Hair loss occurs most commonly than is otherwise known. Much like the common cold, the symptoms are general, and there is no proven cure for hair loss. Though in several isolated cases, there are success stories that are attributed to several factors
Some of the reasons for hair thinning or hair loss are: genetic factors; illness; improper and insufficient diet or unbalanced nutrition; poor dietary habits; stress; medications for other ailments that have unfortunate side effects; and Alopecia after childbirth.
You will be astonished to note that the most general reason of hair loss in women and men is in fact hereditary. Female and Male baldness, in other words androgenic Alopecia, initiates around 99% of premature hair thinning or baldness.
Fortunately, medical science can help you prevent further hair loss and, you can control hair loss during hair loss process. One should distinguish between what causes and what doesn't cause hair loss. Hair loss or Androgenic Alopecia does not happen due to poor blood circulation, clogged hair follicles, dandruff, shampoos, or wearing helmets or hats. What is more, different products for hair care affect the hair causing marginal breakage of hair, but do not influence the process of hair loss.
Genetics are the major cause
It is the inherited DNA that is passed on from one of your parents, that actually determines hair loss. The genetic code is out of your reach, although not for long before science provides a convenient solution. What is heartening is that medical science is now providing safer and effective medicine for hair loss.
The actual process
The mechanism through which men are losing their hair is understood better than the process for women.The common wrong belief is that women do not suffer from baldness. A mixture of androgens and genetic factors, the male circulating hormones like dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and testosterone are the factors for male pattern hair loss. This state can begin any time after the onset of puberty, more often than not during the teens to early 20s. An archetypal picture of this state will be a slowly receding hairline accompanied by some tapering on the crown. This afterwards becomes the famous "monk's ring "of hair at the top of head. Hair development rates differ from person to person and from age to age.
In women, the beginning of hair loss is generally a gradual thinning and dropping of hair in clumps around the age of 50's or 40's, without a receding hairline.
DHT affects the hair follicles growth cycles, which makes them produce lesser and lesser hair till the follicles die. At this point the production of hair stops forever and DHT causes microscopic scarring in those follicles. On the back and lower back of the head the hair is relatively permanent as the follicles in these areas are not sensitive. This usually is the reason why there is a particular male hair loss pattern.
