You too have probably read statements that claim that a woman's hair starts thinning after the age of 40. That would mean that her hair presumably gets thinner from year to year. This is a subject we often read about in womanise' fashion magazines. The fact is that the "thinning hair" theory has never been proven scientifically. Yet it is presented to us as if it were fact. Of course these articles refer to hormonal changes affecting women. It is a given that women must be losing their hair too, just like men. But there is no conclusive data to support it. (Just look around you. Do you see many women with thinning hair?). Men suffer from male pattern baldness, which is associated with the male hormone testosterone. This very rarely affects women since women have very little testosterone. There is much written about how so many women suffer from hair loss and thinning hair and an equally impressive number of articles offering remedies to stop hair loss. (The effectiveness of these remedies is very questionable). If a woman doesn't know any better she will believe the "thinning hair" theory and many of us do believe it. However, only in a very, very few cases is this true. It is indeed rare that a woman has a genetic tendency towards high levels of androgen - which is a male sex hormone- and is the cause of thinning hair.

We must distinguish between hair loss and hair breakage. When a hair falls out it does so with the root, the little bulb at the end of the hair. Sliding your fingers down the fallen hair you can feel the little bulb at the end. This tells you that your hair has really fallen out and not just broken off.

The person who is in the best position to know if a woman's hair is getting thinner after age 40 is her hair stylist. Especially a hair stylist that has had the same clientele for many years.

I have had female clients of all ages for many years in different countries and I have never observed that their hair becomes thinner at a certain age. Nor have I noticed that 50% of my clients suffer from hair loss. (This is the figure one magazine quoted). Rarely do I observe hair loss with my clients. As a matter of fact after many years in the business I can count on one hand women whose hair has thinned.

You may not be aware that it is normal to lose up to 100 hair a day. Every cell in your body constantly renews itself including your hair. Each follicle produces hair for a specific period of time, which varies from 2 to 4 years. During the life of the follicle new hair is formed in the bulb and this additional growth pushes the older part of the hair further and further away from the papilla. It has a short resting period before again forming a new hair growth.

Hair looks and feels thinner when there is less density, less hair on your head . It reaches this stage when the hair that has fallen out has not been replaced by new hair. Why does this happen?

One reason for this might be female pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia or male pattern baldness - alopecia areata in men) where hair does not get replaced and the follicle atrophies. As I mentioned earlier very few women suffer from this despite what you read in magazines. Another cause of thinning hair may be an overactive or underactive thyroid, which can be controlled with medication.

Hair loss that temporarily results in thinning hair.

You can have significant hair loss after giving birth, surgery, crash dieting, severe infection or high fever. This type of hair loss is called telogen effluvium. As soon as your body returns to normal or is healed your hair growth will also return to normal without treatment.

You can also experience hair loss when there is a problem with your health.
If you lose more than the normal amount of hair every day it may be a symptom that something is wrong. Because our hair is not really essential for life, any threat or serious change in our state of health may be reflected in some corresponding change in our hair.

Another unusual type of sudden hair loss is called "alopecia areata" which is an autoimmune form of hair loss and is genetic. Round, smooth patches form on the scalp quite quickly where hair has fallen out. Hair sometimes grows back on its own. It can be treated successfully over several months. A more severe form is called alopecia totalis where all the hair is lost but eventually will grow back.