Losing hair is never an easy fact to accept, more so for women, because for most women, their physical appearance is a greater priority than men and hair has a crucial role to play in it. So, imagine when a woman starts to notice a receding hairline, how difficult it will be to accept for her. Thankfully, with the advances in medical science, there are plenty of ways to treat hair loss and help women retain their crowning glory.

However, before you can get into the idea of getting hair treatment, it is important to first understand what could be causing the hair loss. By understanding the underlying causes of the hair loss, it will be easier to chart out a plan of treatment and choose the correct procedure. If your hair loss is truly excessive, then it would be wise to meet a professional who is experienced and qualified enough to gauge your problem and provide an appropriate solution for the same.

Let’s start by looking at some of the main causes of female hair loss:

First and foremost, it is important to understand that the hair of men and women are different, which is why the manner of hair loss will also be different. For instance, when men lose hair, they will see obvious bald patches, they will see a hairline that is reducing gradually and they might eventually go completely bald. However, for women, the manner of hair loss is a lot of different – they will notice hair loss more as an overall hair thinning. It is only in extremely rare cases that women will see actual bald patches or an obvious hair line receding. Now let’s look at the main reasons that leads to hair loss in women:

• Hair styles – Perhaps one of the most common causes of hair loss is the way in which women tend to treat their hair. From hair styles that pull and tug at the hair to using clips and bands that might pull hair out right from the roots, there is so much that tends to damage hair. Moreover, with regular usage of heat based styling tools and chemicals in the form of hair care products, the actual integrity of hair reduces, leads to breakage. This is one of the main reasons for stunted hair growth
• Diet – The health of hair lies in the health of your body, which means that you need to make sure that you are eating right. When women go on radical diets for weight loss or eat more in keeping their body in shape, chances are that the hair does not get the nutrition it needs.
• Vitamin deficiency – If you are not eating right or have an inherent vitamin deficiency, it could lead to hair loss. Such deficiencies lead to the weakening of hair from the roots, which leads to breakage. If you want hair that is long, strong and beautiful, then you need to make sure that you include foods that contain all the essential vitamins and minerals for faster hair growth.
• Medical conditions – For people who have undergone medical procedures, such as radiation or chemotherapy or have been in traumas such as serious accidents, there could be hair loss. This kind of hair loss need not be permanent, because when the procedure has been completed or the medical condition has been resolved, the hair loss could stop or reduce.
• Other hair conditions – Conditions such as androgenetic alopecia and alopecia areata can also lead to hair loss; while the first one leads to drastic hair loss on the scalp, the latter could lead to hair loss all over the body. These are, however, conditions that can be diagnosed only by an expert doctor.

Once your type of hair loss has been diagnosed and the underlying factors causing it have been determined, then a plan of treatment can be charted out. The most common types of female hair loss treatments include medicines, laser hair treatment, PRP and of course, transplants.

Depending on how extreme your hair loss is, you will be suggested a course of action. For instance, if your hair loss has just started, you might be asked to consider non-invasive procedures. The most popular procedures in this domain are:

• Medication – Perhaps one of the easiest ways to handle hair loss in the beginning is by using medication. While some medical remedies such as Minoxidil for female hair loss can be purchased over the counter, there are others like Finasteride (which have to be taken orally) that need a prescription. While considering these medications, it is imperative though that you remember that female hair loss is different from male pattern baldness, which is why the dosage of these medicines and perhaps even the manner of administering will change. When you consult a professional, you should be able to get all this information and they will suggest the better course of action for you.
• Laser – A procedure that is known to be quite effective, laser is becoming the go-to technique for initial hair loss. The low-level therapy using laser can be done using a laser comb or similar machines, wherein the intensity can be set as per the requirement. Studies have shown that regular laser therapy sessions can reduce hair loss and actually improve hair growth.
• PRP – Globally recognised as one of the most effective, minimally invasive methods to tackle hair loss, is the PRP hair treatment. Short for Platelet Rich Plasma therapy, this is a procedure wherein, blood is extracted from your body, and using a centrifuge, the platelet rich plasma is separated. When this is injected back into the scalp, it promotes hair growth and leads to a definite reduction of hair fall.
• Hair Transplant – It is only in the most severe cases of hair loss that one needs to consider a hair transplant. This is a procedure that is not suggested on a whim by any good doctor, because there are several criteria that need to be met, before you can be considered for a transplant. For instance, the hair loss needs to have stabilised, there have to be clear donor and recipient areas and there have to be enough grafts. If you are a suitable candidate for a transplant, the surgeon will help decide whether you need to opt for a follicular unit extraction or a follicular unit transplant.

And then of course, there the hair loss treatments that you can try out in the comfort of your home, without having to invest in anything more than a few ingredients that you could probably find at home. Massages with oils such as olive oil, jojoba oil and coconut oil on a regular basis can not only nourish and hydrate the hair and scalp, it can also stimulate the scalp to improve blood circulation, which in turn promotes hair growth. Similarly, there are plenty of hair masks that you can try making at home, using ingredients such as aloe vera and eggs that can protect your hair. But do remember that when you are looking for the most effective female hair loss treatments, do so with the help of an expert!