Female hair loss occurs in more than one pattern. If you are a woman with loss of scalp hair, you should seek professional advice from a physician hair restoration specialist. In most cases, female hair loss can be effectively treated. If you are a woman who has started to lose scalp hair, you are not alone if:

• You are unpleasantly surprised by the hair loss

• You don’t understand why you are losing hair

The patterns of hair loss in women are not as easily recognizable as those in men. Unlike hair loss in men, female scalp hair loss may commonly begin at any age through 50 or later, may not have any obvious hereditary association, and may not occur in a recognizable "female pattern hair loss" of diffuse thinning over the top of the scalp.

A woman who notices the beginning of hair loss may not be sure if the loss is going to be temporary or permanent, for example, if there has been a recent event such as pregnancy or illness that may be associated with temporary hair thinning.

In women as in men, the most likely cause of scalp hair loss is Androgenic alopecia (also known as androgenetic alopecia, alopecia androgenetica, alopecia totalis or alopecia areata) - an inherited sensitivity to the effects of androgens (male hormones) on scalp hair follicles.

However, women with hair loss due to this cause usually do not develop true baldness in the patterns that occur in men, for example, women rarely develop the "cue-ball" appearance often seen in male-pattern androgenetic alopecia. Patterns of female androgenetic alopecia can vary considerably in appearance. Patterns that may occur include:

• Diffuse thinning of hair over the entire scalp, often with more noticeable thinning toward the back of the scalp.

• Diffuse thinning over the entire scalp, with more noticeable thinning toward the front of the scalp but not involving the frontal hairline.

• Diffuse thinning over the entire scalp, with more noticeable thinning toward the front of the scalp, involving and sometimes breaching the frontal hairline.

It is important to note that female pattern hair loss can begin as early as the late teens to early 20s in women who have experienced early puberty. If left untreated, this hair loss associated with early puberty can progress to more advanced hair loss if it is left untreated.

There are many options available for female hair loss treatment such as topical hair solutions and surgical transplants. However, surgery is very expensive and is generally out of the budget for most people. There are highly effective treatments available which can halt hair loss, and reverse it entirely.

Chi Hoon Lee has biochemistry and medical degrees and has done sufficient research in the field of hair loss.