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Hair problem
Female hair loss, also called female pattern baldness or androgenetic alopecia, is the most common cause of hair thinning in women. It usually starts subtly and progresses slowly. Here we explain how to recognise it, what can make it worse and what the clinic can offer.
Reviewed by Dr Michelle Campagnoli, clinical director
How to recognise it
Female hair loss follows a pattern: the hair gradually thins, especially on the top of the head, and the front hairline usually stays in place. These signs help you work out whether this is your case.
Tick what you recognise
Tick the signs you recognise in your case. This is not a diagnosis, it is only meant to give you an idea.
You recognise some of the signs. It may be female hair loss or have another cause. Only a medical assessment can say for sure.
Several signs match female hair loss. The earlier it is assessed, the more options you have to slow its progression. Only a medical assessment can confirm it.
Book an assessment consultationSudden and heavy hair loss, round bald patches, a painful scalp, sores or a lot of flaking should be seen without delay, because they usually have another cause.
Parting. It gradually gets wider, and the scalp becomes more visible along it.
Top of the head. This is where the hair thins the most, with less density and less volume.
Temples. They usually stay as they are, and the front hairline generally does not recede as it does in men.
Why it happens
It is almost never just one thing. Choose a cause to see what makes it worse and what helps.
In many women, the follicles on the top of the head are more sensitive to certain hormones and gradually shrink, so each strand becomes finer and finer. There are often cases in the family.
Letting years go by without an assessment while the follicle keeps shrinking.
Being assessed early, because it is easier to slow the progression than to recover what has been lost.
Changes such as the menopause, polycystic ovary syndrome or a drop in oestrogen give androgens more weight and may speed up thinning. The doctor may request hormone tests when useful.
Putting it all down to age and not investigating a hormonal change.
Working out, with the doctor, whether there is a hormonal cause to treat.
A lack of iron, vitamin D or zinc, and thyroid changes, also affect the hair and may add to the alopecia. Only a blood test can confirm it.
Taking supplements on your own, without knowing what is missing.
Tests for iron, vitamins and the thyroid, when the doctor considers them useful.
Periods of stress, restrictive diets, illness or childbirth can make more hair fall out and make thinning more visible, even if the underlying cause is something else.
Very restrictive diets and poor nights of sleep.
A diet with enough protein, regular sleep and breaks.
Thin hair can also come from temporary shedding, medication or scalp problems. That is why it is worth having an assessment, rather than assuming it is just alopecia.
Assuming a diagnosis without an assessment and putting off the consultation.
A consultation to look at the whole picture and confirm the cause.
Alopecia or another cause
Not all thin hair is female hair loss. These signs help distinguish the typical pattern from other causes, which are treated differently.
What it looks like. The hair gradually thins on the top of the head, with a wider parting and the front hairline preserved.
How it progresses. Slowly, over months or years, and it usually continues if nothing is done.
What the clinic does. The doctor confirms the pattern, looks for associated causes and proposes a plan to slow its progression.
Follow-up. This is a condition that is followed over time, with reviews and adjustments.
What it looks like. Sudden and heavy hair loss across the whole scalp, or well-defined round bald patches.
Warning. Pain, sores, marked flaking or intense itching call for assessment.
What the clinic does. The doctor looks for other causes, such as deficiencies, the thyroid, shedding after illness or other forms of alopecia.
Tell us at the consultation. When it started, whether there are cases in the family and what has changed: it helps in choosing.
Is your hair getting thinner and thinner? Book an assessment consultation, so the doctor can work out whether it is female hair loss and what can be done.
Book an assessment consultationWhat the clinic can do
Female hair loss is usually a long-term condition, so the plan is always designed for you and followed over time. These are the treatments the doctor may propose, after seeing your case.
Regeneration
Vitamins, amino acids, minerals and hyaluronic acid, to nourish the scalp and support finer hair.
Suitable when
the hair is finer and the doctor considers scalp nourishment appropriate.
Find out more→
Regeneration
Platelet-rich plasma, obtained from your own blood, to stimulate the follicle. The doctor first assesses whether it is appropriate.
Suitable when
there is thinning on the top of the head and the doctor considers follicle stimulation appropriate.
Find out more→
Advanced regeneration
Regenerative solution to support follicle repair and improve hair thickness.
Suitable when
the doctor considers it useful to reinforce the plan with a regenerating active ingredient.
Find out more→What about oral therapy and other medical options? When there is a cause to treat or the alopecia needs more than local care, the doctor explains the options, chooses them after the assessment and, if useful, the tests. Results are gradual.
What the journey looks like
No treatment starts without an assessment consultation with the doctor. This is how it works.
The doctor asks since when the hair has been thinner, whether there are cases in the family, about your cycle, your medication and the menopause, and examines the scalp and the parting.
If useful, she requests tests for iron, vitamins, zinc, the thyroid and hormones, and explains what to expect and how long it may take.
She combines the treatments that make sense with care at home and treats the associated causes, always adapted to your case.
We look at the hair again after a few months and adjust the plan, because alopecia needs follow-up.
Day to day
Caring for your hair gently and for your body as a whole matters a great deal, alongside the doctor's plan. These are the kinds of care that weigh the most.
The golden rule
Female hair loss progresses slowly and results take time too. The earlier you start and the more consistent you are, the more options there are.
Hair is made of protein.
In practice: include eggs, fish, pulses or yoghurt at every meal.
Fine strands break easily.
In practice: brush slowly, with a soft-bristle brush, and avoid pulling.
Sun and pollution also damage it.
In practice: protect your parting from the sun and wash with a mild shampoo.
Results depend on persistence.
In practice: follow the agreed plan and attend the reviews.
Pulling the hair weakens the roots.
In practice: avoid very tight ponytails and braids every day.
A very hot hairdryer, straightening and bleaching make fragility worse.
In practice: use moderate heat and space out colouring.
Taking several supplements on your own may not solve anything and can do harm.
In practice: speak to the doctor before taking supplements, especially iron.
Cutting calories worsens hair loss and the lack of nutrients.
In practice: eat enough and favour nutrient-rich foods.
Who will look after you
At Luxmed, the first step is always an assessment consultation with Dra. Michelle Campagnoli. She works out whether it is female hair loss, requests tests if useful and designs the plan with you.
Hair medicine
The first signs and when to ask for an assessment.
Read the article →
Hair medicine
What may be behind thinner hair on the top of the head.
Read the article →
Hair medicine
The difference between ageing and having alopecia.
Read the article →Other hair problems
Book a consultation
Choose how you prefer to get in touch. We will arrange the assessment consultation with Dr Michelle Campagnoli.
New Life Miraflores, Algés · Office Center, R. Santa Teresa do Menino Jesus n.º 6, 9.º C, 1495-048
Your details are used only for this contact. Any treatment depends on a prior medical assessment.
Yes, but differently from men. Women rarely lose all their hair; what usually happens is that the hair thins out, especially on the top of the head, while the front hairline is kept.
It is progressive hair thinning linked to hereditary predisposition and to the action of hormones on the follicle. It is the most common cause of thin hair in women.
There are often cases in the family, on either the mother's or the father's side, but this is not a must. The assessment helps to understand your case.
It depends on the case and on how early you start. The aim is to slow the progression and improve the density and thickness of the strand, which is easier while the follicles are still active. The doctor explains what is realistic for you.
Results are gradual and usually become noticeable after a few months of regular treatment. The doctor explains what to expect in your case.
Depending on the case: hair NCTF, hair PRP, hair exosomes, oral therapy and treatment of associated causes. None is chosen before the assessment consultation.
Often yes. The doctor may request iron, vitamin D, zinc, vitamin B12, thyroid and, if useful, hormone tests, because deficiencies and hormonal changes are common.
As soon as you notice a wider parting or finer hair, because it is easier to slow the progression early. Sudden hair loss, round bald patches or a painful scalp should be seen without delay.
It can, because the drop in oestrogen gives androgens more weight. That is why thinning is usually more noticeable at this stage, and it is worth having an assessment.
They help look after the hair, but on their own they rarely stop alopecia. Supplements only make sense when a deficiency has been confirmed, so it is best to talk to the doctor.
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The assistant does not give diagnoses or replace a consultation. The plan and cost of any treatment are set at the medical assessment.