Causes of Hair Loss

It is normal to lose between 50-100 hairs a day; this is part of the hair renewal process. However most people suffer from excessive hair loss at one time in their life. There are many reasons for this including medication, radiation, chemotherapy, exposure to chemicals, hormonal and nutritional factors, thyroid disease, generalized or local skin disease, and stress.

Many of these causes are temporary and a few are permanent. These are some of the more common reason for hair loss.

• Hormonal problems may cause hair loss. If your thyroid gland is overactive or under active, your hair may fall out. This hair loss usually can be helped by treatment of the thyroid disease. Hair loss may occur if male or female hormones, known as androgens and estrogens, are out of balance. Correcting the hormone imbalance may stop your hair loss.

• Some women experience hair loss about three months after giving birth. This is because while pregnant, their hormonal levels increase and cause hair to keep growing beyond its normal life span. After giving birth, their hormonal levels drop back to normal, thus making the hair fall out and causing the normal hair growth cycle to start over again.

• Some medicines can cause hair loss. This type of hair loss improves when you stop taking the medicine. Medicines that can cause hair loss include blood thinners, medicines used for gout, medicines used in chemotherapy to treat cancer, vitamin A (if too much is taken), birth control pills and antidepressants.

• Male Pattern Baldness is by far the most common form of hair loss in men. This form of hair loss usually starts with a receding hairline with the hair at the temple. This hair gradually recedes to form an "M" pattern. Then, the hair on the crown of your head begins to thin and eventually this bald spot will meet with the top points of the "M" pattern of receding hair line. Over time, the only remaining hair is the horse-shoe pattern around the sides of the head.

• Female Pattern Baldness is the most common form of hair loss in women. Although some women have receding hairlines, Female Pattern Baldness usually takes the form of overall thinning. Typically, hair density or the number of follicles per square inch of scalp drops by half or more over a period of several years.

• Some children and less often adults play with their hair by pulling on it or twisting it. This can be part of a behavioral problem or a bad habit that is often done unconsciously. If the behavior is not stopped permanent hair loss can result from the constant stress on the hair. Its best to seek the help of a mental health professional to solve this problem.

• Hair loss is a common and unfortunate side effect of chemotherapy(Cancer Treatment). Hair loss after chemotherapy can cause hair loss on many different areas of the body, including the scalp, the face, the underarms, and the pubic area. Hair loss after chemotherapy occurs over a period of days or weeks and can result in either thinning and slight hair loss or complete loss of hair. Hair loss after chemotherapy is temporary, and growth of new hair usually occurs six to eight weeks after treatment.

• Many black women and some black men braid their hair or wear hair weaves. Under normal conditions these cause no problems. However if the weave is attached too tight or the braids are wrapped too tight, they put a constant strain on the hair follicle. If this is done for an extended period of time permanent hair loss can result.

• Certain infections can cause hair loss. Fungal infections of the scalp can cause hair loss in children. The infection is easily treated with antifungal medicines.

• Finally, hair loss may occur as part of an underlying disease, such as lupus or diabetes. Since hair loss may be an early sign of a disease, it is important to find the cause so that it can be treated.