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A concerning trend has emerged, prompting both doctors and patients to seek urgent solutions: a growing number of women are experiencing hair loss.

From thinning spots at the temples to a receding hairline or even clumps of hair left behind in the shower, specialists have observed a notable increase in those attending their clinics for this issue.

Many are eager to find remedies for a condition that brings about significant emotional turmoil.

Approximately eight million women in the UK are affected by some form of hair loss, particularly as they grow older. The Institute of Trichologists reports that by the time women reach post-menopause, half will experience female pattern hair loss to some extent.

This challenge, however, isn’t limited to older women. Increasingly, women in their 20s and 30s are also seeking assistance from specialists. Since 2021, online searches for terms like “hair loss” and “hair thinning” among women have more than doubled. Social media is flooded with discussions—Instagram boasts 4.7 million posts under #hairloss, and countless videos have garnered views on TikTok. One woman in her 20s shared her experience of “crying in the shower,” expressing deep distress as she watched handfuls of hair fall away daily.

And a mother in her 30s told how she had lost ‘half of the hair on my head’ in just a few months.

Why women are losing their hair

It’s a pattern, which many experts are unanimous about, but the causes are complex to unpick. While both men and women experience hair loss, it’s generally more straightforward to diagnose and treat in men.

Male pattern baldness, which causes the vast majority of cases, is driven by a combination of genetics and hormones and has several effective treatment options, including prescription drugs and topical treatments.

But in women there are many other factors which can contribute to the problem. And while some of those are only just emerging, others which are already recognised are becoming far more common, experts explain.

Dermatologist and hair expert Dr Aamna Adel says: ‘There are lots of reasons for this rise in women experiencing hair loss – from weight-loss jabs, stress, Covid and flu to hormones, vitamin deficiencies and even tight ponytails.

‘But the conversation has also changed. Previously it was something women felt embarrassed talking about, and they saw it as a cosmetic issue and wouldn’t go to see their GP. There are lots of medical problems which can trigger hair loss. And the earlier you get a diagnosis, the better the outcomes are going to be.’

Confusion over three-month delay

Doctors need to be ‘a bit of a detective’, Dr Adel says, and take a detailed medical history in a bid to pinpoint possible causes.

The previous six months are particularly important because of the hair’s normal growing cycle.

About 90 per cent of hair is actively growing at any one time, while the remaining 10 per cent is in a resting phase, where it dies off and sheds naturally.

But additional stress on the body can push more of the hair into this resting and shedding phase. And as it takes hair three months from dying off to being shed, it means people can experience sudden hair loss three months after a stressful event.

This is known as telogen effluvium and might occur after a bereavement, a traumatic experience or even from stress at work, explains Dr Adel.

But it can also happen as a result of an infection such as Covid, common colds or flu. This is because the body recognises viruses as a threat and diverts its resources to essential organs, ultimately neglecting the hair to prioritise survival.

The roll of illness and weight-loss jabs

Hair restoration specialist Dr Amy Vowler, who runs the Hair GP clinic in London, says: ‘There’s lots of evidence that illnesses can affect hair and cause telogen effluvium.

‘We saw lots of it during Covid because so many people were ill, and people getting flu this season, which is a mutated strain that few have any immunity to, may also experience it.’

Dr Vowler adds: ‘I had a bad respiratory infection a year ago and my hair started shedding three months later. The delay means the cause isn’t always obvious.

‘The good news is that once the infection clears, it should get better within a couple of months and shouldn’t last beyond six months.’

There is also growing evidence that weight-loss jabs are linked with hair loss in a similar way.

Some of this was picked up in clinical trials. For Wegovy, also known as semaglutide, about three per cent of people reported hair loss while using the jabs, while for Mounjaro, or tirzepatide, this increased up to 5.7 per cent.

Social media sites are filled with women describing their hair loss after using the jabs. ‘In the last six months we’ve seen many more women with hair loss who are on these drugs,’ Dr Vowler says.

‘They are thought to upset the hair in two ways. First, when the body panics a bit and thinks you’re in starvation mode, it prioritises the internal organs over the hair, and you get this rapid shedding – this telogen effluvium.

‘This also happens with any rapid weight loss, regardless of how you lose the weight.

‘But because they reduce the appetite, people on these drugs often don’t eat a healthy, balanced diet and end up deficient in vitamins and minerals the hair needs.’

Nutrition your hormones can cause it

Experts say eating plenty of protein, fruit and vegetables, and using vitamin supplements if necessary, can mitigate against hair loss.

Sheree Phelps, 35, came off Mounjaro jabs after four months because she lost ‘50 per cent’ of her hair.

The former Commonwealth Games athlete, who now runs sports massage clinic Podium Therapies in Cardiff, describes her experience as ‘heartbreaking’. ‘About a month after taking Mounjaro, I noticed thinning patches on my temples and then started to find clumps of hair in my hands when I brushed it after taking a shower,’ she says. ‘It broke me to see it.’

Sheree went to see Dr Vowler and discovered she was deficient in iron. She now takes an iron supplement, eats a nutrient-rich diet. ‘[My hair] is coming back now, but it’ll take time,’ she says.

Experts say that many women they see are deficient in key minerals which are important for healthy hair, namely iron and vitamin D, but also zinc, folic acid and vitamin B12. Dr Vowler says levels of ferritin – the protein used to store iron – should be over 70 micrograms per litre, while vitamin D should be over 50 nanomoles per litre. She adds that many people are deficient in vitamin D, which is produced in the body following exposure to sunlight, because they apply sunscreen year-round to protect against UV damage.

‘Vitamin D helps to create new hair follicles and supports hair in its growth phase,’ she says, adding that topping up any vitamin deficiencies with supplements will help to restore hair loss, but it will take time and the supplements should be taken consistently.

Dr Adel adds: ‘Sometimes it’s your nutritional status, but it also might be your hormones.’

Women commonly experience hair thinning as they age. This is because as oestrogen levels fall, it tips hair into having a shorter growth phase and more shedding.

Some forms of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) – topical oestrogen and micronised progesterone – can help if women also have typical menopause symptoms. But a healthy diet containing protein, vitamins and minerals can also help to stave it off.

There are some prescription treatments women can use, but they’re only licensed for men, so will have to be given off-label, says Anabel Kingsley, lead trichologist at Philip Kingsley. ‘Minoxidil works for both sexes, and a medication called finasteride can be used in post-menopausal women, sometimes with good benefit.’

Another hormonal condition which triggers hair loss is an underactive thyroid, or hypothyroidism. The thyroid, a butterfly-­shaped gland in the neck, produces thyroid hormone which regulates the body’s metabolism, heart rate and body temperature, and having too little of this can cause symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain, low mood, brain fog and hair loss.

When treated with levothyroxine, a synthetic form of thyroid hormone, hair can regrow.

Hairstyles and habits that make it worse

Other forms of hair loss – which can be permanent – are related to vaping and certain hairstyles.

While there is no evidence linking vapes with hair loss, it has long been known that nicotine from cigarettes triggers hair loss by constricting blood vessels and preventing oxygen and nutrients reaching the hair follicles.

Dr Vowler says: ‘Nicotine is inflammatory and contains free radicals which damage DNA and disrupt hormones. So there are lots of mechanisms, but essentially smoking or vaping is really bad for hair.’

Experts also warn against trendy hairstyles which scrape back the hair into a tight ponytail, popularised by models Bella Hadid and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

‘Anything which is tightly pulled back and puts tension on the hair follicle, from ponytails to braids, or even tightly fitting hats and headscarves, can cause something called traction alopecia,’ Dr Vowler says.

‘Once you’ve killed the hair follicle it won’t come back – it’s a scarring form of hair loss which is irreversible.’

Experts recommend switching to looser hairstyles to prevent damage. For some women, minoxidil can help to stimulate regrowth, says Anabel Kingsley. ‘This can help in the early stages, but if you leave it too late, the damage is often permanent,’ she adds.

How to protect your hair

Experts say keeping your hair and scalp clean is the most important way to preserve your locks.

Dr Adel says: ‘Everyone can benefit from washing their hair more often because your scalp has lots of sebaceous glands and produces oils. If these are left on the scalp, they can lead to inflammation and higher levels of the hormone DHT, which can itself trigger hair loss.

‘Blow dry your hair on a low setting rather than leave it wet, because a damp scalp can cause yeast to overgrow. And use a good heat protector and bond repair cream.’

Heat protectors are available as sprays or creams which help to shield hair from damage caused by hot styling tools. Bond repair products – often creams or leave-in treatments – work by strengthening the internal protein bonds within each hair strand that are damaged by heat, colouring and styling, helping to reduce breakage and improve resilience.