I was asked to post more about women’s hair loss, and I hope to do so in the coming months. I will also update my page on women’s hair loss resources every once in a while.
Women’s Hair Loss Video Presentation
To start off, here is a video from the recent WCHR 2014 Congress in South Korea. Dr. Jerry Shapiro summarizes his clinic’s work and research in regards to hair loss in women. He also covers a paper he authored that was published in 2007 in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Among the things he covers include:
- The Ludwig Stages of hair loss in women (as opposed to the Norwood Scale in men).
- Unique types of alopecia in female such as those related to: pregnancy and childbirth; hormonal fluctuations; vitamin deficiencies; hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism; and emotional stress. Note that telogen effluvium has a higher incidence rate in women than in men.
- Laboratory testing for TSH levels, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Zinc, Iron and androgen levels. I assume the latter includes testosterone as well as dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and estrogen.
- The use of anti-androgens (such as aldactone) and finasteride in female pattern hair loss.
- And finally, the use of women’s minoxidil (Rogaine).