Androgenic Alopecia in Young Women

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Androgenic Alopecia (AGA) is the most prevalent reason why women experience hair loss. Alopecia areata, cicatricial alopecia, telogen effluvium, and traumatic alopecia are some other hair loss illnesses. Alopecia can be broken down into two categories: disorders that occur when the follicle is healthy but the hair development cycle is disrupted, and conditions that occur when the follicle is impaired and cannot produce new hair.

The diagnosis is typically arrived at after carefully reviewing the patient’s medical history and performing a detailed physical examination. Executing specific laboratory tests on some patients or a punch biopsy on others may be essential. The FDA has approved minoxidil used topically on the scalp for the therapy of androgenic alopecia in women.

Experts discovered that alopecia significantly negatively affects a person’s sense of self-worth, psychological and emotional well-being, and body image. Even though alopecia can strike in any part of the body, the most troubling symptoms appear on the scalp. Loss of hair can present itself in a variety of patterns, ranging from a discrete bald spot that you can cover up with a minimal effort to a more widespread thinning that is more noticeable.

What Are the Symptoms of Female Pattern Baldness?

In female baldness, the hair’s growth phase slows down. The hair follicles get smaller, which causes the hair that continues to grow to become more delicate and thinner. It can lead to hair that is brittle and more prone to breakage.

In addition, people with this disorder tend to lose more hair than an average person, although it is less probable that they would go completely bald. The hair loss in male baldness typically begins in the crown of the head and progresses toward the nape and sides of the scalp until the person is completely bald. On the other hand, female pattern baldness begins at the portion line and can sometimes spread throughout the entire head. It’s also possible that your temple hair will thin out.

How Exactly Is It Identified the Androgenic Alopecia?

A general practitioner or a dermatologist can give a diagnosis of hair loss. In most cases, you do not require testing, but they will check your scalp to determine the type of hair loss you are experiencing. They may also run a blood test to evaluate your thyroid hormone, iron, androgen levels, or other elements that may affect hair development.

What Other Factors Can Contribute to androgenic alopecia in women?

In most cases, a hormone-secreting tumor or an underlying disease that affects the endocrine system is to blame for female-pattern baldness. If you have any of the following additional symptoms, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible: Severe acne, irregular period and an increase in hair that is not desirable. These may indicate a different kind of hair loss you’re experiencing.

Is It Possible to Get Female-Pattern Baldness in One’s Twenties?

When a person is younger, they have a lower risk of developing female pattern baldness, but as they become older, especially in their forties, fifties, and beyond, they have an increased risk of beginning to lose their hair.

Is There a Way to Undo It Androgenic Alopecia?

While some types of hair loss are transitory, androgenic alopecia is a chronic condition that you cannot reverse, even with treatment.

However, the correct treatment can stop hair loss and even stimulate the growth of some lost hair. To avoid more hair loss, you will need to continue receiving therapy for the foreseeable future.

Is It Possible for Female Pattern Baldness to Get Worse?

Without treatment, Androgenic alopecia will continue to worsen. On the other hand, advancement is frequently sluggish, lasting from years to decades. You may experience periods of stability, followed by times of temporary hair loss. In addition, the earlier you notice the symptoms of Androgenic alopecia, the faster you can start treatment.

Treatment

When left untreated, Androgenic alopecia results in irreversible hair loss. The majority of people experience just minor to moderate loss of hair. If you are content with the way you look, you do not require therapy of any kind.

Medicines

Minoxidil is the sole medicine that has been given the green light by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U. S. to treat Androgenic alopecia:

Experts recommend that women use either the solution at 2 percent or the foam at 5 percent.
Minoxidil may stimulate hair growth in approximately one in every four or five women who use it. In the majority of women, it may either slow down or stop the loss of hair.

You will need to keep taking this medication for a very long time. When you discontinue using it, your hair loss returns in full force. If minoxidil does not produce the desired results, your healthcare professional may suggest alternative treatments like cimetidine, spironolactone, and ketoconazole. If you have any questions regarding these, you can ask your provider.

Hair Transplant

This treatment has the potential to be successful in women:

Whose condition does not improve after receiving medical care
Without any discernible change to the outward appearance

During a hair transplant procedure, tiny strands of hair are extracted from regions of the head with denser hair and then implanted (transplanted) in parts of the head with less hair. You will very certainly require a large number of transplants, which may be very costly. Despite this, the outcomes are frequently impressive and long-lasting.

Conclusion About Androgenic Alopecia in Young Women

If you have noticed losing your hair, you should talk to your primary care physician or a dermatologist. They will be able to determine what type of loss it is and what factors might contribute to it in the future. In addition, they will be able to advise and prescribe the most effective treatment method. The earlier you start therapy, the faster you’ll likely halt hair loss and potentially even regrow part of it. The longer you wait, the less likely you’ll be able to do either.