If you are wondering about the causes of female hair loss at the temples, you might be one of the 55% of women who are experiencing hair loss during their lifetime [1]. While temporal hair loss is more common for men than for women, some studies have found that as many as 15-30% of women over the age of 30 with female pattern baldness experience some temporal recession [2].
There can be multiple causes for female hair loss at the temples, ranging from traction alopecia to androgenetic alopecia (male or female pattern baldness) or hypothyroidism. And seeing a trichologist is often necessary to identify the reason your hair is falling out at the temples and to obtain the right treatment.
Keep reading this article to find out all you need to know about:
There are several conditions which can cause hair loss in women, especially at the temples, though it usually takes a hair specialist to be able to distinguish between them correctly:
This condition affects 31.7% of women with Afro hair. However, it seems that it is not the hair type itself but the hair styling choices that lead to its occurrence [5]. Traction alopecia develops from the overuse of tight hairdos. Braids, tight buns and even ponytails can cause hair loss if worn too frequently, as they put continuous stress on your hair follicles to the point where they are permanently damaged. Wearing heavy hair extensions can cause hair loss as well if worn for long periods of time.
The temples and hairline are the most common areas to develop traction alopecia, as those regions are often under the most stress from tight hairdos. Depending on the way you style your hair, you may experience even hair loss on both sides of your head or you may show more hair thinning on one side of the head if more pressure has been put on it.
How to treat traction alopecia: This condition does not usually require any treatment. It simply resolves once you stop wearing tight hairstyles and your hair follicles have had a chance to heal. However, if you are experiencing a persistent form, you can try stimulating your follicles for hair growth with medication such as topical Minoxidil. Dermarolling for hair growth and low-level laser therapy for hair growth might help as well, as could PRP hair treatments.
Telogen effluvium is a temporary condition where you experience excessive hair shedding and, in some cases, trichodynia (a burning sensation on the scalp) [7]. This usually happens 2-3 months after a physically or psychologically traumatic event, such as injury, illness, high amounts of stress and anxiety, childbirth, etc [8].
Normally, telogen effluvium causes diffuse hair thinning all over your scalp, but your temples and crown can sometimes show the most hair loss. It should not, however, affect your normal hair parting width.
In most cases, telogen effluvium resolves itself in about 6 months, with no treatment necessary, provided that the event which caused it has ended. However, in rare situations, this condition can become chronic and last for years. This chronic version is more likely to cause temporal recession [9].
How to treat telogen effluvium: Minoxidil may help improve your hair density if you have developed chronic telogen effluvium. Therapies such as derma-rolling, PRP or low-level light therapy may also help stimulate your hair growth. If you are looking for a natural treatment, black seed oil for hair has been proven to yield good results in regulating your natural hair growth cycle and curbing this condition.
Female pattern baldness occurs in approximately 42% of women by age 50 [10]. It develops as the levels of oestrogens decrease with age, enhancing the effects of an androgen hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This hormone binds to the hair follicles, making them shrink and stop producing hair.
While male pattern baldness usually causes a receding hairline and progressive hair loss at the temples and the crown, female pattern hair loss manifests differently. It usually creates diffuse hair thinning and a widening of the midline parting, but the hairline recession in women is rare, and the temples are often spared [9][10]. However, there are some situations where it can also lead to temporal recession, frontal balding and, in rare cases, even a bald spot on the crown [13].
How to treat androgenetic alopecia: Female pattern hair loss is usually treated with Minoxidil for women. If you have already reached menopause, you may also be prescribed Finasteride, but it is not recommended for premenopausal women, as it can produce birth defects. If you would like to try therapy, PRP, red light therapy, and derma rolling have all been found effective in improving the symptoms of androgenetic alopecia.
As for natural alternatives, you can try evidence-based remedies, such as rosemary oil for hair growth and pumpkin seed oil for hair. However, if none of the above treatments yield satisfying results, you may want to get a female hair transplant.
Frontal fibrosing alopecia is a rare condition, and 85-93% of cases occur in postmenopausal women. Its causes are still not well understood – they are likely to be a combination of genetic, hormonal and environmental factors.
Women who experience this type of alopecia normally experience significant hairline recession, hair loss at the temples, and eyebrow loss [15].
How to treat frontal fibrosing alopecia: This condition cannot be cured and there is little evidence of treatment effectiveness in managing its symptoms. However, some women experience some relief when treated with Minoxidil combined with Finasteride, topical or injectable corticosteroids, or anti-inflammatory medication such as calcineurin inhibitors [15].
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition which causes round bald spots anywhere on your scalp. However, there is a specific kind of alopecia areata which causes diffuse rather than patchy hair loss and predominantly affects the hairline and temples. It is called diffuse alopecia areata, and you can recognise it by the tell-tale empty yellow and black dots on your scalp and by the small, fine hair that can develop at the front and sides of your head [17].
How to treat diffuse alopecia areata: This rare type of alopecia areata has a good prognosis, meaning that in many women, it is likely to go into remission within 6 months of onset regardless of treatment [18].
However, if it persists, it is generally treated with topical Minoxidil, topical or injectable corticosteroids and/or immunotherapy. In some cases, red light therapy may also help hair regrowth. Some people with stable alopecia areata also make good candidates for a natural-looking hair transplant.
Hormones play a significant part in hair growth, and when they are imbalanced, they can lead to hair loss.
Hypothyroidism
When well balanced, thyroid hormones are responsible for extending the growth phase of the hair growth cycle and for delaying the transition to the shedding phase. Hypothyroidism, or an underactive thyroid gland, can lead to telogen effluvium [19], which, in turn, can make your hair thin out at the temples.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
Women with PCOS may experience hair loss at the temples because they produce an abnormally high amount of androgen hormones, including testosterone. If this high amount of testosterone is processed by the body into excessive amounts of dihydrotestosterone, it can lead to androgenetic alopecia.
Side effects of hormonal medication
Hormone-based medication, such as birth control pills, can cause hair loss, as they decrease your level of oestrogens, disrupting the balance between your oestrogen and androgen hormones. An excess of androgen hormones can lead to female pattern hair loss.
How to treat hormonal imbalance-induced hair loss: The best way to improve hair loss due to hormonal imbalances is to rebalance your hormones. This is often achieved by treating the underlying cause with specific systemic medication.
If your hair loss is caused by PCOS, you can also try female pattern hair loss treatments, such as Minoxidil or natural remedies, such as rosemary oil. If your temple hair loss is produced by your birth control medication, you may want to consult your gynaecologist about alternative contraceptive options.
Being on a very restrictive diet, experiencing an eating disorder or simply having vitamin deficiency can cause hair loss. This hair shedding may be more visible around the temples since hair is already growing thinner there. It is important to maintain a well-balanced diet and get all the necessary nutrients for your hair to grow thick, shiny and healthy.
How to treat nutritional deficiencies: If your nutritional deficiency is caused by severe dieting or inadequate intake of certain food groups, improving your dietary habits may result in hair regrowth. However, if it is caused by nutrient absorption problems, your healthcare provider might need to help you treat the underlying cause.
While supplementing the vitamins and minerals you are missing may lead to hair regrowth in some cases, it is unnecessary to happen in all cases (or it may happen partially). If you still don’t see satisfactory regrowth once you have resolved your nutritional deficit, you may need to use hair growth medication, such as Minoxidil.
Yes, studies show that everyone has a lower hair density at their temples than at the crown or at the back of their head [4]. That means the hair in this area will normally appear thinner than the rest.
However, if you notice that you are shedding more than 50-100 hairs a day, experience more hair loss than usual at the sides of your head or are starting to develop an M-shaped hairline, you might be experiencing the first signs of hair thinning and balding.
It is a good idea to see a trichologist if you suspect excessive hair loss at the temples because if detected early, the thinning can be stopped and often reversed. But waiting too long can lead to a worsening of your condition, which may become irreversible and require a hair transplant.
Yes, significant amounts of stress and anxiety can cause hair loss, among other ways they can negatively impact your body. It is one of the most common triggers of conditions which cause excessive hair shedding, such as telogen effluvium.
Moreover, stress causes a vicious cycle when it comes to female hair loss. On one hand, it can cause your hair to fall out. On the other hand, experiencing hair loss can lead to even more stress and anxiety, which, in turn, can intensify the shedding [20].
That is why it is a good idea to take some time to relax during busy times, to engage in stress-reduction practices such as breathing exercises or meditation or to enlist the assistance of a psychotherapist for managing your anxiety.
In order to be able to tell if your hair loss at the temples will grow back without medication, it is important to know what is causing it and how advanced the condition is:
Some forms of temple hair loss, such as female pattern baldness, cannot be prevented by lifestyle choices alone. But there are also preventable forms of hair thinning at the temples, and the best things you can do are the following:
Treating temple hair loss depends on the condition which caused it. If you are concerned about your thinning at the temples, book a consultation now with one of our top trichologists.
They will perform a thorough examination and, if necessary, perform a dermoscopy or order blood tests for hair loss to give you a precise diagnosis. Once they have established the cause of your temple hair loss, they can recommend one of the best hair loss treatments for women.
A significant number of women have hair transplants, as the procedure is fast, safe and has excellent results, as you can see in our before and after hair transplant gallery. Regardless of whether you opt for a FUE or FUT type surgery, the best hair transplant clinics in the UK have a success rate of 97-100%.
Even though the hair transplant cost may be higher than that of medication, a hair transplant is a permanent hair restoration procedure for women, so you can undergo surgery once and enjoy luxurious locks for many years to come.
If you are experiencing hair loss at the temples and would like to know more about this subject, here are the answers to some frequently asked questions:
That depends on the cause of your temple hair loss. For example, traction alopecia is not likely to spread unless you continue applying tension to your hair. However, female pattern baldness can indeed progress. It is a good idea to see a hair doctor for an accurate, personalised answer to this question.
There are some natural remedies which have scientifically documented hair growth properties, such as rosemary oil for hair growth or blackseed oil for hair. However, while they can increase hair density in certain conditions, such as androgenetic alopecia, traction alopecia or telogen effluvium, they cannot treat all types of hair loss.
Moreover, it can take months to see results and not all women respond the same to them. Normally, there is no harm in trying these natural products. However, if your temple hair loss seems to be progressing, it is best to get it diagnosed and treated by a hair specialist.
You can cover up thinning temples by using hair-thickening spray. It contains microfibres that cling to your existing strands, making your hair look fuller. You can also adopt one of the best female hairstyles for a receding hairline.
Accessorising with a headband or a fascinator is also an option. Just avoid wearing anything heavy in your hair to prevent traction alopecia.
If your hair is thinning at the temples and treatment has not proven successful, you may experience frustration and distress. Joining a hair loss support group or getting individual therapy can help you manage your emotions and improve your overall self-confidence.
If possible, opening up to your loved ones about your feelings regarding your hair thinning can allow them to provide support and encouragement.
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