Genetic Female Hair Loss
Genetic Female Hair Loss
Female pattern baldness is a type of hair loss that affects women. The first signs of female pattern baldness may be a widening part or a feeling that the hair does not feel as thick as usual. Although the scalp may be visible, the hairline usually does not recede.
Patterned hair loss, the most common type of hair loss affecting men and women, is characterized by a process of progressive hair miniaturization whereby large, pigmented terminal hairs are replaced by fine, colorless vellus hairs. In men, this condition preferentially affects hair on the superior and anterior temporal areas of the scalp, whereas in women it more commonly presents in a diffuse pattern in the crown, with or without sparing of the frontal fringe.
The key point in patterned hair loss is progressive shortening of anagen phase. Since there is less time to grow, hairs become shorter and finer, to the point where individuals appear to be bald, despite the continuing existence of large numbers of fine vellus hairs.
Androgens play a central role in this process of miniaturization, hence the reason both male pattern hair loss (MPHL) and female pattern hair loss (FPHL) are collectively referred to as androgenic or androgenetic alopecia.
The Role of Androgens in Female Pattern Hair Loss
The influence of androgens in FPHL is not pronounced as in MPHL. Certainly, women with clinical hyperandrogenism- identified by the development of acne, hirsutism, and oligomenorrhea- frequently develop a pattern of hair loss similar to what is seen in males, with deep bitemporal recession and vertex thinning. However, the majority of women with FPHL shows no clinical signs of hyperandrogenism and have normal testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) levels.
