Women's hair loss has many causes and the recommended treatments can be just as varied.

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Women’s hair loss due to hereditary is a major problem as about 35 million women in the US have some degree of loss due to genetics and this is not counting those women that have hair loss due to stress, hormonal changes, and changes due to pregnancy.

Add to this the fact that female hair loss usually shows up as a thinning all over instead of, in the case of a male, on the top and front of the scalp with Normal hair growth on the sides and back—that’s the area that can be used as a donor area in the case of a hair transplant and you see that to some degree options for women are limited more so then with men-see the chart below for examples of possible progression.

OK then what can be done – well here are some options and suggestions that may help but due to the complexity of women’s hair loss one thing is needed before any program of hair regrowth is started on and that is to get with a doctor that specializes in this area and find out for sure what the cause of YOUR particular form of hair loss is.

It wouldn’t make much sense putting a lot of time and money into a hair restoration regime only to find out your problem wasn’t what you’re working on.

Once you have the diagnosis then your ready to look at your options and there are several although some are somewhat controversial.

I believe that all of them may have benefits for women under different circumstances but only with the knowledge gained from a through exam of your hair loss problem can you make a reasoned choice on how best to proceed.

As discussed on the home page and noted for male hair loss is the latest drug dutasteride – sold under the brand name of Avodart, Avalon in Europe (glaxo) it’s this drug that is showing such promise in male hair restoration although it is only available by prescription for male prostate enlargement at this time. It is also being tested for use as a hair restorer and is similar to the drug Propecia but there is nothing to report as to a release date for this use...

CAUTION again if you are a women in her child bearing years you shouldn’t use this drug and don’t handle the capsules and keep them away from children—only women who can say they cannot or won't become pregnant should consider using these drugs due to the possible birth defects and then only under a doctors care.

That said if you fit the group that pregnancy is not a problem it is something to talk with your doctor about and discuss whether you would be a good candidate as again women’s hair loss can have many causes and you need to know what is best for your problem and of course verify that it is DHT related.

The reason for all the buzz is the fact dutasteride has been shown to stop up to 94 percent of DHT conversion in men taking a loading dose of 1.5 mg a day for 10 days and 1 capsule at .50 mg a day after that.

Propecia has been around for some time and is helping most men taking it to regain some regrowth but the fact that it only works on one type of the DHT problem and the fact that it only stops about 60 to 65 percent of DHT production puts dutasteride in the lead.

It is this dose that I have started on and it appears to be having the desired effect on the problem areas I am experiencing. I will keep this site updated with my progress

Another option is Rogaine 2% for women which appears to help the majority but its been reported that using the 5% solution would be even more effective although the down side of this is the report of dryness, itching and scalp irritation of course this would depend on the individual. Something to think about.

Another option that is expected in 3 to 4 years is the use of FUE (follicular unit extraction) transplantation. This is where a single hair follicle can be extracted and divided in the lab – copies of the original hair are grown, and multiplied then implanted back to the donor scalp.

In this way very little donor hair is needed which in the case of women with diffuse hair loss all over the scalp this could really help? As things progress I will keep this site updated.

Another possibility is the use of hair weaves, wigs and artificial hair add INS – depending on your hair loss severity and its cause and how you feel about your look you should check out some of the advances in this area. Some very good alternatives can be found here.

- UPDATE- there is something else that you need to consider and that is the vitamin / mineral / amino acid connection to hair loss. I would recommend you to go to this section and consider the latest information on the use of the amino acid lysine as it relates to hair biology (an essential amino that’s required to utilize minerals properly) that promotes hair stasis and regroth--- this is good information for women with shedding problems as well as anyone with hair loss problems.

I would also suggest you check out a doctor's insight on this subject with a more medical slant who helps people with this problem daily and will give you even more practical suggestions and ideas on what your options are which may go beyond the scope of this site.

For more information on some common but often overlooked reasons for female hair loss and hair loss in general see the links below.

Some medications and or environmental chemicals may cause hair loss

Dieting and hair loss-The connection

Thyroid problems and hair loss - check out some of the problems and possible solutions here.
Be sure to check out the latest headlines on hair loss below - bookmark this page and check back for new articles and ideas to help with hair loss.