Hair Loss In Women: When To Be Alarmed?

It was long believed that hair loss was mainly male, in fact, female hair loss was underestimated. We talked little about it and because it is more diffuse, rarely total and definitive, we had to live with it. Fortunately, things are changing. When to be alarmed and what solutions? Update with Dr. Robert Nahmani, a graduate of the Faculty of Pharmacy in Paris.

For women, hair loss is less common but often more difficult to bear than for men. This drop can be hormonal, the reflection of a deficiency, or the expression of the skin or infectious disease.

However, losing between 50 and 100 hairs per day is normal. For women with longer hair, their loss may be more noticeable. Since there are 100,000 hair follicles - or more - on each person's scalp, losing a hundred strands a day doesn't make much of a difference in appearance.

The most common causes of female alopecia are numerous: stress, psychological shock, fatigue, draconian diet or poor diet, childbirth, high fever or operation, change of contraception, or too aggressive hair care. This sharp fall lasts three to four months and usually settles over time.

Average hair loss

According to Robert Nahmani, women tend to lose more hair per day than men. “There is no way to objectively measure this difference, as the daily heat of hairstyles and frequent coloring play a big role in hair loss. About 40% of women lose extra hair every day because of the way with which they comb them."

Women are also more likely than men to experience periods of greater hair loss due to life events such as pregnancy and menopause.

The life cycle of hair

There are hundreds of thousands of hairs on our head, and each of them is at a different stage in its life from two to five years. Hair grows and dies in phases, and nutrition, stress, l Hygiene, and daily styling all play a role in how much hair you lose each day.

“The growth phase of a strand of hair is called anagen, explains Robert Nahmani and 90% of the strands of hair you have are currently in this phase. Hair grows about 1 centimeter per month during the anagen phase. . When something is preventing your hair from growing, it is called anagen effluvium, "he continues. Anagen effluvium is what you usually think of when you think of hair loss.

The catagen phase comes next. "Only about 1 to 2% of your hair is in the catagen phase at any given time, during this phase, the hair stops growing." It lasts two to three weeks.

The last phase is that of telogen. "The hairs in the telogen phase are also called 'ingrown hairs.' During this phase, the lock of hair is at rest and prepares to come off the scalp." About 8-9% of your hair is in this phase at any given time.

The causes of hair loss

For Robert Nahmias, "some daily hair loss is normal. More hair loss can be the result of stress or a health problem." Other potential causes of hair loss in women can therefore be due to alopecia, thyroid disorders, or nutritional deficiencies. But also excessive washing, bleaching, brushing, and heat styling can impact the amount of hair that falls out every day. Once your hair follicle has been stretched or split as a result of cosmetic hair treatment, its structure is compromised.

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The solutions

If the hair loss is occasional, food supplements help to overcome the problem and recover beautiful hair in a few weeks and the intramuscular injections of Bepanthene at a rate of three times a week for six weeks are effective to stop a punctual loss and strengthen hair mass. Ampoules can be purchased without a prescription. The Caditar anti-fall range is also proving to be effective. Shampoo and serum are available on the biorecherche.fr E-shop and in pharmacies.

If hair loss has lasted for more than six months, a consultation with a dermatologist is essential to track down the causes. A blood test is prescribed to look for iron deficiency or mainly thyroid problems, which manifest as diffuse alopecia all over the scalp. But, very often, it is androgenic alopecia. About 10% of women are affected before menopause, 50 to 75% after 65 years. Of which act.