While it is normal to lose some hair every day, when you begin to see bald patches or lots of thinning hair, you may be experiencing hair loss. The most common cause of hair loss is a medical condition called hereditary hair loss.
About 80 million men and women in the United States have this type of hair loss. Other names for this type of hair loss are: male-pattern baldness, female-pattern baldness and androgenic alopecia. Hereditary hair loss is often characterized by a receding hairline for men, and a widening part for women.
The causes of most hair loss can be stopped or treated.
Causes of hair loss
- Stress
- Poor nutrition
- After major surgery or an infection or flu involving a high fever
- Auto-immune and rare diseases
- Underlying medical conditions (involving the thyroid, or anemia)
- Childbirth and hormonal changes, use of the birth control pill or stopping use of the birth control pill
- Some medical treatments for cancer such as radiation and chemotherapy
- Some medications such as high dose vitamin A, medicines that treat arthritis, depression, gout, heart problems, and high blood pressure and use of anabolic steroids (steroids taken to build muscle and improve athletic performance
- The way you style and care for your hair can cause hair loss.
