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Oct 5, 2017

Did you know that fewer than 45% of women go through their life with a full head of hair? Female pattern hair loss increases as women age with over 55% of women experiencing minor hair loss. The psychological distress and impaired social functioning associated with hair loss can be debilitating. With over 20% of women experiencing moderate to severe hair loss, this medical condition is more prevalent than you may think.

At the 9th World Congress for Hair Research https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEdcq7xPCdE Professor Rodney Sinclair presented ground breaking research on female pattern hair loss. Professor Sinclair and his world-class team in Melbourne conducted a case series of 100 women with female pattern hair loss. Professor Sinclair noted that, “we know that the combination of Spironolactone and topical Minoxidil has a beneficial effect in hair regrowth. Our case series wanted to look at the effect of oral Minoxidil combined with Spironolactone.”

While it’s been known for a long time that using Minoxidil in oral doses of up to 100 milligrams daily stimulates hair growth, its use in female pattern hair loss has largely been limited because of concerns about potential adverse side effects, including hypertension, fluid retention and hypertrichosis.

Spironolactone is another oral anti-hypertensive medication that has known anti-androgen activity and can arrest the progression of female pattern hair loss. It has also been shown to be able to produce hair regrowth in some women with female pattern hair loss.

The 100 women in the case series had varying ages, with stages 2 to 5 of female pattern hair loss. Using a visual analogue scale (the Sinclair scale) over a period of 12 months hair shedding was monitored.

Some of the benefits of using a combination of low dose oral Minoxidil and Spironolactone include:

  • Improvements in the parietal scalp, and
  • Improvements in temporal hair growth

Professor Sinclair also noted that, “with over 10 years of using oral Minoxidil we have successfully treated over 4,000 patients.”

Why does female pattern hair loss happen?

Female pattern hair loss can be triggered by the same sex hormone (DHT) that activates male pattern baldness. Hair loss in women produces a scattered thinning over the top of the scalp instead of a bald spot, with the hairline being maintained. In women, female pattern hair loss (FPHL) is the most common form of hair loss

This type of hair loss is typified by balding and hair loss on the mid-frontal scalp and microscopically by increased variation in hair fibre diameter, fewer hairs growing from individual pores, and hair follicle miniaturisation.

Women normally shed between 50 and 150 hairs per day. Those who report excessive hair shedding may have an actual increase in hair fall, or they may instead have an increased awareness of normal hair shedding.

Get the best female pattern hair loss treatment in Melbourne

Professor Rodney Sinclair and his world-class team at Sinclair Dermatology have successfully treated female pattern hair loss for decades. The hair loss treatments can slow, reduce and stimulate partial hair regrowth. If you start to notice significant hair thinning or hair loss, book a consultation with our highly trained and experienced dermatologists. Call us on (03) 9654 2426 or complete this online enquiry form.

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