by Richie Mogwai

Created on: June 01, 2011

Women do not have much of a choice when it comes to hair restoration products.  While men are free to try virtually every product available that facilitate how to regrow hair, their female counterpart is restricted to the use of the generic minoxidil or the branded Rogaine.   In certain cases, a doctor may prescribe oral spironolactone to a woman, such as when Rogaine does not prove effective.  Even then, the doctor is taking a chance because this practice is not sanctioned by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States.

The reason for the limited amount of hair restoration products for women may be attributed to the fact that the female species is not as prone to hair loss as its masculine counterpart.  As a result, pharmaceutical companies are hesitant to develop products that will only cater to a limited number of patrons.  However unfair this sounds, no drug administrators or government agencies can force companies to develop drugs that can solve the problem of a small segment of the population.   

The scenario will explain why females tend to resort to wearing wigs or hats in order to conceal their problem.  Minoxidil is an expensive treatment, especially since the application procedure cannot be skipped.  The medication should be taken regularly in order to work; or else, the problem can resurface or in some cases, even get worse. 

In a sense, though, women are lucky because when they lose hair, the problem is more likely than not, restricted to the scalp area or a specific region thereof.  Men are not as lucky. They are far more prone to bald spots in different parts of the head, in many cases with ugly patterns that are hard to conceal with a wig.  This will explain why many affected men tend to conceal the problem by wearing a baseball cap or maintaining a completely bald haircut.  

What is common between both sexes, though, is the case of Androgenetic alopecia, or baldness caused by hormonal fluctuations such as an oversupply of the male hormone testosterone. Some people may be unaware that male and female hormones such as estrogens and progesterone can be found in varying quantities in both sexes. For women, however, stress as well as hormonal imbalances brought about by pregnancy plays an added role in bringing about the malady.  They may feel unlucky that the medical field is not with them on this one, but considering that fewer females suffer from the problem, coupled with the fact that the malady does not look as gruesome as the advanced cases for men, should offer the female populace some degree of consolation. 

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