20page

Why do some women lose their hair? In my practice, I’ve noticed that almost all women with hair loss have poor nu- trition — meaning they aren’t getting enough of the right nutrients — and poor nutrition is one of the most common causes of hair loss. There are many reasons for this. Some women have full schedules that don’t al- low them to eat regularly, some have diets that are too restrictive and some women eat too much fast and processed food, either because they don’t have the time or don’t want to cook. In addition, many women fail to get the proper nutrition during their menstrual cycle. Smoking and drinking are also a factor in hair loss, and there are growing num- bers of women who smoke and drink. Another cause of hair loss is stress, espe- cially if it is severe. Women face a great deal of pressure to play the role of “super mom,” among other social roles, which creates anxiety and adds to the stress. Stress can also lead to other physical problems. The other factors discussed here can also threaten a woman’s health in other ways. Studies on hair loss have revealed that female hair loss is different from male hair loss. Men are more likely than women to have a genetic predisposition to hair loss. Women are more likely to lose their hair for reasons related to health, lifestyle or psychological factors. Thus, by improving health and nutrition, reducing stress and living a healthier lifestyle, women can prevent and reduce hair loss. CoLuMn By DR. LEE MOON WON Hair loss Wo men O ver the last several years, I’ve no- ticed that the number of women vis- iting our clinic has increased signifi- cantly. On average, six in ten of our patients are now women. There are many reasons why women with symptoms of hair loss come to our clinic. First, women pay more attention to their appearance than men do, and if hair loss is a general problem for men, for women the problem brings anxiety and fear. The second reason is that after hair loss was identified as an incurable disease, women were not interested in hair loss treatments. But now- adays, with the number of hair loss treatments on the rise, more women are interested in the options.