Dealing with Women's Hair Loss | Koher Medical in High Point, NC
Hair can be a large source of confidence for women — variant on everything from color to cut and length. As you age, however, your hair can start to change along with the rest of your body, and you may not like the results.
Female hair loss is a condition that affects over 20 million women in the United States, and the causes of it are usually multifaceted and many. However, it doesn’t have to be a look you settle for, and that’s where Koher Medical comes in.
Services
If you’re a woman suffering from hair loss and want to get back to looking your best, the following techniques are available and expertly practiced at Koher Medical.
Hair Transplantation
A hair transplant is a procedure that moves hair from the back and sides of the head and moves it to the thinning areas of the scalp. It’s been shown to be the most effective treatment for hair loss in both women and men, and the surgeons of Koher Medical are particularly experienced with this procedure. With over 25 years of experience and over 15000 patients treated, it’s sure to be a strong option for helping your hair loss at Koher Medical.
Low-level Laser Therapy
The use of Near Infrared Light (NIR) on the scalp is to promote hair growth and help the healing processes of skin. Therapeutic light pulses can potentially help stimulate follicles for stronger and healthier hair, and may aid in reducing inflammation and healing wounds, tissue, and nerves. Portable laser devices are now available for use in the comfort of your home, such as the Theradome Laser Helmet.
Follicular Unit Extraction (Neograft)
This is a method of hair transplantation that utilizes an FUE Machine to extract follicles one by one from the patient’s scalp. The benefits of this treatment are typically minimal scarring when compared to the strip procedure (which also leaves very little scarring) and can be less invasive for some patients. Koher Medical currently uses Neograft as its machine of choice.
Minoxidil
Also known as Rogaine, this is a topical solution that may assist both men and women with hair regrowth temporarily. Minoxidil, however, doesn’t just add hair — it has been shown to thicken and strengthen hair follicles temporarily when used on a consistent basis. It’s often combined with other treatments to maximize effectiveness.
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and ACell technology
This refers to a series of injections that target hair loss in both men and women. PRP is a solution that comes from using the healing plasma of your own blood, while ACell refers to proteins that are used to strengthen compromised or weakened hair follicles. Treatments will need to be scheduled a few times a year, but results have been very promising.
Female Pattern Hair Loss
Female pattern hair loss, also known as androgenic alopecia or female pattern baldness, is a condition where hair follicles are lost throughout the scalp. Unlike male pattern baldness where only certain areas tend to be affected, female hair loss may occur in any and all areas of the scalp with obvious signs of shedding and thinning. The top of the head is the most common area to experience significant thinning and loss. It is generally related to hormonal changes within the female patient and affects up to forty percent of women by age 50. Typically there is a genetic predisposition to hair loss as well, meaning that if there is a family member with hair loss there is a likelihood that the condition will be passed on.
Female pattern hair loss rarely leads to complete baldness as it does with men, and the extent of loss and thinning differs from person to person.
The Hair Growth Cycle
Hair typically grows one centimeter per month, resulting in approximately 6 inches of hair growth per year. Hair growth occurs in three distinct phases: the anagen, catagen, and telogen phases.
Anagen Phase
The anagen phase is the part of the cycle where hair actively grows. During this phase, the cells that make up the hair’s root will divide and grow. As the new hair forms, it will push up from the base of the follicle and emerge above the skin. This active growth phase will last somewhere between two to six years and is different for each person. Some people are not able to grow their hair beyond a specific length, and this means that they have a relatively short anagen phase. Other people might be able to grow their hair very long and quickly, which would mean that they have a relatively long anagen phase.
Hairs on different parts of the body also have different lengths of the anagen phase. Eyebrows and beard hair are normally known to have shorter anagen phases than scalp hair, meaning they are unable to grow as long.
Catagen Phase
The catagen phase is the part of the cycle where hair growth stops. The shaft of the hair shrinks and separates from the bottom of the hair follicle, yet it remains in place. This phase typically lasts around ten days, and is the shortest phase of the hair growth cycle.
Telogen Phase
The telogen phase is the part of the cycle where the hair sheds, and is known as the ‘resting’ phase. This is where the follicle is at rest in the scalp and is prepared to be shed. This phase should last around a hundred days, and between twenty five and one hundred telogen hairs are typically shed per day. A white bulb is formed at the base of the hair shaft, and you may see these at the root of the telogen hair once they have been shed.
Causes of Hair Loss
Female pattern hair loss starts with the process of miniaturization causing hairs to become thinner by hormonal changes in DHT or genetics.
Hormones
As mentioned before, hormonal changes are the main cause of hair loss in men. Specifically, a hormone called dihydrotestosteron (DHT) may become too prevalent and shorten the anagen phase of hairs. This means that the hair does not have a chance to grow as long as before, and the telogen phase also is lengthened causing the hair to have longer periods of shedding. The hairs that continue to grow will typically be much finer.
The ways in which DHT affects a person’s hair varies from person to person. There may be more available DHT receptor sites at the hair follicle, the receptor sites might be more sensitive, more DHT may be produced locally: there are a variety of reasons why DHT causes more hair loss in some men than others.
Genetics
Your chances of experiencing hair loss increases if there is another family member with hair loss. The extent of hair loss may differ between family members, and the genetic component of hair loss may come from either side of the family. Both the father and the mother have the ability to pass on genes which result in hair loss.
Signs and Causes Symptoms
As stated before, female pattern hair loss typically affects the top of the head with the center hair part becoming wider to reveal more of the scalp. Hair thinning and loss of follicles may be noted along all areas of the scalp, meaning that changes in overall hair thickness may be noticed along the sides and back of the head as well as the front and top.
With longer hair, shedding may be more pronounced and larger amounts of lost hairs may be noticed in the shower and on pillows. The stages of thinning may progress to where small empty spots are seen along the hairline and scalp, indicating that telogen hairs have not grown to replace the shedded hairs.
Ludwig Scale
The ludwig scale is a tool used to measure the extent of hair loss in women and the patterns of loss typically seen in patients. The position of the scale may be a helpful indicator of how many hair grafts are needed in transplant cases.
Experts in the Art of Hair Restoration
Whether you suffer from androgenetic alopecia, hair loss due to menopause or pregnancy, or trichotillomania, Koher Medical is ready to help. With offices in High Point, Mebane and Charlotte, NC, as well as Greenville, SC, Cockeysville, MD, and Harrisburg, PA, chances are good that the treatment to combat hair loss as a woman isn’t too far away.
Contact Koher Medical today at 336-792-9591 , or fill out a form online, to schedule your free consultation today.