Causes and effective treatment of androgenetic alopecia in women
Is baldness exclusive to men? Because baldness is due to the influence of male hormones, hair loss can also occur in women, which is called female androgenetic alopecia or female diffuse alopecia. However, in this case, the hair line on the forehead is maintained and the hair thinning in the crown area disappears to the extent that the parting line on the head becomes clear.
cause
As in men, it is caused by heredity and the response of hair follicle cells to male hormones. However, in men, the secretion of male hormones is in fact at normal menstrual levels, but in women, it may be caused by abnormal excessive secretion of the endocrine organs, that is, the adrenal glands or ovaries, or the use of drugs that act as male hormones.
Therefore, women may complain of hirsutism, masculinization symptoms, and other endocrine organ abnormalities in addition to hair loss. Of course, there are many times when it is difficult for women to admit to excessive production of hormones.
cancer treatment
Physical stress : surgery, anemia, rapid weight change
Psychological Stress : Great Mental Impact
thyroid disease
Side effects of medications : vitamin A overdose, high blood pressure medications
Hormonal changes : pregnancy, birth control pills, postmenopausal
Diet : Women respond more to diet to hair loss than men.
Iron deficiency : Iron deficiency or other protein deficiency is also involved.
Alopecia areata : Caused by stress or immune abnormalities. Natural healing occurs a lot, and other professional treatment is required.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis can be made by clinical symptoms, hair observation (reduction in hair diameter, decrease in the proportion of hair in the growth phase, increase in the proportion of telogen hair) and a family history, but the measurement of male hormone in the serum and abnormalities in the ovaries and adrenal glands should be investigated. .The classification table below is used as basic data for diagnosing the period of female hair loss.
＊Ludwig Classification I and II
ㆍ minoxidil solution - The most effective of the recent methods for hair regrowth.
ㆍ If hair growth is not promoted or hair loss is not stabilized even after using it for more than 1 year → Use an anti-androgen agent.
ㆍ If there is a lot of hair in the occipital region, hair transplantation may be considered.
＊Ludwig classification III level
ㆍ Medical treatment is not effective Hair transplantation
Hair loss in women can be broadly divided into hereditary alopecia and non-hereditary alopecia.
If there is a bald man in hereditary or maternal family, you should be suspicious, but the pattern of hair loss is different from that of men. If male hair loss partially progresses in the form of giving a lot of hair, female hair loss (male pattern baldness) appears in the form of overall thinning.
The only treatment is minoxidil. At this time, the goal should be to prevent the deterioration of the current state rather than to increase the hair. However, when the cause of non-genetic factors is improved, hair regeneration can be observed, so the direction of treatment should also focus on removing the cause.
People only talk about losing hair as they get older. Of course, that's correct. However, people with androgenetic alopecia show much more severe hair loss that is not appropriate for their age. 59 and 85 years old. Of course, 85 years old is much older, but it can be seen that the 59-year-old has more severe hair loss. This is the difference between simple aging and disease.
Diagnosis
The most common method is the application of minoxidil, and other drugs that directly or indirectly suppress the effects of androgens are used, or the male hormone contraceptive is replaced with another contraceptive. In addition, if thyroid function deficiency, anemia, general weakness, etc. are found depending on the cause, it should be corrected.
For some patients, hair transplantation may also be considered. The treatment method is determined according to the presence or absence of downy hair and the degree of hair loss. There is no need to wash your hair every two days because of hair loss. It is okay to wash your hair every day, and if you do not have excessive perm or dye, you do not need to worry too much.
* Minoxidil
Rather than simply spraying minoxidil with a spray, spray it evenly on the scalp and massage lightly. Women's hair loss treatment is less satisfactory than men's, and the currently available drug is minoxidil 5%, so keep using it and aim to slow the progression of hair loss rather than hair growth. . The initial increase in the amount of hair loss caused by minoxidil is a temporary phenomenon, so it is recommended to use it continuously.
* Androgen receptor protein inhibitor (anti-androgen)
Anti-androgens used in female androgenetic alopecia include cyproterone acetate and spironolactone. Because these drugs decrease both testosterone and DHT, they should be used only in women. This is because side effects such as impotence and decreased libido may occur when used in men.
* Estrogen
→ It acts as a mild inhibitor of 5α-reductase. → Although topical and oral estrogen are used for female androgenetic alopecia patients, the effect of promoting hair regrowth is small, although it keeps the hair loss state intact or slows the progression.
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*reference great original article: https://daedamo.com/new/school/pds_02.php