It is permanent and unfortunately there are still not many treatment options available for female pattern baldness. The FDA has approved minoxidil 2% for female pattern baldness treatment. It work 20% of the time. However, it is costly and time consuming. Many women use hair weaving, hairpieces, or wigs to cover the baldness. Like the male pattern baldness, this is also caused by genes plus hormone changes. In most case, it is part of aging process.

Normally people lose roughly 100 hairs from their head every day and the average scalp contains around 100,000 hairs. That hair loss 0.1% of the hair an average person has. But the lost hair is replaced by new ones. You get a problem when the new ones stop growing. So hair loss itself is not a problem, the issues lies in your body’s failure to produce new hair.

The best way to void hair loss is not to do anything that could harm the growth of new hair. That includes unnecessary hair dyes.

Then I read an article in the Readers Digest about a new hair growth product and how it came to be. The story was that the company had a request from one of their researchers about a new blood pressure medicine that was having an undesirable side effect. The blood pressure medicine grew hair and the researcher wanted to find out how to make it stop. The medication apparently encouraged the circulation in the tiny blood vessels around the roots of hairs ( along with improving circulation elsewhere ) that caused the hairs to revive and start growing again.

The company made some minor changes to the blood pressure medicine to be able to market a hair growth product. I have been using it for years now and I still have most of my hair. My brother ( who does not use the product ) is completely bald. Hair loss is not an easy problem to resolve, but it can be fought.

Scientists do not yet know why and what causes adrogenetic alopecia. Men and women both produce androgenic hormones which include Dihydrotestosterone, androsteinedione, and testosterone (DHT). People do not go bald overnight. It is a rather gradual process that can be slow and fast.

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Scientists do not know exactly why the hair follicles undergo these changes, but they suspect that a combination of genes may predispose some people to the disease. In those who are genetically predisposed, some type of trigger–perhaps a virus or something in the person’s environment–brings on the attack against the hair follicles.

Source: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal
and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

In most cases, hair falls out in small, round patches about the size of a quarter. In many cases, the disease does not extend beyond a few bare patches. In some people, hair loss is more extensive. Although uncommon, the disease can progress to cause total loss of hair on the head (referred to as alopecia areata totalis) or complete loss of hair on the head, face, and body (alopecia areata universalis).

Source: the National Institutes of Health

* There are different types of hair dyes used in salons and sold in stores. For example, some are permanent and cannot be washed out with shampoo. Others wash out after a number of shampoos. The number of shampoos varies, depending on the product. Check the label to see about how long you can expect these colors to last.

Other kinds of dye:

* Progressive hair dyes change the color of your hair gradually. They make hair a little darker each time you use them.
* Henna is made from a plant and colors hair red or reddish brown.

No matter what kind of hair dye you use, follow directions carefully. Pay attention to all “Caution” or “Warning” statements.
What problems can hair dyes cause?

Some of the problems people have had from using hair dyes are:

* hair loss
* burning
* redness
* itchy or raw skin
* swelling in the face
* trouble breathing

Source: FDA

A variety of genetic and environmental factors likely play a role in causing androgenetic alopecia. Although researchers are studying risk factors that may contribute to this condition, most of these factors remain unknown. Researchers have determined that this form of hair loss is related to hormones called androgens, particularly an androgen called dihydrotestosterone. Androgens are important for normal male sexual development before birth and during puberty. Androgens also have other important functions in both males and females, such as regulating hair growth and sex drive.

Hair growth begins under the skin in structures called follicles. Each strand of hair normally grows for 2 to 6 years, goes into a resting phase for several months, and then falls out. The cycle starts over when the follicle begins growing a new hair. Increased levels of androgens in hair follicles can lead to a shorter cycle of hair growth and the growth of shorter and thinner strands of hair. Additionally, there is a delay in the growth of new hair to replace strands that are shed.

Although researchers suspect that several genes play a role in androgenetic alopecia, variations in only one gene, AR, have been identified in people with this condition. The AR gene provides instructions for making a protein called an androgen receptor. Androgen receptors allow the body to respond appropriately to dihydrotestosterone and other androgens. Studies suggest that variations in the AR gene lead to increased activity of androgen receptors in hair follicles. It remains unclear, however, how these genetic changes increase the risk of patterned hair loss in men and women with androgenetic alopecia.

Researchers continue to investigate the connection between androgenetic alopecia and other medical conditions, such as coronary heart disease and prostate cancer in men and polycystic ovary syndrome in women. They believe that some of these disorders may be associated with elevated androgen levels, which may help explain why they tend to occur with androgen-related hair loss. Other hormonal, environmental, and genetic factors that have not been identified also may be involved.

Source: the National Library of Medicine

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Source: Department of Health and Human Services