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Options for Women With Thinning Hair

There are a variety of reasons for women to have thinning hair. It could be the result of abnormally high testosterone levels that are either genetic or the result of an underlying medical condition. Additionally, women can experience hair loss during the onset of menopause as well. Fortunately, there are various treatments and options to make thinning hair less noticeable.

  1. Causes and Diagnosis for Treatment

    • According to WomentoWomen.com, there are a various reasons for hair loss in women. If you do not have a noticeable bald spot and want to determine if you are in fact losing your hair, conduct the "pull test." Take a bunch of about 60 hair strands and gently pull your fingers along the bunch. If you notice more than 15 hairs coming out, your hair may be thinning.

      Knowing the causes for hair loss affects your treatment options. Many women notice hair loss when they are going through menopause because of hormonal imbalances in their body. Alternatively, hair loss may simply be the result of your genetics or immune system irregularities.

    Diet and Herbal Supplements

    • For most women, hair loss is mild to moderate and is the result of imbalanced hormones either from menopause or other stressors in life. Eat a diet that is high in protein; avoid consuming refined sugars and other simple carbohydrates. Begin a vitamin regimen that incorporates vitamins B, C, and E into your diet. Try adding a fish oil supplement to your diet as well to help balance your hormones.

      There are various herbal supplements that also assist with hormone balance. Womentowomen.com recommends using ginkgo biloba to help increase blood flow to your scalp. There are also kelp-based supplements that assist in reducing hair thinning by introducing iodine into your bloodstream. Iodine encourages the thyroid to produce hormones that balance your body and reduce hair thinning.

    Drug Therapy

    • If you have extensive hair loss, some women consider using testosterone inhibitors. According to the Hairtransplantnetwork.com, women should not take Propecia or finasteride because it can cause complications and severe side effects in women. Rather, women can use topical treatments like minoxidil to help limit hair loss at balding spots. Discuss these options with your doctor to minimize the chances of negative side effects.

    Hair Transplants

    • For extensive hair loss that cannot be treated with the above treatments, there are various hair transplant options. Hair transplant involves removing hair follicles from the healthy portions of your hair and selectively placing the hair in the balding and thinning areas of your hair. Hair transplant is an effective procedure, but is quite costly, ranging from $4,000 to $20,000 for a treatment as of 2009.

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