Female hair loss occurs in more than one pattern, and often these patterns are not as easily recognizable as those in men. Hair loss in men is likely to occur mainly between the late teens and 40-50s. This is known as male pattern baldness, or medically known as androgenetic alopecia. Men with baldness can expect continued hair loss if they have male relatives who have lost their hair in a similar pattern.
Unlike hair loss in men, hair loss in women can begin at any age and continue into the 50s or older. Female hair loss may not have any obvious hereditary association and may also tend to have less obvious hair loss patterns than men.
Additionally, a woman who notices the onset of hair loss will have no way of knowing whether the loss will be temporary or permanent; For example, a woman may be experiencing hair loss due to extenuating circumstances such as pregnancy, stress, or illness. Therefore, self-diagnosis is often ineffective and must be performed by a trained and experienced physician.
Androgenetic alopecia
This is the most likely cause of female hair loss, an inherited sensitivity to the effects of androgens (male hormones) on the hair follicles of the scalp. However, hair loss in women does not usually turn into true baldness in the same patterns that occur in men; for example, women rarely develop the “white hollow” appearance often seen in male pattern androgenetic alopecia.