Hair loss can be defined as a condition in which the hair falls due to ageing or a medically unfit condition. It is experienced commonly by the population and is not considered as a disease but a normal variation. It is found that more than half of the United States population experiences hair loss – about 30% has it by the age of 30 years while 50% of them get it by the age of 50 years.

It is common amongst adults while it is rarely found in youngsters and adolescents. It is caused due to internal and external factors like a medical disease, constant hair pulling or usage of chemicals in hair treatment.

Given below are some of the common causes of hair loss. These causes can generally be classified as medical and psychological.

1. Illnesses or medical conditions: which may cause the loss of hair are Endocrine (hormonal) conditions such as uncontrolled diabetes or thyroid disease, syphilis, high temperature associated with infections or a major surgery.
2. Medications: such as Allopurinol (Zyloprim), Warfarin (Coumadin), Gout medications, Arthritis medications, Antidepressants, High-dose Vitamin A, drugs affecting the hormonal system, birth control pills, steroids, etc may cause hair loss.
3. Fungal infections: Scalp fungal infection such as Ringworm causes patches of hair loss on the scalp.
4. Poor nutrition: Vitamin rich diet is essential for maintaining good quality hair. Insufficient amounts of vitamin A, B, B12, C, may result in hair loss. Vegetarians should intake sufficient amount of proteins, fatty acid and iron to avoid losing any hair.
5. Poor blood flow: This is another rarely discussed symptom of baldness. The hair roots should receive a sufficient quantity and quality of blood for maintaining healthy hair.
6. Alopecia areata: This is an autoimmune disorder where the patient’s auto immune system mistakenly attacks the body tissues and cells resulting in round patches of hair loss on the scalp.
7. Lupus: This is also an autoimmune disease prevalent among women. It may result into hair loss or cause some dysfunction to the patient’s body.
8. Androgenetic alopecia: It may occur for both males and females. Incase of males the hair loss starts from the temples and women’s hair become thin gradually over the years.
9. Trichotillomania: It is a psychological disorder in which a person consciously pulls his hair resulting into hair loss.
10. Stress during a major surgery: Some physical experiences such as prolonged illness, operation or surgery may damage a person’s body and result into hair fall.
11. Hair treatments and styling: Loss of hair occurs when the scalp is allergic to any ingredient of the shampoo or the chemicals used for hair treatment.
12. Disruption of the hair growth cycle: Hair loss after pregnancy is experienced by most of the women. Its technical term is Telogen effluvium, which means excessive hair fall after pregnancy.
13. Cancers: Therapies such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy damage the hair follicles, ultimately causing loss of hair.
14. Hormone problems: Hormonal imbalance may result in hair loss. In case of women, androgens and estrogens need to be in a proper balance for healthy hair.
15. Kidney failure: Hair fall caused due to kidney disease is rare, but it happens in advanced kidney failure cases.
16. Liver disease: Hair fall is a symptom in the case of cirrhosis of liver.
17. Anagen effluvium: is a hair growing phase in which the hair starts falling when it is interrupted by some medicines or auto-immune disease like alopecia areata.
18. Traction alopecia:  The emergence of this type occurs in hairstyles where the hair are tightly pulled. Women from Greenland and Japan have been reported to suffer from traction alopecia. Sikh men from India pull their beard and moustache hair and roll it into a bun. Therefore they also get traction alopecia.

In case you are experiencing any of the above causes then you should immediately rush to the doctor for a thorough diagnosis. If you are opting for self medication then you should only use the FDA (U S Food and Drug Administration) approved drugs.

Last Updated: 2nd February 2009 | Author: Sarah Wade

Itchy scalp hair loss has become quite a popular subject after few studies revealed that itchy scalp is an indication for your hair loss. There are various factors reasons for itchy scalp which needs to be identified before you can solve your hair loss caused due to itchy scalp.

One of the most common reasons for itchy scalp hair loss is the use of those hair care products which have harsh ingredients in them. These ingredients can impair the follicles of your hair and can consequently cause some infections like folliculitis. This infection needs to be treated timely else they can lead to permanent hair loss by creating bald patches and scares on some of the areas of your scalp. The indication of folliculitis is the presence of tiny white pimples on hair follicles. If this infection is neglected in its initial stages then it can make red boils on the head which can give a very painful experience. Some of the known ways to treat this infection, at least in its initial stages, is the use of antibiotics, use of oils that are extracted from lavender or tea tree.

Another major reason for itchy scalp hair loss is a fungal infection called ringworm. The indications of this infection are some red areas on the scalp. If due care is not given to this infection then it can peel off the skin some of the areas of scalp or can result in swollen wounds, rashes or black dots. Though sometimes some natural products or over the counter products are used to treat this infection but a proper treatment by doctors is highly recommended to solve this problem.

Seborrhoeic dermatitis is also an inflammatory reaction which can cause irritation to skin. This infection can be caused by the growth of yeast and can produce some toxic substances. If a suffering from this condition uses harsh hair products then it can result in dry scalp hair loss and flaking scalp. Most of the times natural hair products and oils extracted from rosemary, tea tree, lavender and the likes. Use of these natural products will help cure this condition as well prevent dry scalp hair loss.

Scalp Psoriasis is one of the conditions that has caused hair loss problem among approximately eight million people in United States. This can cause white color patches, itching, read skin and the likes. One of the simple ways to treat this condition is by using avocado oil or birch oil. Also, Toxins in hair products and pollution problem can strip off natural oil from your oil and result in dry scalp hair loss and itchy scalp. Itchy scalp along with dandruff can also result in dry scalp hair loss. Using herbal hair moisturizers can solve the problem of dry scalp hair loss to a great extent.

To sum up, it is very important that one find out the reason for itchy scalp hair loss and then take appropriate steps to solve the problem.