"Hair Loss Leads to Depression: Psychological Impact on Women More Severe Than Men"

"Female Pattern Hair Loss Causes Greater Stress Than Male Pattern Hair Loss"

A recent study has found that female hair loss significantly affects not only patients' quality of life but also their levels of depression and anxiety. The psychological burden was shown to increase as the severity of hair loss worsened.

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According to Inha University Hospital on July 25, Professor Choi Kwangseong, Director of the Biomedical Research Institute and a dermatologist at the hospital, recently published a paper titled "A Study on the Quality of Life and Psychosocial Impact in Female Pattern Hair Loss Patients." In this study, he analyzed the effects of female pattern hair loss (FPHL) on quality of life and psychosocial aspects in 202 female patients aged 13 and older.

The study found that as the severity of hair loss increased, scores on the depression scale (BDI), anxiety scale (BAI), and quality of life deterioration scale (HSS29) also increased significantly. The patients' average BDI score was 14.47, and their average BAI score was 10.06.

The impact of hair loss was also significant in terms of medical consumption. Patients tended to spend a high amount on medical expenses and visited multiple hospitals for hair loss treatment. The most common annual medical expenditure among patients ranged from 110,000 to 550,000 won, and both the number of medical visits and expenditures increased with greater severity of hair loss.

The research team stated in the paper, "This study demonstrates that female pattern hair loss negatively affects psychosocial aspects such as quality of life, depression, anxiety, and medical utilization," and added, "Among these, quality of life and depression were most strongly affected by the severity of hair loss."

They further explained, "Psychosocial impairment in female pattern hair loss patients was observed to be more severe than in male pattern hair loss (MPHL) patients. This study provides evidence regarding the quality of life in female pattern hair loss patients, helps to understand their psychological stress, and may contribute to future advances in hair loss treatment."

Meanwhile, this paper recently received the "35th Science and Technology Outstanding Paper Award" from the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies.