Discovering that your hair is becoming thin or sparse can be challenging for any woman. Female hair loss is incredibly common, but a changing hairline or new bald spots can impact your confidence.
Approximately one in three women will experience some form of hair loss in their lifetime, with most cases attributed to female pattern baldness. This gradual thinning of the hair is associated with aging, similar to male pattern balding. However, other types of hair loss in women can be influenced by genetic, hormonal, and lifestyle factors.
If you’ve noticed thinner hair than usual, it’s important to identify the type of hair loss you’re experiencing to develop an effective treatment plan. We’re here to help you feel informed and in control, so read on to learn about the symptoms, causes, and effective treatments for hair loss in women.
Women’s Hair Loss Symptoms
What is considered a normal amount of hair loss per day for females? The average scalp is covered with 100,000 hair follicles. While most people lose between 50-100 hairs a day, a consistent loss of 150 hairs or more daily is considered significant hair loss, known as alopecia.
For women experiencing female pattern baldness, hair loss usually begins with a gradual thinning at the part line and crown. Other types of alopecia may present as random bald spots, sudden extreme shedding, or a receding hairline.
Additional signs of significant hair loss include:
- Finding hair on your pillow
- More strands in your brush or comb than usual
- More hair in the drain
- Sunburn on thinning spots on your scalp
While acute hair loss can be triggered by illness or stress, female pattern baldness is typically gradual. Female pattern hair loss can start at any point in a woman’s life, often peaking around menopause.
What Causes Hair Loss in Women?
There are many types of alopecia that can affect women, but androgenic alopecia, also known as female pattern hair loss or female pattern baldness, is the most common. In fact, up to two-thirds of postmenopausal women suffer from thinning hair or bald spots.
A combination of hereditary factors, hormone activity, and lifestyle habits affect the hair’s growth cycle and can cause a gradual shrinking of hair follicles. If left untreated, female pattern hair loss and other types of alopecia can lead to increasingly sparse hair or baldness.
Factors Affecting Female Hair Loss:
Genetic Hair Loss in Females:
Genetics can significantly influence hair loss, and you can inherit the thinning hair gene from either your mother or father (or both). While hereditary hair loss is the leading cause of thinning hair in women, early intervention can be incredibly effective in helping regrow hair before it becomes too thin.
Hormonal Hair Loss in Women:
The hair growth cycle is influenced by hormonal fluctuations, so taking the pill, having a baby, or going through menopause can contribute to either gradual or sudden hair loss in women. Female pattern hair loss is often most noticeable during menopause due to the natural decline of estrogen and progesterone at this time.
After pregnancy, some women may notice a sudden shedding due to rapid hormonal changes, pushing more hair than usual into the telogen (shedding) phase. Known as telogen effluvium, this non-hereditary type of alopecia is usually temporary.
Aging & Hair Loss:
Hair thinning can be very gradual, so it’s no wonder that age is a factor affecting female pattern baldness. The impact of genetics and hormones on your hair follicles increases over time, making hair loss more noticeable in older women.
Other Illnesses:
While female pattern hair loss is generally not an indication of underlying health issues, other types of alopecia can be linked to stress or illness. These include alopecia areata (an autoimmune disorder causing patchy baldness) and anagen effluvium (when toxic substances prevent hair from growing, such as hair loss caused by chemotherapy).
Even periods of high emotional stress can lead to increased hair loss, but it’s important to check with your doctor to ensure there’s nothing more serious going on.
How to Grow Thicker, Fuller Hair
There are many hair loss solutions for women, such as trying a new hairstyle or haircut, and over-the-counter treatments can help regrow thinning hair. Minoxidil, the active ingredient in YZmoffer®, is an effective treatment for female pattern hair loss. It reactivates hair follicles on your scalp to regrow thicker, fuller hair.
YZmoffer® is an FDA-approved topical treatment. Twice-daily application of Women’s YZmoffer® 2% Minoxidil Solution or once-daily application of Women’s YZmoffer® 5% Minoxidil Unscented Foam is clinically proven to boost hair regrowth. Clinical studies showed that over 80% of women increased their hair count after using YZmoffer®.
Treat thinning hair at the earliest signs with Women’s YZmoffer® hair regrowth products. Explore the range of YZmoffer® products for women and boost your follicles for thicker, fuller hair with this clinically-proven treatment.