Do hair loss treatments work in women?

‘I am losing a lot of hair.’

‘Shit! I can see my scalp through my hair. It’s high time. I need to take a new hair cut!’

After reading this, you may say ‘tell me something which I don’t know’. Isn’t it? Many women suffer from hair loss which goes unnoticed until one day they look in the mirror and find the ‘scanty patch’ on their scalp.

By this time, you will find that your hair has already thinned out and this is the time you start wondering what must have happened to your hair - Am I suffering from any disease leading to hair loss? Will any hair loss treatment work on me? Will I be able to see my luscious locks again?

The answer is yes! There are different hair loss treatments for women and they work effectively to stop your hair from falling. The progress of hair loss treatment depends on the underlying cause, the severity and to what extent the hair loss is. So, let us first understand the different types of hair loss seen in women.

Alopecia is the common medical term used for hair loss. It can be seen in different forms:

• Generalized (diffuse) hair loss – this condition can be due to the following underlying causes :

a) Telogen effluvium – it is a condition in which there is temporary thinning of hair, usually on top of the scalp. This condition is reversible as hair falls out after a stressful situation like physical or mental stress, nutritional deficiency like iron, zinc, B-complex, severe liver or kidney disorders, or malignancies.

b) Female pattern baldness - also known as androgenetic alopecia which means it runs in the family. Hormone androgen plays a role in pattern baldness which may be secreted due to tumors of pituitary gland or ovary. There will be thinning of hair from the parting and thinning from the sides. The density of the hair reduces.

c) Postpartum hair loss - in this condition, there is shedding of hair due to changes in hormone levels after childbirth. In some women, it might be less, in some, it may be severe. Hair shedding after pregnancy is quite common.

d) Hair loss due to autoimmune systemic disease - SLE, thyroid and other endocrine disorders.

e) Hair loss due to cytotoxic drugs and heavy metals.

• Localized hair loss – Alopecia areata or non-scarring localized hair loss is the condition in which there is sudden loss of hair in patches. It is an auto-immune condition where your immune system attacks your own hair follicles.
• Scarring alopecia is caused by a fungal, viral, bacterial infection or skin disease of the scalp like lichen planus. In this condition, your hair roots get destroyed.

Common causes of hair loss in women

• Hormonal changes - hormonal changes occur in women during menarche, delivery, and menopause. Women with polycystic ovarian disease,thyroid disorders and women taking oral contraceptive pills also experience hair loss due to hormonal changes
• Emotional stress
• Anemia
• Crash dieting
• Cosmetic treatments on hair
• Change of water

Hair loss treatment for women

Homeopathy works excellent for hair loss in women. Why is it the best hair fall treatment for women? Because it is an individual medicine. What it means is that every woman suffering from hair loss is given a different medicine, which is specific to her. It is not a one-suit-fits-all. It treats you as an individual and not just the symptoms of your illness. Understand that hair loss is a symptom. The real problem is the underlying medical ailment that has caused hair loss.

As discussed above, a lot of the times the causes of hair loss in women are stress, anaemia, thyroid, or PCOD. So, homeopathy forms a treatment to address all these conditions. The underlying condition is what homeopathy identifies and treats beautifully. It helps to nourish the hair follicles; it helps to bring a mind-body balance that helps to treat the hair loss and the underlying cause. The second USP of homeopathy is that it has no side-effects. It is absolutely natural.

Therefore, be wiser in which treatment you select for your hair loss. The best is the one that actually treats the cause of your hair loss without any side-effects.