Harvard Medical School A Woman's Guide to Hair Loss and Excess Hair

How much time do you spend taking care of your hair each day? Multiply that time by the estimated number of days in your lifetime and you will get some idea of the importance of hair in your life. This report details the common (and not-so-common) hair and scalp problems faced by women, such as female-pattern baldness, which tends first to be noticeable as a widening part line. How effective is the hair-growth drug minoxidil for women? What can women do about sudden hair loss and what role can hair transplants play for this problem? This report answers these and many other questions about hair loss. Also in this report is information on the causes and treatment of hirsutism, or too much hair in the wrong places. Hirsutism, which is unique to women, affects up to one in 20 women in their childbearing years. In addition to descriptions and illustrations of the hidden world of the hair follicle, this report also includes snippets of entertaining hair information and myth busters designed to clarify common misconceptions about hair.