What are the characteristics of female alopecia and what are its main types?
There are many types of alopecia. They can be due to iron deficiency, anemia, surgery, post-partum alopecia, thyroid disorders, metabolic and nutritional disorders and, the most frequent, is androgenetic alopecia, which is becoming more and more common. It is of tremendous severity because it can evolve into baldness.
What are the main causes?
We have already mentioned all the types of alopecia. Each one has its own cause, and in the case of androgenetic alopecia there is a hormonal factor and a genetic factor that, both combined, produce alopecia. In the hair we have receptors in which a substance is fixed that atrophies and weakens them. In people who are genetically predisposed, this substance binds to the receptors and causes hair loss. When there is no genetic predisposition, these hairs do not have the receptors and this substance does not harm them.
What treatment is most effective for each type of alopecia?
In principle, for each type of alopecia, the main thing is to treat the cause. That is to say, if it is due to anemia, the anemia should be treated, if there is a thyroid disorder, the same thing, etc… In the case of androgenetic alopecia we have mechanisms to block it. Currently we have substances such as Finasteride, Minoxidil topically and other vitamins and amino acids and sometimes even doing vitamin infiltrations that can strengthen the hair follicle. In the last resort, and when there is no solution and the hair has been lost, we are always left with the solution of the implant.
Can alopecia be cured definitively or is it only delayed?
We can always delay it. By doing treatment we will always extend the life of the hair, it may be that we extend it more or less depending on the circumstances, and many other times it can be cured. When we get the correct diagnosis of the cause, solving the cause can solve the alopecia. In the most conflictive case, which is androgenetic alopecia, it cannot always be solved definitively and treatment must be maintained for life, but it is possible to achieve, sometimes, even repopulation of hair that had been lost. This can never be guaranteed because it depends on the case but, at least, we can always extend the process for many years and, in most cases, establish an acceptable situation both psychologically and cosmetically for the person.