Did you know that 30% of women report substantial hair loss by the time they are 30?  By the time they are 50, the stat jumps to half.  Half of women have a complaint that is somewhat of a vanity concern, but it could very well be a real health condition , as well.  I want to visit a few reasons why women may be dealing with hair loss, what you may do to address the root cause, and what you may want to do in the meantime to keep those strands on your head.  Before we start, I just want to say, you would still be beautiful if you were bald.  Ok.  I’m ready.

Causes of hairloss in women:

• high androgens (male dominant hormones)-do you also have acne? deflated breast tissue? increased body odor?
• low iron-are you also fatigued?
• thyroid conditions-do you have TSH levels above 2.5?  Have you every had antibodies tested? Are you also constipated? Dry? Weight gain?
• insulin resistance- Do you have belly fat? PCOS? diabetes?
• stress-induced-Do you find yourself with lots of anxiety?  Putting too much on your plate? Emotional frequently?
• autoimmunity- Have you ever had your ANA levels tested?

Tests you can run to decide if any of these things are your issue:

• ferritin levels- this assesses your iron stores
• TSH, T3, T4, reverse T3, both antibodies- these will look at thyroid function and rule out autoimmunity
• cortisol panels- this can peek into your ability to handle your stress
• glucose levels or A1C- these are pictures of how your blood sugar is doing
• hormone panels- this can tell you if you are dominant in testosterone

Depending on what the root cause is, there will be some things that are important you could start regardless of knowing a definitive diagnosis:

• increase fiber- this important for the removal of excess hormones like testosterone so they can be removed by the body and not reabsorbed
• decrease sugar intake- this does nothing good for your blood sugar
• start some type of exercise- weight loss can be important because it’s often associated with PCOS, diabetes, and hormone imbalance
• eliminate dairy- dairy and even eggs can drive inflammation, which can pump up androgens like testosterone
• consider supplement support or eating liver to cover your bases of minerals and iron

Let’s say you are in the process of identifying and treating the root cause, but don’t want to be bald and beautiful while you’re patiently waiting, here is a list of some things you can consider:

• topical therapies that stimulate oxygen and blood flow to the scalp
• get a massage and have them do some work on your head
• use products that don’t have chemicals
• drink red clover tea, spearmint tea, and decrease caffeine- these could have positive influence on hormone imbalance if androgens are the cause

Just like anything, the best solution is based on a good diagnosis.  If you have positive results with some topical stuff, keep searching for the root cause, because the hair loss is likely just one symptom of a bigger problem. To some extent, it’s somewhat normal to have some fluctuations in things like hair and skin as you age.  Don’t neglect your lifestyle, because that is often the last thing people look to but has the largest impact.  Hope this helps!