Anatomy Of Hair Loss In Women

Introduction

One of the conditions confronting women today, is the loss of their hair. There can be various conditions that can cause this such as stress, hormone changes and other conditions. But 20 to 30 million women in the United States experience hair loss in the form of androgenetic alopecia or female pattern baldness. This type of hair loss is similar to that found in men called male pattern baldness.

Both are caused by genetics and both are caused by the hormone DHT (dihydrotestosterone) that comes from the combination of testosterone and the enzyme 5 alpha reductase. Since testosterone is mainly a male hormone, how can women develop DHT? Lets do an anatomy of women’s hair loss caused by female pattern baldness.

Testosterone In Women

All women have small amounts of testosterone in their bodies that is released after puberty. But this hormone is kept in check by the female hormone estrogen. If the estrogen hormone becomes imbalanced, such as after menopause, testosterone is allowed to combine with the enzyme 5 alpha reductase creating DHT.

DHT And Hair Loss

Hormones that affect hair loss are classified as androgens. Thus DHT and testosterone are considered androgens. Testosterone is the most plentiful androgen found in both men and women.

Women, who have inherited the genes for female pattern baldness, have higher levels of the enzyme 5 alpha reductase. This enzyme can be found in the root of the hair follicles and through a chemical reaction convert testosterone into DHT.

If you wanted a substance to have an adverse effect on your hair, then select DHT. DHT will shrink your hair follicles through a process that is called miniaturization. Blood vessels to the follicle shrink stopping the flow of nutrients to the follicles and hair strands. This will cause the hair strand to shrink, have a shorter growing period before falling out and will eventually cause the follicle to shrink and die.

Stopping DHT

To stop hair loss caused by DHT you need two things:
DHT Blockers: The main thing you need to consider is a DHT Blocker. This should act on the enzyme 5 alpha reductase to inhibit it from interacting with testosterone to form DHT. One DHT Blocker that has been found to be effective in inhibiting the 5 alpha reductase enzyme is Saw Palmetto

Stimulate Blood Flow: The other thing needed is to stimulate blood flow to the scalp that will allow for nutrients to get to the hair follicle and hair strand. A Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved medication that stimulates the blood vessels in the scalp is Minoxidil, which was originally used to help people with high blood pressure.

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