It’s commonly known that baldness affects men, but there are also many women who experience baldness as well. What is the difference between male and female pattern baldness? What are the treatment options for the sexes? Men and women may experience it in different ways.
Pattern baldness
Women can lose their hair in a different pattern than men do. In men, hair loss starts in the front of the head and recedes to the back until they are bald. Women are not as likely to go completely bald, but could have a lot of thinning throughout.
Causes
Like male pattern baldness, female pattern baldness is hereditary, but the cause is different. It is most common after menopause, so hormones are likely responsible for pattern baldness in women. In women, baldness can also be caused by an underlying endocrine condition or a hormone-secreting tumor.
Progression and Onset
Males tend to lose their hair at a faster rate and have an earlier average age of onset than women do. For both men and women, however, the best way to treat and counteract pattern baldness is early detection and treatment.
Pattern Baldness Prevention and Treatment
Women
Based on a woman’s medical diagnosis and consultation with a hair restoration specialist, medical management of hair loss or transplant surgery will be the solution, yet sometimes both are advised. We may recommend over-the-counter minoxidil (Rogaine) to be applied in tandem with groMD shampoo and conditioner to patients experiencing thinning of hair.
More drastic hair loss cases where women exhibit balding or a gap widening on the topmost part of their scalp may require more advanced hair restoration treatments such as an FUE or FUT hair transplant.
Another hair restoration treatment that has been achieving excellent results for women suffering from temple recession and other hair loss conditions for years is called Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy. The PRP procedure involves drawing a small amount of blood from the patient’s body and processing it in a centrifuge in order to extract a rich plasma serum.
This serum is then injected into the recipient site on the top of the scalp of the patient. PRP is loaded with growth factors that promote rapid angiogenesis, localized cell growth, decrease inflammation and decrease healing time. Quick healing time is important because it allows patients to return to work and their daily activities in a very short period of time.
Dr. Yazdan explains that “with the employment of PRP and added nutrients like Acell, I have seen accelerated healing, reduced swelling and stimulation of thinning hair. I like to use this in every hair restoration surgery because it often gives patients the absolute best results.”
Men
We recommend sitting down with a (board certified) hair restoration specialist who can properly evaluate your hair shedding or hair loss situation, based on factors like your medical profile, hair loss condition, and stage of shedding.
The initial consultation will be to see how your hairline and hair density has changed and will change in the next few years. Forecasting how your receding hairline or shedding patterns change will grant you and the physician a better understanding of the effectiveness of different hair restoration treatments, be they surgical or otherwise. The key to slowing hair loss is early intervention.
Dr. Yazdan may recommend PRP injections mixed with stem cells, alongside a multifaceted program to treat hair thinning and loss.
If the diagnosis is early genetic hair loss, then the best treatment may be the drug finasteride which is highly effective in men of younger age. It may not only stop the hair loss but possibly reverse it.

Dr. Amir Yazdan, MD, is an internationally renowned hair transplant surgeon, expert guest on Dr. Phil and The Doctors, creator of the GroMD hair restoration product line, ISHRS member, accredited member of the IAHRS and a visceral advocate for patient care. Learn more about Dr. Yazdan or read rave reviews from his patients.