I sometimes hear from women who are so discouraged and so fed up with their quest to get help for their hair loss. Often, they don't feel listened to or understood. And when they attempt to research their condition, they find that much of the literature is written for men who have androgenetic alopecia or male patterned baldness. Many of the treatments that are used for men aren't also used for women because of the potential for birth defects in a woman's fetus..
Common concerns that you may hear are things like: "my hair has been falling out for over eight months. My hair doesn't look anything like it did when this process started. The texture has changed. My hair literally looks sick. I have been to my doctor and he ran blood work, which all came back normal. So I went to a dermatologist who told me that I probably had temporary hair loss that would resolve. The dermatologist told me that I could try some topical solutions that are mostly used by men but this burned my scalp terribly. My scalp is already inflamed, so I had to stop using the topical. Every time I turn on the television, I see commercials that show treatments for men. They can get hair transplants and there is a whole industry that supports them when they are losing their hair. But the same is not true of women. Why is this fair? And why does this happen?"
I know exactly how this feels. When I went through hair loss, I went through the same thing and I felt the same frustrations. I think that part of the problem is that women do sometimes have telogen effluvium because of hormonal fluctuations unique to women. So, it is plausible to look at temporary hair loss first. The hope is that the condition will resolve itself on its own without any expensive or internal intervention. I understand this - to an extent.
But in my experience, once its clear that this isn't temporary and isn't going to resolve on its own, that's when the frustration starts. Many of the things in a doctor's or specialist's bag of tricks aren't thought to be applicable to women. I understand this also. But, if this is the case, then I think the health and beauty industries should start to respond. Sometimes, you don't get a lot of sympathy from people because hair loss isn't seen as life threatening or anything other than cosmetic. But when you are losing your hair, you don't really want to hear this.
Some people argue that women don't get as much help because we don't discuss our hair loss. I'm not so sure about this. I know that it's more socially acceptable for a man to talk about or seek treatment for his hair loss. But as a woman who has walked this road, I can tell you that although seeking treatment for this wasn't fun and perhaps not socially acceptable, I was certainly motivated to do it because I didn't want to just accept the hair loss without trying to do something to change it.
I have found this to be improving though. I am not going to tell you that it's always easy to find a specialist who specializes in female hair loss, but more and more are cropping up all of the time. And sometimes, if you look or ask around on hair loss forums, you will find referrals from people who have found someone who has actually been helpful. And if you check out pharmacies and beauty salons, you will see more and more products meant to address hair loss specifically for women.
The truth is, women can and do get androgenetic alopecia just like men. This is not a temporary problem and it needs treatment. As I said, I do see progress. It only makes sense that things will change because many women today suffer from hair loss and are willing to pursue treatments that work. For now, you may have to do a little research on your own and you may have to work a little harder to find someone who listens or who is familiar working with women. If you're not currently happy with your regimen, never hesitate to speak up and to keep looking.
And know that you are not alone. There are countless hair loss forums where you can reach out to others and share. Please don't isolate yourself. Reaching out to others who know what you are going through really does help. And there really are treatments that can help women today.
I know where you are and I know that this is difficult. But please hang in there. Often, things don't turn out as bad as you think and you may have relief right around the corner. The only way you don't have hope is if you give up on trying to find a regimen that may help. If it helps, you can read more of my story on my blog at http://stop-hair-loss-in-women.com/
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