Hair Loss Prevention Tips for Women

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Not many women like to talk about thinning hair or the possibility of female balding.
Although figures vary, it is believed that approximately 15-25% of women suffer from
thinning hair, so millions of women have to deal with the reality of hair loss. And
unfortunately, it is most often genetic; if your mother has thinning hair, you’re likely
to experience it at some point as well. In many cases, it doesn’t coincide with aging
or menopause, as many people believe. Women that are going to have thinning hair
will likely begin to see the signs during their prime childbearing years (25-35). Unlike
men, who tend to have baldness in patterns (receding hairline, bald spot on the crown),
women are more likely to have issues with volume as hair loss is more evenly distributed
and the hairs themselves shrink in diameter. All in all, it’s something that you’d probably
rather avoid.

Luckily, there are things you can do to try to prevent this thinning and hair loss, or
even reverse it. Since most women that are likely to suffer from hair loss will watch their
mother go through it first (provided it’s not the result of a medical disorder, stress, or
medication), you’ll have a good idea whether or not it’s on the horizon. And it behooves
to take preventive measures early on. By the time you actually start noticing hair loss,
you will have lost a significant portion, and it will be harder (although not impossible) to
regenerate at that point.

So where can you start? The first step is to take good care of the hair you have.
Chemical treatments like dyes jobs, permanents, and hair straightening can all damage
your hair, as can daily heat routines (drying, curling, flat-ironing, etc.) and even leave-in
hair products. But you can protect your locks by keeping them nourished, natural, and
chemical-free as much as possible. Of course, this won’t negate genetics or reverse
the impact of most medications that can lead to hair loss (like some birth control pills, for
example).

However, you can use some of the same topical treatments that are prescribed for
more common male baldness. For example, Rogaine (which contains minoxidil) makes
a product that is specifically engineered for women. Although you will have to shell out
a little more than the average woman for the shampoos and other topical treatments
needed to stimulate your scalp and get your hair growing in fuller and thicker, Rogaine
is an FDA-approved product that you can get over the counter. Another option is to take
an oral medication.

In some cases, an overabundance of certain hormones (mainly androgen) is to
blame for female hair loss, and it may be controlled through hormone treatments.
Although some doctors are hesitant to prescribe such therapies due to possible side
effects, some of them quite serious (birth defects), you might opt to undergo such
treatments anyway. Unfortunately, these hormone therapies are unlikely to be covered
by insurance, and they could end up costing you hundreds of dollars a month as a
result. And of course, there are always restorative treatments (like those offered at tempushair.com) that
can be used after the fact. But your best bet is to prevent hair loss before it even starts.
And topical treatments are not only the least expensive and easiest to come by, but in
most cases if you start early and continue to use them, you’re less likely to need more
extreme remedies down the road.