Baldness is rarely a choice for women as it can be for men who may wear it as a fashion statement. What causes baldness in women? Baldness, whether partial or complete, is usually caused by alopecia areata: a rare autoimmune disorder where the body attacks the hair follicles and slows down the production of hair. This is a disorder that affects 0.1-0.2% of humans and is also prevalent in many other species.
For men, baldness starts slowly with patches and spreads across the scalp or temples over some years. For women, however, alopecia areata usually happens quite suddenly and can take any form. It is generally an extremely traumatizing experience due its suddenness and the woman’s inability to understand what causes baldness and what can be done about it. It is a condition that, unfortunately, affects a great deal more women than men.
Usually, alopecia areata can present with diffuse loss all over the scalp, baldness in just one spot anywhere on the head or with multiple areas of loss all over the head. It is thought that genetics are a factor especially in those with relatives who have autoimmune diseases. One major sign that alopecia areata is the cause are “exclamation point” hairs that are narrower at the base than that the stem.
The worst case scenario is alopecia universalis where all of the hair is lost from the entire body including eyebrows and eyelashes. Only 1-2% of cases of alopecia areata will approach this final stage and, for them, what causes baldness is usually inheritance and the condition is permanent. There is also alopecia totalis where all the hair is completely lost from the scalp. Both of these are very rare conditions and are not something to be worried about unless there are clear symptoms.
There is much speculation about what causes baldness in women and there are many rumours about stress being a factor. It should be stressed that this is a myth and it will not and could not happen. Balding is different from hair thinning, which can be caused by any number of factors including stress or recent childbirth. Alopecia areata is something that happens in the body and is usually unrelated to environmental aspects.
Luckily, most women affected by alopecia areata will improve when the immune system recovers. It is still unclear to physicians why certain women become affected and others do not. It is a condition that tends to affect teenagers and those in early childhood more than adults, although it has been known to occur at any age.
While alopecia areata is almost always what causes baldness in women, there are some medical procedures and medications that can result in baldness while they are affecting the woman’s body. One significant example of this is chemotherapy which causes baldness in both genders of all ages due to its toxicity on the system. When the chemotherapy treatments are ceased, however, the hair grows back. For most alopecia areata sufferers, baldness is something they must learn to live with until their immune system is able to recuperate and function properly again, which it hopefully will.
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