Women's and Men's Hair Loss is it the Same? How to Treat it

It is often a misconception that men and women experience thinning hair for the same reasons. When in fact the primary cause for hair loss in men is a substance that is primarily only found in men. So what is the cause of female hair loss? Do the same treatments work? How do you stop thinning hair in men? These are all questions we'll answer in the rest of this article, for now just keep in mind that the cause and solution for men's and woman's hair loss is not the same.

Stress, Hormones and More

Stress can contribute to hair loss in all people. Also particular medical troubles and health issues can also cause men or women to lose hair for no other apparent reason. These types of hair loss are often short lived and not permanent. What we're more interested in is the type of thinning hair that causes premature balding from the front to the back of the scalp.

Surprising enough hormones are at the center of discussions for what causes thinning hair in women and men. For men it's testosterone and women it's estrogen. Testosterone is converted to a substance known as DHT. This substance then reeks havoc with your hair follicles causing them to shrink and eventually be unable to grow hair at all. In women the exact relationship between estrogen is not completely known. How ever many doctors prescribe estrogen supplements and topical treatments for hair loss in women.

Since each cause of hair loss is different it makes sense that the same treatment can work for both. Most male hair loss treatments target DHT. They either reduce how much of it is produced in your body or they stop it from attaching itself to the scalp and hair follicles. Either method won't work for women since DHT is not a cause of hair loss. There is far less studies done on women's hair loss so there are not as many alternatives for treatments to stop thinning hair and stimulate new growth.

Treatment Alternatives

There are a couple of thinning hair products available online that work for both women and men. Provillus is a mix of oral and topical treatment. They offer a men's and women's version of their product. Nisim, a topical hair loss treatment manufacture claims that their hair loss shampoos will work for men or women in the same time frame.