Care for women’s physical appearance starts first and foremost with hair. Whether it is long or short. Curly, straight or wavy. Blonde, brown or red. For most women, one’s hair is a distinguishing feature, an expression of one’s personality.
Undermining this. in addition to problems related to daily stress, frequent use of chemical treatments and air pollutants, is a rapidly growing disease. Female androgenetic alopecia. But what are the effects and how do I recognize it in time?
Androgenetic alopecia and hair
Maintaining strong, healthy hair over time is by no means a given. This is well known by a great many men, whose signs of calvice often occur in the fronto-temporal area and on the vertex. However, hair loss is not only a male factor, but unfortunately also affects the fairer sex.
In the present case, there are several causes that can lead to hair loss in a woman. For example, physical or psychological trauma, side effects of drug treatment, continuous exposure to harsh chemicals. Along with all these, androgenetic alopecia is also one of themain causes.
This term is used in medicine to refer to that hereditary hair loss condition due to the most susceptible androgens.
Female androgenetic alopecia
Although men are most affected by androgenetic alopecia, women can also be subject to it. The majority of them are affected in the middle range of 14 to 45 years of age; the reason is to be found in agenetic predisposition that can be inherited from both father’s and mother’s side.
We speak of androgenetic alopecia when there is a relevant action of the hormone DHT, an acronym for dihydrotestosterone, against the androgen receptors of the hair bulbs.
Specifically, DHT, by binding to these receptors, results in a transformation action of follicle terminals from large to small. This process, known in the jargon as “miniaturization of hair follicles,” leads over time to permanent hair loss, which can no longer regrow.
Diagnosing female androgenetic alopecia
It is not easy to distinguish female androgenetic alopecia from simpletemporary hair loss, such as that of telogen effluvium. The most classic symptoms are thinning hair and reduced volume. Other symptoms are loss of shine and brittleness of the stems.
When these types of conditions are noticed, it is fundamental to seek a referral to a specialist in the field, such as a dermatologist or a tricologist.
To accurately identify whether it is female androgenetic alopecia,the doctor can conduct various examinations and tests, such as a pull test or microscopic analysis of the hair and the hair.
Solutions for this condition
Fortunately for those who suffer from it, female androgenetic alopecia is a condition that can be slowed, fought and in some cases even stopped.
Among the solutions most frequently recommended by doctors for women suffering from androgenetic alopecia is the use of minoxidil. This is an active ingredient with vasodilating action that can lengthen the anagen growth phase of hair and promote greater blood and nutrient supply to the hair.
Alternatively, one can resort to hair transplant surgery, which allows one to defeat hair loss permanently.
