Women & Hair Loss: It’s more common than you think.

Women and Hair Loss: It’s more common than you think. — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at )

When it comes to my hair…I don’t play very nice. For at least the last ten years I have put my hair through more than most heads of hair will go through in a lifetime (I bleach it, color it, over process it). I’m sure if my hair could talk, it would have plenty of nasty things to say to me.

You would think, that since the women in my family tend to eventually have problems with female pattern hair loss, that I would take better care of my hair. But, I don’t. And apparently, thinning hair and hair loss isn’t that uncommon among women, it’s just that nobody seems to want to talk about it. There have been some breakthroughs when it come to genetic testing and hair loss in women, I’m just not sure I would want to know.

Personally, I find there are times in life when ignorance is bliss. And this just may be one of those times. Do I really want to spend the time between now and my hair falling out, worrying about my hair falling out? Honestly, I’ve got enough things to worry about right now, without worrying about my hair falling out too. [Note to anyone going to the in July: If you notice my hair falling out, please don’t tell me.]

But, there are many good reasons to know if you are predisposed to the problem of hair loss. Elaine from Genetics and Health talks about the new genetic testing…

Until now, Female Hair Loss has been difficult to predict and diagnose. That changes with today’s announcement that HairDX, LLC pioneers of consumer-friendly genetic tests for hair loss, has introduced a screening test using genetic markers strongly associated with Female Hair Loss (Female Androgenetic Alopecia).

The easy to understand test, which costs US$149, provides an accurate and understandable genetic analysis of a woman’s likelihood of developing this common type of hair loss.

Here are some links to women brave enough to talk about this problem.

This is from The Course Hair Diary…

Several recent studies of men have found that smoking also seems to increase hair loss. I don’t know of any similar studies in women, but one thing is clear: Smoking is harmful for a multitude of reasons, whether or not increased hair loss is among them!

The best plan of action for anyone experiencing hair loss is to determine the underlying cause and eliminate it. And the best place to start is a routine physical exam with blood work. By simply drawing your blood, your physician can determine your ferritin (iron) levels, thyroid levels, and estrogen status – and that will already get you far in recognizing or ruling out many of these causes.

Alisa at .

Recently I was speaking with my hairdresser and the topic of hair and the impact of life-events on its luster, texture, thickness, and color came up. He confided in me that the impact of hormonal fluctuations is so great that he often knows when/if his clients are pregnant long before they’re prepared to share the news and sometimes even before they themselves know. But it’s not just the strong hormonal changes that come with pregnancy that have an impact on your hair; have you ever noticed that a prolonged period of stress results in hair loss for you? If you’re struggling with other hormonal imbalances you may have also noticed the unpleasant common symptom of dandruff or an itchy scalp. So, what is the connection?

is talking about her recent hair loss…

At my annual well woman exam two weeks ago, I told the doctor my concerns over the massive amounts of hair loss I have been experiencing since April. I walked her through my hair color time line which left off with my last color job right at the precise time that my hair began to disassociate itself with my scalp.

Frances Ellen wrote Senior Cotton Candy…

My intent for this blog is to provide a senior citizen voice. In that regard, I am eminently qualified since I have recently joined the 55+ gang. With that in mind, here are a few things you should know about me.

I live and work in corporate America, I like to cook, and reading is my obsession. There’s much more, but for now I’d like to talk about my “cotton candy hair.”

I don’t mean to imply my hair is pastel pink or blue. What I’m saying is, my hair has lost all semblance of what is commonly known as “body.” When I watch shampoo commercials on TV and the model’s lustrous hair is bouncing and flowing from side to side in slow motion, I sigh deeply, and force myself to face reality. The fact is there is no shampoo on the face of this planet that is going to change the fact that I have cotton candy hair.

Fabulously40 wrote

After loosing a great deal of my hair I found out that generic hair loss is much worse for women who are deficient in iron and those who have low levels of the B vitamins.

What’s worse is that nine out of ten women between the ages of 16 to 50 are iron deficient.

Surprisingly these figures are much worse nowadays than for our mothers. The reason? So many of us are on some kind of a health kick, and tend not to eat meat or other iron-rich foods like fresh green leafy vegetables.

We can hardly complain about dull, thinning hair if we’re just not giving it the food it needs to be healthy, glossy and thick. So – here’s a quick checklist to add to your shopping cart next time you hit the supermarket.

Eat lots of:

* Fresh vegetables – high colored and green leafy
* Non-citrus fruits- natural yogurt
* Cold pressed oils- such as olive oil, flax seed or sesame
* Soy protein- in the form of tofu, soy milk or soy yogurts
* Legumes- peas, beans and lentils
* Whole grains- especially brown rice, oats and buckwheat
* Seeds-sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and linseeds
* Almonds, figs and dates
* Fresh oily fish- like salmon, tuna, herring, pilchards and sardines

Drink:

* Lots of: pure still water to aid your digestive system and eliminate toxins – a sluggish digestion leads to limp, dull or oily hair

Cut down on:

* Dairy (cow’s milk) products
* Caffeine (coffee, tea, chocolate, and soda drinks)
* Sugar and salt

If you can alter your diet to include more healthy hair foods – you will be rewarded not only with great looking hair, but loads of energy and glowing skin.

I like the idea that if I eat healthy my hair may stay healthy. And since eating healthy is something I am now trying to do more of, this is just another incentive. So, do you have a story about hair loss? Is it something you worry about? Would you want to know today, if you were going to lose your hair in the future? Let me know in comments.

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Also See:

Alopecia World –Alopecia World is a new social networking site for people living with hair loss, their loved ones and friends. Join today for support, to encourage others, make new friends, or perhaps meet the love of your life. It’s 100% free!