Things To Keep In Mind About Women's Hair Loss
Loosing your hair can be a stressful and confusing time for a man or a woman. Although society does not frown on bald men as much as it once did, balding women have been getting the shaft. Many cultural legends indicate that a bald woman meant that she was a witch. This legend was even recently reinforced in the last movie Jim Hensen worked on, an adaptation of Roald Dahl's book The Witches. If there were more bald women in the world, then perhaps women's hair loss would not be seen as such a shocking thing.
How Many Balding Women Are There?
It is thought that male pattern baldness (alopecia) happens in over 40% of anyone who is bald. It is also thought that the number of women getting alopecia is on the rise, but then again, it could be that women are being more honest about their hair or lack thereof. Women with thinning hair need to know that women's hair loss is normal and not preventable. There are also a lot of women's hair loss products on the market, just as there are a lot of men's hair loss products. There are almost always equal rights in the shopping aisle.
What About Drugs?
Although illegal drugs will definitely do damage to your hair, including sudden hair loss, a number of legal prescription drugs may also cause sudden hair loss in some women. This is usually a rare occurrence and one not to get worried about, but still contact your doctor about it, just in case. It will be up to your doctor whether to reduce your dose or change your prescription.
Drugs that can cause sudden women's hair loss (where the hair falls out in clumps or patches) include Nexium ("the Purple Pill"), Accutane for acne, most anti-coagulants containing wafarin, most anti-convulsants (usually for epilepsy or vertigo) and most anti-depressants.
As a case study, this writer's mother needed to go on blood thinners after a pulmonary embolism. She lost a good bit of hair, but not enough to warrant going off such vital medicine. She only needed to be on the blood thinner for six months. Her hair is gradually returning.
The Positives About Thinning Hair
There are far worse things that can happen to you than women's hair loss. Wigs are a lot of fun and look more natural than ever - just ask Dolly Parton. With less hair, you have less to manage and more time freed to do more fun things like dancing to Dolly Parton records.
