Listen up, ladies, female baldness is real and paying even a little attention to your hair might go a long way in maintaining its health.
But what exactly is female baldness?
On an average, a single strand of hair grows about 1/2 an inch per month. The hair grows for two to six years, after which it falls out and a new hair grows in its place. However, if the hair falls out and the new hair does not grow in its place, baldness occurs.
On the bright side, female baldness is less severe than the one found in men. There are about 50 different hair disorders afflicting both men and women, but it does not mean that all of them will lead to complete baldness. Additionally, it is normal to lose 80-100 hair every day! So all that hair on your brush, they may well be within the ‘normal’ limit.
Also Read: Should You Risk Getting 50 Shades of Hair?
How Does Baldness Occur?
The medical term used for hair loss is Alopecia, but depending on the cause of the loss, all kinds of hair-fall is different.
One of the most common types of hair loss is male or female pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia) which is, once again, more severe in men than women. Unlike men, where this kind of balding follows a pattern starting with a receding hair-line and goes up to the crown of the head, hair thins mainly on the top and crown of the scalp for women.
It usually begins with a widening at the center parting of the hair. Some good news though is that progression towards complete or almost complete baldness is rare in women.
What Causes Tress Stress?
Three main causes of baldness in women include age, hormones and genes. Commenting on this, Dr Rajiv Vij, Consultant, Fortis Shalimar Bagh, says:
In India female baldness is not very common. But women in the age group of 30 to 50 years may have heavy hair fall due to hormonal changes. If the maang starts to broaden, that may be a concern.
Other things that can exacerbate hair-fall include stress, poor diet or crash dieting. While stress leads to secretion of male hormones into the body, too much Vitamin A or too little protein also results in hair-fall.
So what should you do if you are losing a lot of hair?
Get your iron and thyroid levels tested in case of abnormal hair-loss. After menopause, the hair-fall may worsen if the body is not treated for oestrogen levels.
If it’s regular hair-fall owing to one of these factors, it can be reversed by improving your diet and fixing the hormonal imbalance.
Are There Any Remedies to Bring My Hair Back?
Now for the bad news. Female pattern baldness is permanent and irreversible. Once lost, the hair does not grow back.
But, you can PREVENT hair-loss. Dr Vij points out:
For baldness there is no home remedy, but to prevent hair-fall, one can nourish their hair properly with oil. Avoid using chemical-heavy shampoos. Apply amla, reetha and shikakai to the roots of the hair. This may help prevent hair loss. The diet should be rich in fruits and nuts. A balance diet of the milk products, fruits and vegetables is a must. Take plenty of protein.
Just putting oil on your hair is not enough. The key is champi. Yes ladies, grandma was right. You need to massage the scalp to get the blood flow running. There are medicines available, but they need to be taken only under medical supervision.
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