Category: Female Hair Loss

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Hair Transplants in Women vs Men – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I’m a 45 yr old woman who has been slowly losing my hair over the past 20 years. Currently, I have the typical female baldness (not completely bald, but lots of scalp showing through) just past the hairline. Blood tests revealed no thyroid issues, but I’m well on my way to menopause as far as hormone levels. I’m healthy as far as diet and exercise, have normal stressors in life, take no meds. There is no history of female baldness in the family, but my mother has always had thin, fine hair. I’m about ready to go the transplant route, but keep reading that it could be hormonal or vitamin based. My ob/gyn and dermatologist are both at a loss to explain it as other than bad luck. How do I know for sure if I’ve exhausted every avenue before resorting to transplants?

You must have the complete work-up of tests (see Female Hair Loss for info) and then get a good, caring, competent, and ethical doctor who understands when a transplant can help and what it will do for you. Setting realistic expectations is critical. Woman’s hair loss is very different than men’s hair loss with regard to the judgments and artistic distribution for transplantation. I use the metaphor that it is easier to make grass grow on an empty lot, than it is to make a green lawn even greener. Bald men scalps are like the ‘empty lot’ , so any hair artfully placed and distributed is easily appreciated. Women are more like the green lawn and making it greener is difficult as expectations may not relate to the reality of what the transplant will bring. That is why a choice in the correct hair transplant surgeon is so critical. You must be confident that the surgeon is going to give you transplants because it will help you, not just to put money in his/her pocket. Like all industries, the axion: ‘Let the Buyer Beware’, prevails.

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Female Thinning Hair, Propecia for Women? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am a 57 year old female and lost almost all my hair on the top. I have some hair on the lower back part. Right now I am using Toppik and Couvre to hide my bald spot, but it is very hard. Can I use Propecia? Can women take it? My 25 old daughter, a 4th year medical student, has the same problem. She has seen many doctors (including Cleveland Clinic) but nothing helped. She applies 5% Minoxidil, and takes some Bl. Pr. medicine everyday but still she is losing hair fast. One doctor at IU Med School told her that she is not a good candidate for transplant therapy.

Can you help us?

If you want I can send our pictures to you.

There are many causes for women’s hair loss, such as hypothyroidism, eczema, alopecia, dieting, malnutrition, autoimmune, drugs, infection, genetics, etc. Since your daughter has seen many physicians, I assume that both of you have had numerous blood tests to rule out the many causes. Biopsies may be a next step, but your scalp and the scalp of your daughter should be mapped out for miniaturization. It would be interesting to see if the ‘map’ is similar for miniaturization by distribution, which would suggest genetic causes. Propecia is a very bad idea and not recommended for women. A biopsy of the scalp can evaluate if there is any inflammation process going on. If you would like, you may email your pictures to the address on the Contact page or come in person for a free consult to one of our offices in Los Angeles or San Jose, California.

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Iron Levels and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr Rassman,

I am a 27-year-old female who has experienced a gradual overall thinning for the past 10 years. It is now fairly severe. I have always had low iron levels and saw a hematologist for over a year. My ferritin levels have hovered between 14-35, despite taking a 325mg ferrous gluconate supplement daily.

My ferritin is currently 14 and my hematologist says that since the laboratory test range is 10-150, my levels aren’t so bad; that it would take anemia to cause hair loss. My B12 is also in the low range – 325 on the 200-1200 normal zone. I feel that I must not be absorbing iron if the levels haven’t changed despite taking a supplement and I am frustrated by wasting more time without being able to rule this out as a source of the thinning. My two younger brothers have male pattern baldness but I am loathe to accept genetics are to blame for me too…

My question is: how low do iron levels have to be to be considered a legitimate cause for hair loss? And how soon would regrowth occur after normal levels are restored?

Thanks so much for your time.

Anemia is a very broad topic to tackle. There are many causes of anemia, like microcytic anemia and macrocytic anemia. Microcytic anemia is caused by iron deficiency, thalassemia, and various chronic disease. Macrocytic anemia is caused by folate and B12 deficiency. There is no cut off level of iron that one can define as the starting point for hair loss. Ferritin & Vitamin B12 deficiencies may produce hair loss and anemia and they may accompany other vitamin deficiencies including the entire B group [Vitamin B1 (thiamin),Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (niacin), Pantothenic acid, Biotin, Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), Folic acid (folate), Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin)].

Have you tried to take iron with vitamin-C? Sometimes that may help to increase absorption of iron. Liver and red meat have high iron levels. Your doctor may have evaluated your GI tract for mal-absorption problems leading to some malnutrition or other vitamins and nutrient deficiencies, each which may contribute to hair loss. If the normal level of iron is restored, it may take a few months before you can see noticeable regrowth of hairs.

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Are Antibiotics Causing My Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am 16 years old / female and I am having problems with my hair. My hair used to be thick and had volume but now I find my hair falls out easily in the shower and while it is wet, all u have to do is run your fingers through it and hair comes out. My hair is thinning and does not grow as thick. I am on anitbiotics for pneumonia and have been for a year or so now… could that be the reason why? And if not… than what is?

If you have a chronic illness and the antibiotic is for treating it, the illnesses itself could cause hair loss. Any form of medication may have hair loss as a side effect and without knowing what drugs you are taking, I can not tell you its side effect concerning hair loss. Research your antibiotic on Google for potential hair loss side effects.

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Itchy Scalp and Female Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have had sudden hair loss in about a months time. I had thick curly hair my whole life now it’s half the volume and very thin. I’m 33yrs. old (female). i have lost a lot of weight recently and also been under a great deal of stress. i went to see the dr. and dermatologist they didn’t seem very concerned, but recommended biotin and rogaine for men. i also just started to feel itchy and tingly in the scalp. Is it due to the hair coming out or hair regrowth? This situation is making me more stressed out, and i’m not getting answers anywhere. some info and advice would be appreciated.

Thank You

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As I’ve said here before, there are many causes for hair loss. Be sure to look at the previous responses in the Female Hair Loss category for others in your situation. Stress and sudden weight loss can cause hair loss and would be at the top of my list for you. Itchy scalp can be from hair regrowth or from other factors, such as nervous disorders and stress which causes hair loss. Other causes for your hair loss and itching include imflammatory disease, psoriasis, alopecia areata, etc. Sometimes, a person can have an itchy scalp from lotions/creams which they put on their scalp. You need a blood work up to rule out hypothyroidism, anemia, and other reversible medical diseases.

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Hair Loss from Pony Tail? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Does wearing your hair pulled back in a pony tail cause your hair line above forehead to recede???

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Wearing your hair pulled back in a pony tail rarely causes your frontal hair line to recede, unless you pull tightly on the hair most (or all) of the time. Traction alopecia is a common form of hair loss in the African-American community as the ‘pig-tails’ that are created by tightly braiding hair grows out, causing continuous pulling pressure to eventually produce loss of hair in the frontal and temple areas. Men who wear turbans all of the time suffer from the same type of hair loss as the African-American women, because the turbans pull on the entire frontal area creating permanent hair loss in the areas where the constant pull is.

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Female Hair Loss After Knee Surgery – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am a 26 year old female, just had knee surgery last year june 2005. I have been experiencing a tremendous amount of hair loss since then. I’ve read that it could be because of the anethesia, so, my question is how long after will this continue.

One of the manifestations (or presentations) of female genetic hair loss is that some women have hair that sheds easily with stress and then comes back. You will have to wait this out.

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Non-Surgical Treatments for Postmenopausal Women? – Balding Blog

I am a 55 year old woman within my 3rd year of full menopause. My hair is thinning noticeably at the crown and in the front, not so much in the back. I am concerned that I have inherited my mother and maternal grandmother’s hair loss; they had very thick hair until they reached my age and from there on it was a systematic hair loss. My father on the other hand had all his hair until he died at the age of 60.

My question is what can I do to stop the hair loss, and is there any treatment for recovering hair loss? Is there any promising treatment for women that does not involve surgery?
Thank you

The only medication that is proven to work for women is Minoxidil. It only works in some women. Many substances are sold with promises that just aren’t true. Hold onto your money and be careful not to get caught up in any scam.

I would see a doctor to be sure that you do not have other causes of hair loss and have your hair mapped out for miniaturization to be sure of the diagnosis. Female genetic hair loss has a unique pattern shown under high power visualization.


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Hair Loss InformationFemale Balding from Weave – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

My daughter is 18 years old. She wore a hair weave on a consistent basis for almost a year. This has resulted in her severe hair loss. She is bald due to hair loss on 70% of her head. I did take her to a dermatologist, and he has prescribed a steroid base ointment for her to put on her scalp. Currently, she is wearing a wig. This helps with the mental aspects of losing her hair. I would like to do more. The research that I am reading concerning her conditions says that her hair may not grow back. How can I reassure her that her hair will grow back? Do you know how long it takes for hair regrowth?

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Unfortunately, using a wig may forego recovery. This is a catch 22, which means that she might have to avoid wigs and let her hair recover first. The question is: Is her traction alopecia permanent? One may never know unless you give it 8-12 months. Be sure that the diagnosis is traction alopecia, for there are many causes of Female Hair Loss which need to be screened for.