In the United States, four in every 10 American women aged 50 or older suffer from pattern hair loss. The risks go up with age, with pattern hair loss affecting up to 57% of women.
What’s worse, hair loss and depression appear to have a connection. A study found that 29% of women who reported having hair loss also have depression symptoms.
After all, our hair is one of the cornerstones of our personality, so if it goes away, so does our self-esteem.
Luckily, experts have tried, tested, and proven methods on how to reverse hair loss. So, there’s still hope for all you women out there with thinning hair!
We’re here to share all the juicy details on these hair loss remedies for women, so be sure to keep reading!
How to Reverse Hair Loss: Know What’s Triggering It First
There’s no one best solution for hair loss, as treatment depends on what’s causing it in the first place.
For instance, your shampoo may be the culprit behind all those strands you see on the floor. Super tight hairstyles like pigtails can also cause hair loss called traction alopecia. In these cases, you only have to switch shampoos or to kick your bad hair habits.
Stress, affecting almost 80% of Americans, can also trigger temporary hair loss. This is reversible, and you can start by de-stressing with these tips to look and feel great.
But of all risk factors and causes of female hair loss, genetics (combined with age) take the lead. It’s the genes to blame for both male and female pattern hair loss (androgenetic alopecia). This condition is still treatable and reversible, but you should start treatment early.
Again, you should first rule out the possible causes of your thinning hair so you can be sure of the best treatment.
Treating Hair Loss with Minoxidil
Minoxidil is a topical medication for hair loss. You may know it by the brand name Rogaine, and it’s an FDA-approved treatment for pattern hair loss.
Studies, like this one, have shown its superior effectiveness in hair regrowth. Researchers also noted that Minoxidil 5% promoted increased hair count and scalp coverage.
You’ll find Rogaine in 2% and 5% variants, both of which you can buy over the counter. It works by lengthening the hair’s anagen (growth) phase. This gives the strands more time to grow to their full length and density.
Minoxidil takes time to produce noticeable results though, so be patient. You may see improvements in your hair after three to four months of use. Also, you need to keep using the product once a day to achieve the best results.
DHT Inhibitors for Androgen-Induced Hair Loss
Studies have revealed that an androgen called “dihydrotestosterone” (DHT) causes pattern baldness. People with pattern hair loss appear to have elevated levels of DHT. And it’s what’s causing their hair loss.
DHT affects the hair follicles by making them smaller. It also alters their growth phases, shortening the anagen phase. With less time to develop, the hair bulbs can’t reach complete maturity.
The androgen also leads to a longer resting (telogen) follicle phase. No new hair strands develop throughout this period.
If it’s this androgen causing your hair loss, DHT-inhibitors may help you regrow your hair. The most common is Finasteride (Propecia), also used to treat an enlarged prostate.
These drugs keep DHT from entering hair follicles and affecting the strands’ growth. Aside from keeping your remaining strands, they also let your follicles grow new hair.
One study looked at oral Finasteride therapy containing oral contraceptives. Of the 37 premenopausal women with pattern hair loss, 62% saw improvements in their hair loss.
In a separate study of Finasteride, the drug improved hair thickness in 81.7% of the participants. The study also looked at Dutasteride, another drug for enlarged prostate. In the Dutasteride group, 83.3% of the women came out with thicker hair.
The researchers note that Dutasteride may be better for women younger than 50. But they also note that combining the drugs can yield better hair thickness results. Furthermore, both drugs have shown to prevent more hair loss in women.
Word of warning: Pregnant women or those who want to become pregnant shouldn’t take these drugs. They may cause side effects like birth defects on babies.
Ketoconazole Treatment
This may surprise you, but Nizoral, as in the anti-dandruff shampoo, may also help with hair loss. To be more specific, the ketoconazole content of this hair care product.
Ketoconazole is an antifungal that has shown anti-DHT activity. Using this on your scalp may help reduce DHT’s hair-losing and -thinning effects.
It works by disrupting the androgen’s ability to make hair follicles smaller. It also lengthens the anagen phase of the hair, so strands have more time to develop and grow out. And when they do, they’re thicker and denser.
Getting More Iron into Your System
Some researchers believe that iron deficiency can contribute to hair loss. One report found that up to 59% of women lacking in iron are at risk of hair loss.
Besides, you need to have enough iron in your system as it helps carry oxygen throughout your body. It’s a major component of your red blood cells’ hemoglobin. Too little iron, and you can end up with iron deficiency anemia.
Also, lack of iron means your body won’t get its needed oxygen supply. This can then lead to fatigue, poor immune system, and even brain function issues. Plus, your skin, nails — and yes, your hair — need this mineral to stay healthy.
If you have an iron level of lower than 70 nanograms/ml, you’re iron deficient. Your doctor can tell you more about how much extra iron you should get through supplements. Be sure to check with your doctor as excessive iron can also hurt your health.
Acupuncture for Patchy Hair Loss
If your hair loss is due to alopecia areata, acupuncture may help. This type of hair loss occurs when the immune system mistakes the hair follicles as a foreign body. So, it attacks the follicles, which causes the hair loss to occur in small patches.
A study found that acupuncture may be better than drugs in treating this type of hair loss. Researchers think it’s because the treatment boosts blood flow and circulation. These improvements may then stimulate the hair follicles to stop shedding strands.
From there, you can proceed to using other proven hair treatments for women to regrow your hair.
Replacing Lost Hormones
Most people would experience hormonal imbalance at least once or twice in their life. But women are more susceptible to it, and severe cases can lead to hair loss. Also, this condition hits pregnant and menopausal women the hardest.
If you have this condition, ask your doctor about hormone replacement therapy (HRT). You may have to take estrogen and progesterone products to reverse or stop your hair loss.
Hair Transplant Surgery
Of all your female hair loss treatment options, hair transplant is the most expensive. It’s still popular though, which is why experts estimate it to become a $24.8 billion industry by 2024.
There are two main hair transplant surgery types. There’s the Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) and the Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT). They involve harvesting healthy follicles from other parts of your scalp.
With FUE, the surgeon harvests individual follicles from your healthier scalp areas. Each donor graft has a small number of healthy hair follicles. The surgeon then transfers and transplants this to your balding scalp areas.
With FUT, the surgeon harvests an entire strip of tissue with healthy hair follicles. This often comes from the back of your head, as it’s usually unaffected by pattern hair loss. The doctor then transplants the strip to the balding area.
Today, successful transplant procedures have graft survival rates of between 90% and 100%. But surgery is surgery, even if hair transplants are minimally-invasive. Also, not everyone with pattern hair loss is a good candidate for these surgeries.
Before signing up for a transplant, be sure to talk to your primary physician first. It’s possible that you may have certain conditions that may not make you a good candidate for any surgery. If you’re on medications, check with your doctor too before considering a transplant.
Say Goodbye to Hair Loss and Hello to Healthier Hair
So, there you have it, the many ways on how to reverse hair loss. To achieve the best results, choose those that went through testing and studies. Also, a combination of these hair treatments can be more effective, but make sure to ask the doc first.
Once you start growing your hair back, pay more careful attention to its health! Avoid using harsh products and limit your use of damaging hairstyles on it. If you can, try not to too subject it under the intense heat of curling or straightening irons.
Ready for more insider tips on how to beat the effects of gravity and age? Then read up on this list of natural beauty-enhancing strategies!
