Women and hair loss seem to be a topic that’s not taken seriously enough (cue in Jada Pinkett Smith’s struggle). And by hair loss, we mean losing more than the 100 daily strands (which is completely normal by the way). The hair loss can include anything from female-pattern hair loss to alopecia, and a bunch of others; but these are the main culprits. Sadly, hiding the balding areas and patches is usually our first reaction to the sign of hair loss. Unfortunately, not many people open up about the psychological impact of hair loss, especially if you’re a woman.
According to the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS), hair loss among women usually starts after puberty. However, the onset of female-pattern hair loss, also known as androgenetic alopecia, appears to be most frequent at ages 20 to 30 years and 40 to 50 years. Also, generally speaking, one in every four women suffers from hair loss and hair thinning, with androgenetic alopecia being the main cause in 95% of these cases. Other causes of hair loss among women include genetics, poor diet, stress (physical and psychological), and poor health.
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Enter Psychological Impact of Hair Loss…
According to Dr. Çağatay Sezgin, a hair restoration expert in Dubai, hair loss among women is barely noticed, unlike in men, because most of those facing the problem tend to suffer in silence. “It is not easy to notice a woman who has androgenetic alopecia, or other forms of hair loss mostly because they use certain hairstyles to hide,” says the doctor, adding that most women don’t react at the first sign of losing hair, and this is where the psychological impact of hair loss starts manifesting.
Since most common causes of hair loss among women are often discussed, the sooner a person starts treatment for the reason behind the hair loss, according to Dr. Çağatay, the better the chances of regaining a full head of hair, or finding another solution.
Although it might not be the end of the world to lose hair especially if you are a woman, for most women facing it might feel so. “This is because hair loss among men is more acceptable by society compared with hair loss in women.” With this kind of perception, women endure a lot of psychological stress because it affects them emotionally and physically to a larger extent.
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Here is an outline of the psychological impact of hair loss
Low self-esteem
One of the first things to start disappearing with the hair is a person’s self-confidence. The beauty of hair adds to someone’s self-esteem and plays a big part in their entire personality. By losing your crowning glory, your self-worth also starts to disappear, and expressing yourself becomes a big problem, which might lead to insecurities.
Feeling unappealing
The moment a woman starts seeing some changes to her mane, like balding spots or thinning hair, the first thing that comes to mind is her level of attractiveness. “I would say this is the biggest psychological impact of hair loss among women,” explains Dr. Çağatay, adding that most women who have healthy hair have a way of feeling (almost) content with their beauty. So, when it starts to fall, every feeling of self-worth starts disappearing, which can lead to mental anguish.
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Self-conscious
Loss of hair can also lead one to feel embarrassed. Compared to a man in her position, a woman will not be very confident going out or meeting people because most likely losing hair leaves her feeling unsure of herself and shy. The result of these feelings is to not want anyone to see her balding spots for fear of people feeling sorry for her.
Frustration
As mentioned above, hair loss might not seem like the end of the world but for those going through it, it sure feels like the end of the world to them. One can easily be frustrated for not being able to have their hair in a particular style, or always having to stick to one style throughout so as to hide a hairless spot could feel more like emotional torture. “This frustration, which might seem normal, is what can also easily drive a woman facing hair loss into depression,” says Dr. Çağatay.
Have you, or someone close to you ever faced hair loss? How did you get over the psychological impact of hair loss? Feel free to share in the comments.
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21 Comments
I totally agree with this. Losing your hair is not fun!
Totally… thanks for dropping by ❤️
Thank you for writing this! I’m not 100% sure if I suffer from excessive hair loss, but I do know that I have INCREDIBLY thin hair, and it’s completely horrible and makes me feel horrible. I’m afraid I can’t share my experience of getting over it (as I’m not over it), but I definitely relate to the points you bring up. If my hair’s slightly greasy you can see loads of scalp, if I put it up you can see loads of scalp and I always notice it in photos 🙁
But I’m working on it – I know it doesn’t matter, but it does make you feel really unattractive. <3
I’m sorry to hear that. Have you ever thought about consulting a trichologist? ❤️
I have PCOS and it’s led to my hair being much thinner. It was never super thick to begin with, but I also have a bald spot that’s been growing for a fear years. I hate the pattern that my hair grows in and it makes it impossible to wear a ponytail of any kind without my hair just wanting to part poorly and emphasize the bald spot. I feel every single one of the points you mentioned. But the worst part is that there’s nothing I can do about it. That frustration you talked about is absolutely demoralizing. I am on birth control for my PCOS. I take a multivitamin with biotin and other good vitamins that are supposed to help hair. It doesn’t matter.I just want to cry about it sometimes because I feel so gross and ugly.
I’ve vaguely considered going to my GP, but it doesn’t seem important enough really – it’s not harming me and I don’t want to waste their time. Going direct would mean I’d have to pay, so not at the moment. But it’s a good thought for the future maybe. Thank you for your kind words <3
Happy to help. If you were in Dubai I’d recommend a good trichologist just for a consultation… ❤️ TC
I’m with you there… it’s unfortunate but things get better as soon as we find the root cause of the problem… sending you love and hugs. Don’t give up, you’re way more than your hair ❤️
Thank you! That’s a very good point 🙂
True man! Hair loss sucks 🙁
Hell… it definitely does!
Yes I agree with you this. Hair is not fun at all
Never fun… thanks for stopping by 😉
I have had an episode of alopecia areta in the past & it made me very scared & I stopped dying my hair and cutting it for a long time xxx
Alopecia areata can be quite scary! I’m happy for you that you managed to beat it. Maybe a little occasional trim won’t hurt? Take care …
Yes I always worry about where the next patch will be I trim it myself … hair dressers trim = chop off 2/3rds of it xox
True about the hairdressers! Have you ever seen a trichologist? Maybe expert advice might make you worry less… 😉
Haha I have they were the ones who specified what type of Alopecia it was lovely …. they said “you can have it at any given time. Keep your stress levels down & if it happens again we can inject your scalp with steroids” that was what got my brain ticking with worry constantly lol
I don’t try and worry but it’s there & I just need protein rich shampoo plus a bit of Moroccan oil & I’m happy to say I haven’t had an episode of that in nearly two years xox
That’s great! Keep up the hair care routine and stay strong
When my boss was going through chemo, losing her hair sent her over the edge. She knew it was coming, but when she started to see hair on her pillow when she woke up in the morning, it was too much for her to take. She went out and bought a wig that looked exactly like her real hair. So, no one even could tell she was sick when she wore it, but as she got worse, it became too much even put it on. So, she just wore special hats, but every time I saw her, she would still burst into tears about her hair. She was completely bald when she died, and they laid her out with her wig on. So, it made her look the way she wanted people to see her. So, I’ve seen firsthand how hair loss can affect a woman. Even if you’re going through the worst pain of your life, the pain of losing your hair can be the worst of all.
So sorry about your boss. And you’re right, hair loss affects women on a different level; unfortunately, it’s not talked about enough. Thank’s for stopping by