Yet about 35% of women of childbearing age and around 50% of menopausal women suffer from thinning. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these women prefer to suffer in silence and take no action to resolve the situation.

In women, baldness generally starts later and proceeds more slowly than in men, so that the thinning is usually less evident though it may be more widespread on the scalp.

Increased production of male hormones is the cause of 40% of female androgenetic alopecia. In the remaining cases, even though the body may not produce an increased amount of male hormones, the hair follicles become more sensitive to the level of male hormones already present. Typical consequences are atrophisation of the hair, reduced growth, and an increase in seborrhoea.

Hair loss may be the result of a variety of causes, including the menopause, cysts on the ovaries, hereditary factors and sudden hormonal changes (like those induced by the contraceptive pill).

Baldness and thinning in women is measured on the Ludwig scale, which concentrates on the top and front of the head.

Female hair loss cannot always be treated by hormone therapy, because it is often impossible to determine what form of baldness is involved.