Female hair loss is often a neglected topic. Like most health issues concerning women, the balding and thinning of hair seems inappropriate to be discussed in public. Most women have to face this issue on their own and they often resort to covering up this problem with a hat, scarf or a wig. On the other hand, men are luckier because they have several options for hair restoration which are only available for them.   Historically, women needing female hair restoration have had no available option.

This is so unfair to women especially when everyone knows that the major cause of hair loss among men and women is the same. Androgenic alopecia is a genetic condition inherited by a man or a woman. As a result, the man suffers from male pattern baldness while the woman suffers from female pattern hair loss. Other factors that can cause hair loss in women are improper dieting, imbalanced hormones and harmful chemicals from hair care products, but majority of women’s hair loss is caused by this genetic condition. However, this was not realized immediately because the effect of Androgenic Alopecia differ between the two genders. Males experience hair loss at their hairline which is above their forehead or on the crown of their heads. The back of their heads and their sides still usually will have abundant hair growth. Females, on the other hand, have hair loss over their entire scalp instead of just developing bald spots. Sometimes bald spots are present but these are rare. Because of improvements in genetic science, it was finally determined that the hair loss cause of men and women was actually the same.

Through this finding, some options for hair restoration become accessible to women. One of the most effective female hair restoration products is the topical medication called Minoxidil. This FDA approved drug was initially developed for the treatment of high blood pressure but, during its clinical trials, it was recognized that it improved hair growth and lessened the effect of male pattern baldness. After testing it with women, it was also determined to be an effective hair loss treatment for them too. The difference between the sexes when using this topical application is that men are allowed to use an application with a 5% concentration of Minoxidil while women are only allowed to use a 2% concentration.