How to Diagnose and Treat Female Rapid Hair Loss

Hair loss is part of the body's renewal process and it is normal to lose around a hundred hairs a day. With a normal hair cycle, when a hair falls out, a new hair grows to replace it. As a woman ages, her hair will thin but the results are usually not as dramatic as they are for men. This type of hair loss is a normal part of the aging process and is nothing to worry about. If, however, you are experiencing female rapid hair loss, when it is noticeable that a substantial amount of hairs are falling out, leaving hairless patches, wide partings or complete baldness in places, this is something that will require treatment. Female rapid hair loss is a distressing condition but there are several treatments to try.

What Causes Rapid Hair Loss

Sudden rapid hair loss has different causes and it is vital to find out what is causing the women rapid hair loss, so you can find the best treatment for it.

Hormonal changes such as pregnancy, childbirth or coming off the contraceptive pill can contribute to hair loss. As the hormone levels return to normal, the hair loss should clear up. Stress is also linked to hair loss. Crash dieting is another possible cause but with all of these, the hair loss should be completely reversible.

If the sudden rapid hair loss is not caused by hormonal changes or stress, it will fall under the category of anagen effluvium or telogen effluvium. Anagen effluvium is hair loss caused by administered medications. Telogen effluvium is due to more hair follicles resting rather than producing new hair.

The most common causes of telogen effluvium are hormonal changes, physical stress such as surgery, anemia or illness, emotional stress such as the death of a loved one or mental illness and thyroid abnormalities. If the cause of the women rapid hair loss can be identified, the return of normal hair growth should be possible.

Treatment for Female Sudden Hair Loss

It is always best to act sooner rather than later when dealing with rapid hair loss in women. One of the most popular remedies for hair loss is Rogaine (minoxidil). About twenty percent of people using Rogaine have normal regrowth, a further forty percent experience a lighter, fuzzier regrowth and it does not work for the other forty percent. Rogaine has had more success with female sudden hair loss sufferers than any other hair loss drug. However, the hair regrowth only lasts as long as the woman uses the product, it must be applied twice a day and it costs about thirty dollars per month.

Propecia is another hair loss drug, which blocks the conversions of testosterone into a related hormone which shrinks the hair follicles. This drug cannot be taken by pregnant women.

Another treatment option for female rapid hair loss sufferers is hair transplantation. The new micrograft hair transplant techniques are more suited to the overall female hair thinning pattern than the old transplant techniques were, where large chunks of hair were moved. Female rapid hair loss can also be managed through a variety of hair products, from gels and coloring to extensions and hairpieces. These tend to give a good result and hide the problem well if other treatments do not work.

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