BIOCHEMICAL AND HORMONAL FACTORS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALOPECIA IN WOMEN: DIAGNOSTIC SIGNIFICANCE FOR TRICHOLOGICAL PRACTICE
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Abstract
The article is devoted to the study of biochemical and hormonal factors that may be associated with pathological hair loss, their diagnostic significance for trichological practice. Alopecia is not just a cosmetic defect, but a serious pathological process that may “hide” damage to other organs and systems. The aim of the study was to systematize current medical knowledge about the hormonal etiology of alopecia and to develop recommendations for trichologists on cooperation with doctors when endocrine disorders are suspected. To achieve this goal, we analyzed current scientific and methodological literature using theoretical methods of analysis, generalization, and synthesis. The main search was conducted in the Scopus, Google Scholar, LinkedIn, EuroPub, and ResearchBib databases. The main biochemical and hormonal changes in the female body that may be associated with alopecia were identified. The most common causes of alopecia in women are non-scarring causes, such as telogen alopecia (or telogen effluvium) and female pattern hair loss (also known as androgenetic alopecia). Telogen alopecia is caused by a disruption in the hair growth cycle and is characterized by the loss of telogen hair. Androgenetic alopecia is characterized by the absence of complete baldness, but only a slow decrease in hair density on the head, mainly in the central (parietal) area, while maintaining hair growth in the frontal (forehead) area. The life cycle of the hair follicle, a tiny self-renewing mini-organ with a complex structure characterized by periodic growth, plays a central role in the development of hair loss. Fundamentally, alopecia is characterized by an imbalance in the phases of the follicle's life cycle, namely the acceleration of the transition from anagen to telogen. The life cycle of the hair follicle can be directly affected by deficiencies in certain nutrients (including vitamins and trace elements), changes in thyroid hormone levels, sex hormones and their ratio to each other, the presence of chronic inflammatory diseases associated with an increase in circulating inflammatory cytokines, harmful habits, acute or chronic stress with increased cortisol concentration, etc. It is the presence of numerous factors affecting the hair growth cycle, significant gender differences in their impact, and several main types of alopecia in women with different pathogenesis that require a comprehensive approach to the additional examination of such women and the selection of individualized treatment for alopecia.
How to Cite
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alopecia, hair loss, alopecia in women, trichology, female alopecia, biochemical factors of alopecia, hormonal factors of alopecia
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