Female hair loss occurs in more than one pattern.

If you are a woman who has started to lose scalp hair, you are not alone if you are unpleasantly surprised by the hair loss, and you don’t understand why you are losing hair. The patterns of hair loss in women are not as easily recognizable as those in men.

Hair loss in men is likely to occur primarily between late teen-age years and age 40-50, in a generally recognizable “male-pattern” baldness known as androgenetic alopecia. Men with male-pattern hair loss may have an expectation of hair loss if they have male relatives who lost hair in a recognizably male pattern (Click here to learn more about male-pattern hair loss).

Unlike hair loss in men, female scalp hair loss may commonly begin at any age through 50 or later, may not have any obvious hereditary association, and may not occur in a recognizable “female-pattern alopecia” of diffuse thinning over the top of the scalp. A woman who notices the beginning of hair loss may not be sure if the loss is going to be temporary or permanent—for example, if there has been a recent event such as pregnancy or illness that may be associated with temporary hair thinning.

If you are a woman who is worried about loss of scalp hair, you should consult a physician hair restoration specialist for an evaluation and diagnosis. Self-diagnosis is often ineffective. Women tend to have less obvious patterns of hair loss than men, and non-pattern types of hair loss are more frequent in women than in men. Diagnosis of hair loss in a woman should be made by a trained and experienced physician.

In women as in men, the most likely cause of scalp hair loss is androgenetic alopecia—an inherited sensitivity to the effects of androgens (male hormones) on scalp hair follicles. However, women with hair loss due to this cause usually do not develop true baldness in the patterns that occur in men—for example, women rarely develop the “cue-ball” appearance often seen in male-pattern androgenetic alopecia. Patterns of female androgenetic alopecia can vary considerably in appearance.

Patterns that may occur include

  • Diffuse thinning of hair over the entire scalp, often with more noticeable thinning toward the back of the scalp
  • Diffuse thinning over the entire scalp, with more noticeable thinning toward the front of the scalp but not involving the frontal hairline
  • Diffuse thinning over the entire scalp, with more noticeable thinning toward the front of the scalp, involving and sometimes breaching the frontal hairline

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Type 1

Generalized thinning with discrete areas of alopecia in the frontal adn crown vertex area.


Type 2

Global diffuse thinning without discrete areas of alopecia.


Type 3

Frontal temporal recession typically seen in male pattern alopecia.


Type 4

Scarring alopecia.


Type 5

Medical and hormonal causes (usually not surgically treated).

Unlike the case for men, thinning scalp hair in women due to androgenetic alopecia does not uniformly grow smaller in diameter (miniaturize).

Unlike the case for men, thinning scalp hair in women due to androgenetic alopecia does not uniformly grow smaller in diameter (miniaturize). Women with hair loss due to androgenetic alopecia tend to have miniaturizing hairs of variable diameter over all affected areas of the scalp.

While miniaturizing hairs are a feature of androgenetic alopecia, miniaturization may also be associated with other causes and is not in itself a diagnostic feature of androgenetic alopecia.

In post-menopausal women, for example, hair may begin to miniaturize and become difficult to style. The precise diagnosis should be made by a physician hair restoration specialist.

It is important to note that female pattern hair loss can begin as early as the late teens to early 20s in women who have experienced early puberty. If left untreated, this hair loss associated with early puberty can progress to more advanced hair loss if it is left untreated.

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Non-Pattern Causes of Hair loss in Women


In women more often than in men, hair loss may be due to conditions other than androgenetic alopecia. Some of the most common of these causes are:

Diagnosis and Treatment

If you are a woman with thinning or lost scalp hair, your first necessary step is to have the condition correctly diagnosed by a physician hair restoration specialist. After a diagnosis is made, Dr. Luciano Sztulman will recommend an approach to effective medical or surgical treatment.

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Have questions or want to schedule a confidential, no-obligation consultation with Providence Hair Restoration Center, serving the Boston area as well as Rhode Island and southern New England? Simply call us (401) 400-8245 or complete the form on the right and we will get back to you as quickly as possible. Virtual Consultations Available!

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