Hair Restoration Blog

Q:

I am a 45 year old woman. My dermatologist told me that I have male patterned baldness. I am also diagnosed with Iron deficiency anemia. Can Iron deficiency in women cause hair loss in male patterned baldness and if so, can treatment of iron deficiency help reversing balding process?

A:

Iron deficiency with or without overt anemia can intensify the rate of hair loss in women with either male or female patterned hair loss. If Iron deficiency is the only cause of your hair loss and you are not genetically prone to anemia, hair loss can be reversible. However in many situations, patients are genetically predisposed to patterned hair loss and Iron deficiency has only accelerated the hair loss process. Accelerated hair loss in women who are genetically predisposed to patterned hair loss may not be reversible by just correcting the Iron deficiency. You need to see a good hair specialist to confirm the type of your hair loss and plan the proper treatment method including hair transplant surgery.

Q:

I have heard high estrogen in males can contribute to hair loss. Is that true? I am a 40 year old man with low sex drive and female patterned hair loss.

A:

High levels of estrogen in men could be seen in many other conditions such as estrogen-producing tumors, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, chronic alcoholism and advanced liver disorders. Elevation of estrogen in men can cause sexual dysfunction, change in body fat distribution in a female pattern and breast enlargement and secretion.

Balding is not a typical sign of excess estrogen. In fact one of the signs of estrogen deficiency could be hair loss in female patients. A common type of this kind of hair loss is seen in telogen effluvium that women lose hair due to sudden drop of estrogen and progesterone levels. Although excess estrogen is generally not the trigger for hair loss, it can affect the balance of other hormones and indirectly cause hair loss. The latter is not a common cause of hair loss in men or women though.