Many people mistakenly believe that hair loss is pretty much the exclusive domain of men. Try telling that to the nearly 27 million women in America who suffer with some form extensive hair loss! The fact of the matter is that both men and women deal with hair loss, though each experiences it in a somewhat unique way. For instance, the term “Alopecia” generally means hair loss. For men, however, we often simply refer to hair loss as “Male Pattern Baldness”. This name refers to the area of the scalp in which men suffer hair loss in greater amounts than anywhere else on their scalp– that being the forehead to the top of head, back to the crown area.
Women experience hair loss differently than men. “Androgenetic Alopecia,” also known as “Androgenic Alopecia,” is the medical term for female hair loss. In layman’s terms, we usually just refer to female hair loss as “Female Pattern Baldness”. This is a convenient partner to its male counterpart, even though female hair loss generally doesn’t have a pattern at all. In fact, female hair loss is generally associated with an overall diffused thinning. This means that rather than a targeted pattern of hair loss, women who fall into this category actually suffer from hair loss all over their scalp. Considering the social ramifications for women dealing with hair loss, this diffused effect is hardly any consolation.
How Men Deal with Hair Loss
Since men and women suffer from hair loss in very different ways, it is safe to assume that each tackles the solution to the problem in equally unique ways. That is partially true, although the approaches to combating hair loss for men and women can sometimes overlap. Since men suffer hair loss in a more isolated area – namely the top of the head – they can explore non-surgical solutions to their hair loss. There are many undetectable methods of hair replacement which require little-to-no maintenance. If men can conquer the psychological hurdle of their “new” hair not growing out of their own scalp, this can be a very viable option. Certainly, this option can provide men with a complete reversal in the appearance of their hair loss and all the requisite benefits that come along with that.
Medical options like Rogaine, or others utilizing the active ingredient Minoxidil, offer the dream of reversing one’s hair loss and re-growing their own hair. However, after decades on the market and millions of men who have at least tried one medical form or another – whether orally or topically – results have not exactly been overwhelming.
Low level laser therapy is the latest and perhaps most encouraging development to help men combat their hair loss and actually stop, or even re-grow their own hair.
How Women Deal with Hair Loss
Many of the options to deal with hair loss that apply to men can also apply to women. Because women suffer hair loss on a more diffused, overall basis, some often turn to wigs to cover up the entire problem. Some wigs can look great and provide an immediate reversal to the appearance of hair loss. However, most wigs have limitations on the physical activities that one can enjoy while wearing them.
The most exciting development to combat female hair loss is the FDA-approval of the MEP-90 medical laser for hair regrowth. Heavily clinically tested and meticulously engineered to exacting circumstances, the MEP-90 laser has shown tremendous success at not only stopping hair loss, but reactivating dormant, resting follicles to an active state of growing hair. Though the effect of low-level laser therapy appears to work on men as well, the FDA-approval of this device was specifically targeted to women. This may be the medical breakthrough that millions of women have been waiting for to combat their hair loss.
About Staff Editor