Abnormal and excessive hair loss is known as alopecia. It’s a common genetic disorder. Both men and women experience it at certain points. In medical terms, it’s known as “androgenetic” or “androgenic” alopecia. Whether the patient is a man or woman, it’s a symptom that something is wrong with the body. Hair remains on the head until you get caught up with a disease, hormonal imbalance, etc. Having this hair loss gene makes you susceptible to the disease. Other common terms are “male pattern balding” and “female pattern balding.”

The pattern of hair loss in females and males differ in many ways.

Male Pattern Baldness

In men, it begins above the temple. With time, the hairline starts to recede to form an “M” shape from the forehead side. Then hair starts to thin from the centre of the head. It leads to partial or complete baldness.

Female Pattern Baldness

Fortunately, in women, hair loss is not always androgenic alopecia. Sometimes it’s a symptom of stress, pregnancy, medication, or disease. Therefore, all these conditions are curable. Often it’s just a temporary phase. The androgenic alopecia begins in women between 12 to 20 years. The inheritance pattern of the AGA is complex and polygenic too. It usually starts from the forehead, unlike men.

Causes of Female Pattern Baldness

Every day almost a hundred hair strands shed, and the same number of hair strands enter a new growth phase.

In men, hormones related to testosterone cause the hair follicles to have a shorter growth phase. Therefore, it results in hair shafts that are abnormally short and thin. These follicles are “miniaturised.” But the reasons why some men experience androgenic alopecia while others don’t is still not understood by doctors. Research on exact ways and causes of man’s hair loss remains inconclusive. Still, most of the men experience it.

Genes also play an important role in women, although other factors are also equally important. Some of the factors remain unknown until today. For instance, in many women, the abnormal levels of androgens in the blood cause androgenic alopecia. Still, additional research is necessary to understand the other factors which cause it.

Symptoms of Androgenic Alopecia

Both the men and women experience this condition in equal frequency, although it is not apparent most of the time. Uneven lengths of the hairlines and empty frontal areas of the scalp are two primary symptoms of this condition. Women rarely experience this condition.

If you experience these conditions, you must contact a well-known doctor. The doctor will examine the scalp and ask for blood tests to better understand the cause of your hair thinning.

Treatments of Androgenic Alopecia

Firstly, it’s important to note that there is no permanent treatment for androgenic alopecia. Secondly, it does not mean you should not consult the doctor. Many medicines can slow down this process. Medicine, like minoxidil and finasteride, can treat the male pattern baldness. But in women, minoxidil is more common for the treatment. Sometimes, if these medicines suit you, they can start the hair growth, but again, it’s rare. Many people have to go through hair transplantation procedures for hair restoration.