Womens hair loss treatment options

The prospect of hair loss is significantly more frightening for women than it is for men. Whilst society deems that men can go bald and remain sexy, women are afforded no such luxury.

There are, however, options available to women suffering hair loss, to either stave off the march, to concealing the loss, or hair transplant surgery options to permanently correct the problem.

One initial option that a woman who is starting to notice thinning or loss of hair can undertake is to use Rogaine 2% for women. As long as you don't suffer from a dry scalp or dandruff (the alcohol in Rogaine can dry the scalp), applying the Rogaine 2% directly to the thinning area of the scalp with the dropper provided has been shown to have positive results in some cases.

Having said that, if you're not sure what your options are, or are confused or concerned, a visit to your family doctor would be in order.

The second option is to do what can be done to cover up the hair loss:

• You can add volume to your hair by using quality salon hair care products, such as mousses and gels. By using these products, you can create the illusion of there being more hair than you actually have.
  
• Brushing your hair with a soft bristled brush, rather than a comb. Fine toothed combs pull on the scalp, and if the hair follicles are weak, they can be pulled out if you use a comb.
  
• When blowdrying your hair, use the coolest setting available, rather than using high heat. Heating the hair too much can damage the hair, and make it brittle, which in turn makes it susceptible to falling out.
  
• If you have your hair stylist cut your hair shorter, and using layers, your hair will look thicker and appear to have more body.
• Don't tie your hair back tightly, and avoid hairstyles which pull on the hair and/or scalp. You can exacerbate the problem of hair falling out if you place too much pressure on it.
  
• Having your hair colour match or be similar to the colur of your skin makes the advent of thinning or patchty hair less obvious. If you have thin areas of hair, or patches of hair missing, people will see your scalp through it. If your scalp is the same color as your hair, it will be less noticeable.
  
• Style your hair with a perm or curlers. Curls and perms can cover small areas of missing hair or thinning hair.
  

The third option women suffering from hair loss can undertake is hair transplant surgery. Women suffering from spotty hair loss (Alopecia Acriata), excessive hair pulling (trichotillomania), female pattern baldness, or traction alopecia would all be suitable candidates for hair restoration surgery.

Hair restoration surgery is now performed by placing numerous small grafts very close together, to enhance the image of thickness in the hair. Hair transplant surgery for women gives natural results which are undetectable to the human eye.

Whilst hair transplant surgery may be a last resort for most women, there are thousands and thousands of women worldwide who have successfuly undergone the procedure, who are now living full lives confident in the knowlege that their hair loss is now a non-issue.