Drug Treatment

Minoxidil is the only medication approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat female pattern baldness. The recommendation for women is a 2 percent concentration used on the scalp.

Minoxidil Considerations

According to the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Minoxidil may help grow hair in 20 percent to 25 percent of women, and may slow or stop hair loss for most women. Minoxidil is expensive, and hair loss starts again when it's no longer used.

Hair Transplants

Another treatment option for alopecia in women is transplanting hair by removing small hair plugs from areas where the hair is still growing and placing them in balding areas. According to the Hershey Medical Center, this procedure usually requires multiple sessions and is expensive, but the results are usually excellent and permanent.

Prevention

The Hershey Medical Center reports that no way is known to prevent alopecia in women.

Considerations

According to the Hershey Medical Center, alopecia in women is usually different from male pattern baldness in that the hair thins all over the head while the frontal hairline remains in place. Women rarely become totally or nearly bald in the way that men do.

Source:

Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center - Female Pattern Baldness

Hair Loss in Women