Hair Loss Stages for Women: What to Look for

Hair loss is rarely ever a pleasant experience but it can be comforting to know that it’s a fairly common one — yes, even among women. 

In fact, more than 55% of women experience some degree of hair shedding in their lifetime. 

For most women, the cause of thinning hair is female pattern hair loss, a hereditary condition that progresses with age and, as the name suggests, follows a general pattern of hair loss. 

Over the past 50 years, doctors and dermatologists have begun to identify the common hair loss stages for women and created systems to classify the degree of severity.

The good news?

While general hair loss is common, less than 1% of women will ever experience the severest stage of hair loss. That’s Grade III of the Ludwig Scale or V of the Sinclair Scale — both of which we’ll describe in detail below. 

Even better news? There are ways to prevent, halt, and even reverse female hair loss. Read on to find out more — and to learn how you can chat to a doctor who is a specialist in female hair loss about your options.

What Is Female Pattern Baldness (aka Androgenetic Alopecia)?

Female pattern hair loss (FPHL), also called female pattern baldness, is a hair loss condition that affects women. 

It’s also sometimes called androgenetic alopecia, which is the medical term for the type of male and female hair loss that is progressive and usually hereditary. 

Since we’re still not entirely sure about the role of androgens — a hormone mostly responsible for male sexual development — in female hair loss, we’ll stick to the term ‘female pattern hair loss’. 

The Signs of Female Pattern Hair Loss

Despite sharing a common medical name, female pattern hair loss isn’t the same as male pattern baldness. There are differences in everything from age of onset and rate of progression to the patterns of hair loss. 

The stages of male hair loss can often be startlingly obvious. A slowly receding hairline. A balding crown. 

The stages of female pattern hair loss are more subtle, although women are often more attuned than men to slight changes in their hair. 

Female pattern hair loss usually starts with hair thinning on the crown, where the part is. There may be some thinning at the temples but a receding hairline and complete balding is rare. 

The Stages of Hair Loss in Women

Female pattern hair loss isn’t always easy to detect so doctors use scales to help them identify common patterns. 

For almost half a century, the 3-grade Ludwig Classification has been the popular system to evaluate FPHL severity. 

But in recent years, our very own Dr Rodney Sinclair — the doctor behind The Hairy Pill® treatment — has worked with other experts to create the 5-grade Sinclair Scale, focusing on the midline part. 

The Ludwig Scale 

In 1977, Dr Erich Ludwig came up with a scale to classify the stages of female pattern hair loss. The Ludwig Scale categorised hair loss into three grades of severity.

Grade I

Grade I of the Ludwig Scale documents the early stage of female hair loss. In this grade, there’s mild hair thinning on the crown. It’s most noticeable around the part, especially when the hair is parted down the centre. Grade I hair loss can be easily covered up with careful styling. 

Grade II

At Grade II, the scalp may become more visible as the thinning becomes more noticeable. Your part may appear substantially wider and your hair volume overall much thinner. 

Grade III

This is where you will see the most severe forms of female pattern hair loss. At Grade III, there’s extensive thinning throughout, with a prominent area of balding or visible scalp. 

The Sinclair Scale

The Sinclair Scale is a new 5-point photographic grading system that has been embraced in clinical dermatology practices to evaluate and monitor the progress of FPHL. 

The Sinclair Scale catches more subtle changes in FPHL than the Ludwig Scale by focusing on the width of the central hair parting line. The greater the width, the more severe the hair loss. 

Heads up: When you fill out the form to begin treatment for The Hairy Pill®, we will ask you to assess the severity of your hair loss using this scale. 

Grade I

There are no signs of hair loss. The midline part shows little to no signs of hair thinning. There’s a hairpin line of visible scalp.

Grade II

There’s a slight widening of the central part, a sign of early-stage female hair loss. 

Grade III

The central part becomes wider with more scalp visible. There may be signs of hair thinning on either side of your part.

Grade IV

The part may begin to resemble a Christmas tree, with lines of thinning hair and visible scalp extending out from the centre part. A bald spot may begin to appear towards the front of your hairline. 

Grade V

This is the severest stage of hair loss for females, with advanced thinning across the top of the scalp. 

Common Causes of Hair Loss in Women

Female pattern hair loss is usually inherited and occurs when hair follicles that are sensitive to certain hormones shrink. 

The stage of your hair growth cycle when your hair grows slows down, which means that there’s a greater amount of time between when your hair sheds and new growth comes through.

These conditions can often lead to the production of thinner, finer, and more brittle hair. 

However, before you jump to conclusions, you may not even have FPHL. There are many other causes of female hair loss, including:

• Hormonal changes
• Nutritional deficiencies
• A medical condition
• Stress
• Medications

Start Treatment for Your Hair Loss with the Help of a Women’s Hair Loss Doctor 

Many women will develop female pattern hair loss in their lifetime. Indeed, 12% of women will start to notice the first stage of hair loss as early as their 20s. 

While it may feel daunting, recognising signs of hair loss is a step in the right direction. 

The sooner you accept the hair loss, the sooner you can start treatment. And the earlier you start treatment, the more effective it can be. 

The Hairy Pill® is a personalised hair loss treatment that is made just for you. 

Have questions? Book a phone consultation with one of our partner doctors — a female doctor, at your request — to talk about your options.

The doctor can assess your needs and prescribe The Hairy Pill® at the right dose and ingredients to suit you and you alone. 

Our partner pharmacists will compound the treatment — just one pill, taken daily — and have it delivered to your door. 

No gimmicks. Just science.

It takes just 5 minutes to begin your treatment today. Get started.