How to Regain Hair Loss for Black Women

Some Tips on How to Regain Hair Loss for Black Women

At least fifty percent of American women, black or white, will experience some kind of hair loss by their fiftieth birthday. The most common types of female hair loss occur when women are experiencing stressors such as the aging of their parents, the menopause and empty next syndrome. Both sudden rapid hair loss and a slower kind of hair loss can be very scary for women because they do not know how much hair will be lost and the hair loss will lower her self-confidence and self-perception. Fortunately, there are things to try if you want to know how to regain hair loss for black women.

Women of African descent suffer from a type of hair loss called central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA). With this type of female hair loss, the hair follicles are destroyed rather than miniaturized and the hair is lost from the top of the scalp. When a hair follicle is destroyed, regrowth becomes impossible. CCCA sufferers will usually need a scalp biopsy for a full diagnosis.

CCCA is usually treated with anti-inflammatory medications and topical Rogaine (minoxidil) can be used to stimulate the growth in unscarred hair follicles.It is important to act quickly and visit a dermatologist as soon as you notice a problem.

It is thought that hair care practices might be behind CCCA. African American women use hot combs, heat, ointments and relaxers on their scalp and often wear tight braids or heavy hair extensions which most white women would not. How we groom our hair does determine the amount of hair breakage and stress on the follicles. It is also believed that hereditary factors might be the cause of CCCA. There are other causes of female sudden hair loss and slower hair loss which might be the cause, so when looking for what causes rapid hair loss in women, the woman's diet, overall health and lifestyle need to be examined to find the exact cause, so a treatment can be found.

Rogaine (minoxidil) is commonly prescribed for female hair loss. Drawbacks include the fact that it has to be applied twice a day, will only work while the woman is using the product and costs thirty dollars a month. However, Rogaine works well on some female hair sufferers and is definitely worth a try. There are other products on the market containing minoxidil, such as Empress Re-Gro, which is similar to Rogaine. Hair regrowth is not guaranteed with such treatments and it might take several months of application before you see any results at all.

Propecia is a hair loss drug and if you want to know how to regain hair loss for black women, this one might work. It cannot be taken by pregnant women but some people have had success with it.

Sometimes hair loss is caused by dietary changes, stress or a major illness or surgery. In these cases, the hair will usually begin to grow normally again, once the change is over.

If minoxidil does not seem to work and there is no obvious cause for the hair loss, the answer to the question of how to regain hair loss for black women might be to disguise it. Bald patches can be disguised by a change of hairstyle or a hairpiece. Hair transplantation is another, more costly option. There are also various gels, mousses, colorants, wigs and extensions on the market which can disguise the female hair loss if it is not too severe. How to regain hair loss for black women is possible but it might require patience to find the right solution.

Return to home page of hair loss causes in women from How to Regain Hair Loss for Black Women