Prevalence of Hair Shedding Among Women

October 2016 in “ Dermatologic Therapy ”

Maja Kovacevic, Andy Goren, Jerry Shapiro, Rodney Sinclair, Neal M. Lonky, Mirna Situm, Vedrana Bulat, Željana Bolanča, John McCoy

hair shedding female pattern hair loss FPHL Sinclair Hair Shedding Scale hair loss

TLDR About 40% of women without hair loss and 60% with hair loss experience a lot of hair shedding, especially those under 50 with long hair.

In a study conducted at a public hospital involving 300 female patients, it was found that approximately 40% of the 263 participants without female pattern hair loss (FPHL) reported excessive hair shedding on hair washing days, as defined by the Sinclair Hair Shedding Scale. In contrast, about 60% of the 37 subjects with FPHL experienced excessive shedding on hair washing days. The study also revealed that excessive shedding was inversely proportional to age, with more shedding in patients under 50 years old, and there was a strong correlation between shedding and hair length, with the most shedding reported by subjects with long hair. There was no significant correlation between shedding and the use of hair dyes, and only a weak correlation with the frequency of hair washing. This study is considered the first to quantify the prevalence of hair shedding among women and aims to encourage physicians to address this issue and provide psychological support when needed.

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