Why is female hair loss increasing?

Traditionally, hair loss has been considered a male domain. In fact, thanks to female hormones (estrogen) that have a positive effect on hair growth and maintenance, women have more hair and grow faster than men, and the incidence of hair loss is also significantly lower. However, after treating hair loss patients for the past 20 years, I see this formula being broken every day. There is a rapid increase in the number of female hair loss patients, and their age is gradually decreasing.

In the past, it was a problem for middle-aged women, but now women in their 20s and 30s, and even teenagers, are suffering from deep stress due to hair loss and are visiting hospitals. In fact, statistics from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service clearly show this phenomenon. As of 2023, among the 254,866 hair loss patients in Korea, 113,196 female patients accounted for 44.4% of the total, which is an increase of about 13.4% compared to 2018 (99,842 people), five years ago. Why is female hair loss increasing so rapidly? The cause of this can be found in the many factors that are complexly intertwined in the lives of women living in modern society.

1. Nutritional imbalance and deficiency: double whammy of weight control and physiology

One of the main causes of hair loss in women is 'relative nutritional deficiency'. Modern women, in particular, face pressure to lose and maintain weight throughout their lives, which has a devastating impact on hair health. Also, even if you eat well on a regular basis, you often consume relatively less nutrients needed for your hair.

• Repeated weight loss:If you lose a lot of weight in a short period of time or try to lose weight quickly, you have no choice but to limit your food intake, which leads to deficiencies in protein, the main component of hair, and vitamins and minerals such as iron, zinc, and biotin, which are essential for hair growth. When our body lacks nutrients, it first sends energy to vital organs and reduces or blocks the supply of nutrients to the hair, which is relatively less important. Eventually, the hair follicles become 'malnourished' and either thin or stop producing hair.
• Chronic iron deficiency:Women are more prone to iron deficiency anemia than men due to the menstruation they experience every month. Iron is a key component of hemoglobin, which transports oxygen in the blood. If iron is insufficient, hair growth is inhibited because sufficient oxygen is not supplied to the hair follicles.

2. Hormones Strike Back: Broken Balance

Stable female hormones act as a strong shield that protects hair. However, many factors in modern society are weakening this shield.

• Stress and hormonal disruption:Women tend to react more sensitively to stress than men, and chronic stress disrupts our body's hormonal regulatory system. Cortisol, a stress hormone, shortens the hair growth phase and prolongs the resting phase, causing hair loss.
• Hormone-related diseases on the rise:Recent studies suggest that the prevalence of hormonal imbalance disorders, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), is increasing due to lifestyle changes in modern society. Polycystic ovary syndrome is a representative disease that causes female pattern hair loss along with acne and hirsutism by increasing androgen (male hormone) levels in the body.
• Thyroid disease:Both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism have a higher incidence in women, and both conditions can affect the hair growth cycle and cause severe hair loss.

3. Frequent chemical treatments: constant irritation of the scalp

The process of pursuing beauty can also be a huge burden on the scalp. Chemical treatments such as perm or dyeing directly irritate not only the hair but also the scalp. These days, many people start perming or dyeing their hair as they enter their teens. Especially as adults, these procedures are performed more frequently. However, the chemicals used in the procedure often damage the protective barrier of the scalp and cause contact dermatitis or folliculitis, leading to hair loss. The fact that the frequency of these procedures is much higher in women than in men can be assumed to be one of the important causes of hair loss in women.

Conclusion: An integrated approach to complex causes is needed

Like this, hair loss in modern women is a very complex problem that cannot be explained by any single cause. It is the result of the structural problems of modern society, such as excessive weight loss or diet control due to social pressure, chronic stress, increasing hormone-related diseases, and frequent chemical procedures. Therefore, in order to treat hair loss in women, it is necessary to comprehensively understand the patient's lifestyle, diet, stress level, underlying disease, etc., rather than simply looking at the scalp, and take an integrated approach accordingly. The first step to protecting your precious hair is to not ignore the danger signals your body is sending and seek out the root cause together with a professional.