with a supply of natural essential hair nutrients. It makes sense that if the hair is stimulated to take up more nutrients that the nutrients be made available to it.

It has not been shown that minoxidil works for everybody, in fact there is no hair loss product that works for everybody. However studies have clearly shown the effectiveness of minoxidil for hair loss in women and men.

In answer to our initial question of what causes baldness in women, the answer is clear. The vast majority of balding causes in women is inherited.

The good news is that there are some solutions for women with hair loss problems. Provillus, using minoxidil together with a range of essential hair nutrients, offers an opportunity for women to reverse their future balding. Whilst it doesn’t promise to work for everybody it certainly works. Read the rest of this entry

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Men who are losing their hair want to know. Does Minoxidil work?

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Click here to visit Provillus, mentioned in the video, for 2 MONTHS FREE SUPPLY. (You can’t ask for more than that).

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Men who are experiencing thinning hair and are starting to realize that they have approaching baldness have several options when it comes to buying a hair loss treatment. The very first baldness treatment approved by the FDA was a treatment called minoxidil. Minoxidil is now available under a range of brand names and is approved for use as a hair loss treatment. But does minoxidil work?

From the outset let us say that there is no hair loss treatment that works for everybody. Hair loss is a complex problem and combating it is also extremely complex. There is a range of causes of hair loss and different causes may respond to different treatments. However by far the most common cause of male hair loss is male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia).

Pattern baldness in men is a genetic condition. It is inherited from previous members of your family and its operation is now understood. A hormone called DHT (dihydrotestosterone), which is derived from the male sex hormone testosterone, attaches itself to hair follicles and slowly limits the ability of those follicles to take up essential nutrients. Those who have inherited male pattern baldness suffer from an excess of DHT.

There are 2 products approved by the FDA for use as a treatment to restore the growth of hair. Minoxidil is one of them (approved on August 18th 1988) and the other is finasteride marketed under the brand name Propecia. Both were originally intended to treat other conditions but in both cases it was observed that subjects studied exhibited an increase in hair growth.

There are many other hair loss treatments marketed today however those are the only 2 recognized by the FDA as appropriate as a hair loss treatment. Finasteride is only approved for use by men and women wishing to buy finasteride are advised to use minoxidil.

Minoxidil comes in several strengths. There is minoxidil 2% and minoxidil 5% which refers to the strength of the product.

The question does minoxidil work is only one of the questions that should be asked by any man looking to buy minoxidil for a receding hairline. Clearly minoxidil does work, the FDA must have satisfied itself that minoxidil works before it approved it for use as a hair loss treatment. But the question is does minoxidil work for everybody and how well does it work?

Clearly minoxidil does not work for everybody. As already stated there is no recognized hair loss treatment that works for everybody. However equally clearly it does work for many. That is often dependent on the strength that is used. Studies have shown that 5 % minoxidil is much more effective than 2% minoxidil and that men who start using the 2% solution may have limited or no result but may see a result when they change to the 5% solution.

Equally important to ask is where does minoxidil work. It is now relatively well-established that minoxidil works in many cases to regrow hair on the top and crown of the head but has limited effectiveness on a receding hairline at the front.

The next question to ask is how long does it take to see results from applying minoxidil as directed. Again there is no clear answer because it can vary from person to person but expect to be using it for a number of months before eventually deciding whether or not it is working for you. It may be 2 to 4 months or more before you start to see a result and discontinuing use too early may mean that you stop using it just before the results start to show. Many give up too soon deciding that minoxidil doesn’t work when in fact if they continued using it for a few more months it would have started to work.

For some it can take up to 6 months or even more to start working.

One other matter that anyone considering buying minoxidil should understand is that no matter how well minoxidil works it’s effects are limited to the time spent applying minoxidil. Don’t expect to regain your hair and then discontinue using minoxidil and expect your new hair to remain. When you discontinue use the new hair growth will slowly start to thin again.

The mechanism by which minoxidil works is not fully understood. It was originally developed as a blood pressure treatment and acts to dilate the veins. It is considered that the most likely way that minoxidil works to restore hair growth is by improving the flow of blood to the hair follicles thereby improving their capacity to take up sufficient levels of nutrients. Whether or not that is the mode of operation it is clear that for many men minoxidil works.

One clever company called Provillus has come up with a very new product that uses minoxidil as the active ingredient and which also includes all essential hair nutrients on the principle that if hair loss is caused by lack of nutrients then the minoxidil will improve the capacity of the hair follicles to take up nutrients and having all those nutrients available gives the hair the maximum chance for optimum growth. This will greatly improve the results that you may expect from simply applying minoxidil. Receding hairlines do not respond to minoxidil but hair loss on the crown and apex of the head should be regained.

So to answer the question does minoxidil work the answer is mixed. It works for many but not all, and many give up before it starts to work. It works best on the crown and apex of the head rather than at the front and it works only for as long as you use it. However the reality is that there is no product that works for everybody, which works on all areas of the scalp and which continues to operate after it’s use is discontinued.

Minoxidil is one of only two products approved by the FDA so if minoxidil does not work for you then you should try finasteride. However by using Provillus you are giving yourself the maximum chance to make sure that minoxidil will work for you.

If you’re interested in some of the studies that demonstrate that Minoxidil works then here is a study from the April 2004 edition of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology about the effectiveness of Minoxidil (for women) which discusses the benefits of using it for androgenic alopecia. Read the rest of this entry

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