Hair loss is often associated with balding men. But anyone can experience it, and recognizing its causes may help some people prevent it from occurring.
Few people envision a day when they begin to lose their hair. However, the hair transplant and restoration experts at Bosley note that the majority of men who experience male pattern baldness will begin to notice hair loss in their mid to late twenties. By age 60, roughly two-thirds of men are either bald or have a balding pattern.
Male pattern baldness may be the first thing people think of in regard to hair loss, but people of all ages, including women, can lose their hair. Hair loss that cannot be traced to male pattern baldness may be indicative of a serious health issue, which only underscores how important it is that people discuss abnormal hair loss with their physicians as soon as they notice it.
Isn’t it normal to shed hair?
Shedding hair is normal. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, it’s normal to shed between 50 and 100 hairs a day. In addition, male pattern baldness, also known as androgenic alopecia, is not indicative of a larger health issue. But the AAD notes there’s a difference between shedding a relatively small amount of hair each day and hair loss.
What is hair loss?
Hair loss occurs when something is stopping hair from growing. The medical term for hair loss is anagen effluvium, and it will continue until its cause is addressed and stops.
What causes hair loss?
The AAD notes that the most common causes of hair loss include:
• Hereditary hair loss: The most common cause of hair loss across the globe, hereditary hair loss affects both men and women. The medical term for hereditary hair loss is androgenic alopecia, which is the same term for male pattern baldness. But that’s somewhat misleading, as females also can have androgenic alopecia. This occurs when people inherit genes that cause their hair follicles to shrink and eventually stop growing hair.
• Overreaction of the immune system: The AAD notes that alopecia areata causes hair loss when the body’s immune system attacks hair follicles, which hold hair in place. Hair loss resulting from this overreaction can occur on the scalp, inside the nose and in the ears. Some people with alopecia areata may lose their eyelashes and eyebrows.
• Drugs/treatments: Some cancer treatments can cause hair loss. Chemotherapy and radiation treatment to the head or neck can cause people to lose most, if not all, of their hair within weeks of beginning treatment.
• Products/personal choices: The AAD notes that harsh hair care products may contribute to hair loss, as can certain hairstyles. Over time, coloring hair or styling it in certain ways, such as in a perm or pulling it tightly back, can damage the hair and lead to hair loss.
Is regrowth possible?
Whether or not hair grows back depends on what caused the hair loss. For example, treatment for certain conditions, including hereditary hair loss and alopecia areata, can help to stimulate regrowth. In addition, the AAD notes that hair usually starts to regrow within months of finishing chemotherapy or radiation treatments to the head and neck. However, hair loss that results from hairstyles that pull on the scalp is permanent.
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