Hair defines many things for a woman – personality, attractiveness, success, health and social status, just to name a few. Losing it can have a dramatic effect on both self esteem and social life. Many women feel that without their hair, they've lost a large part of who they are. The good news is we now have the technological means to help restore beautiful hair.
Sometimes life isn't fair. Although we have many struggles we may face, for some of us, hair loss could be one of them. Unlike men, there are many reasons why women lose hair. Hormonal imbalances, postpartum/stress, chemotherapy, and disorders such as trichtilliomania are just a few. Female hair loss can also be induced by certain prescription drugs or as a result from the use of harsh chemical relaxers and extremely tight hair braiding which can cause permanent damage to the hair follicle.
Anagen effluvium is a generalized diffuse hair loss from follicles in the anagen growth phase with quite rapid development 1-4 weeks after the initial trigger. Hair loss can be quite extensive as it affects all follicles in an anagen stage of active growth and around 90% of the average person's hair follicles are at this stage at any one time. Anagen effluvium results from the simultaneous inhibition of cell division in hair follicles leading to a sudden stop in hair fiber productionPotential causes of anagen effluvium overview
There are many potential causes of anagen effluvium. More common causes are listed below and some are explained in greater detail elsewhere.
 Genetic hereditary disease
Pollitt's syndrome, Marie Unna type hypotrichosis
Defective hormone production
Anagen effluvium may be associated with hypopituitarism (hypopituitary dwarfism, Simmond's disease, Sheehan's syndrome), thyroid gland defects (hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism), Cushing's syndrome, and occasionally juvenile diabetes
Nutrient deficiencies -
Extreme deficiency of copper, iron, zinc, biotin, essential fatty acids, or vitamin C in the diet may lead to anagen effluvium
Cancer treatments
Drug categories such as cytostatic drugs, alkylating drugs, and antimetabolic drugs cause anagen effluvium
Ionizing radiation
X rays and gamma rays
Toxic agents
Thallium, arsenic, lead, bismuth, vitamin A and derivative drugs
Inflammatory Alopecia: Lupus, Psoriasis, Scleroderma, breast implants produce alopecia, lichen planus, autoimmune disease
Other causes of hair loss can be related to stress, burnt scar, traction alopecia (onstant pulling pressure by braiding), hypothyroidism, malnutrition, hormonal imbalance, Alopecia Totalis (total hair loss)
 Menopause and Female Hair Loss
Many women experience hair loss later in life as a result of menopause. The onset of menopause causes a drop off in the production of estrogen. And without estrogen to produce testosterone-blocking enzymes, testosterone can be freely converted to DHT on the scalp. The result is a shorter hair growth cycle, finer hair, and hair loss. This is a time in all women's lives that many things are changing. But you can change for the better. So instead of feeling sad, take heart because there is a solution available to you.
Just as hair loss is usually thought of as a man's problem, hair transplant surgery exists in the popular imagination as an option for men. But more and more women suffering from hair loss are turning to hair transplants as a solution. The development of new surgical techniques, particularly Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation, allow many women who are losing their hair to have a completely natural restoration.
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