Hair loss: how does it affect women?
Hair loss: how does it affect women? On seeing a bald man walk past, most of us wouldn’t take a second glance. But would this be the case if a bald woman walked past? It is doubtful. Hair loss – although distressing – is generally more accepted in men, despite women accounting for 40% of all hair loss sufferers in the US. In this Spotlight, we look at the main causes of hair loss in women, the emotional toll it can take and why research is lagging behind in treatment for female hair loss. The most common cause of hair loss in both men and women is androgenetic alopecia, also referred to as male or female pattern baldness. A hereditary condition, androgenetic alopecia is believed to be caused by dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which derives from the male hormone testosterone. An enzyme called Type 2 5-alpha reductase – present in the oil glands of hair follicles, the skin organs that produce hair – helps convert testosterone to DHT. This derivative then ...