Hair Regrowth in Women

Hair loss in women can be due to several things, some of them exclusive to women such as that which may occur after pregnancy and others more general.

In the same way there are products that are specifically aiming at hair regrowth in women and others that are suitable for everyone.

The commonest cause is hereditary and in this case genes and hormones causing the hair follicles to shrink , interfering with their ability to grow new hairs.

Rogaine  for Women, which contains  Minoxidil, is one product that has produced moderate rates of growth in some 19% or users. However this is a long term result. You can expect to use the product for several months  before regrowth is noticeable, simply because any hair growth is a slow process – half an inch per month. It comes in the form of a spray. Side effects of using products such as Rogaine are possible. These vary from a mild scalp irritation to more serious issues such as chest pain, so read any small print carefully. Also it is not recommended if you are pregnant or breast feeding a child.

The producers suggest that you don’t use it if there is no family history of hair loss, so before spending your money consult your doctor to ensure that the true cause of the problem is known. Hair loss can sometimes be due to serious, but treatable, conditions such as thyroid deficiencies or diabetes. The commonest cause though is choosing the wrong parents – in the majority of cases hair loss is hereditary. Another fairly common cause is traction alopecia – i.e. that caused by pulling on the hair roots. This can happen in certain hair styles or treatments , especially those that involve pulling the  hair back tightly. The solution is simple – change your style.

Some products  that are advertised  sound really good- laser combs for one. They promise healthy revitalised hair. They may well be right, as in February 2007 the American Food and Drugs Administration cleared the HairMax Laser comb for the promotion of hair growth.  The FDA has only ever approved two other products as solutions to combat hair loss.

There are also products out there that don’t even tell you what their ingredients are  - my guess is that aqua ( water) would come high on their list, so beware. The only herbal product that actually seems to work is Saw Palmetto, a food supplement that comes in a number of safe forms, with, for the majority, no side effects, The only adverse effects ever reported consist of mild stomach irritation.

In many cases your hair loss is due to something temporary or treatable and so regrowth will occur. In other cases there is hope, but not all products work for everyone and the worse the problem is it seems that the less likelihood there is of success, so if you wan t your hair to regrow act earlier rather than later. And be patient.