Hair loss and baldness are not uncommon in males and females, though baldness is less common in women. Hair products have become big businesses due to man’s effort to stem this condition. With health consciousness becoming the vogue, physical causes for hair loss has become a subject of interest.
Normally, hair loss is part of the recycling process of the shedding and re-growing cycle. There are three stages to this cycle. These phases are: anagen or growth, catagen or intermediate and the telogen or shedding phase. Normally, between 80-90% hairs are in the growing phase, 10-20% in the intermediate or sleeping phase and some in the shedding phase. This is the natural falling and re-growing process and the length, color and type of hair is genetically determined.
Male hair loss is caused by various factors, the most frequent being genetics and hormones. 95% of male hair loss is due to androgenic alopecia or male pattern baldness. This is an inherited trait and passed on to children in turn. It is usually seen as a receding hair line and a bald area appearing on the top of the head and the bald area increasing until the head is completely bald. This may begin at an early or later age but almost always during the adult years.
One cause for this condition is increased dihydrotestosterone, (DHT), a byproduct of testosterone. DHT is considered useful to young, growing males but can cause alopecia in excess.
Baldness is less common in women and often less serious and obvious. Female pattern baldness is, however, common in women and is found in a 1 to 4 ratio. The cause of this is that female pattern baldness does not cause patches of hair falling off but thinning areas around the scalp hairline on the forehead or an overall thinning of hair on the scalp is seen and therefore less noticeable. Women with female pattern baldness will often have strands of hair in varying density all over the scalp.
Female baldness has no age factor involved, unlike males. Hair loss in women in addition to their genetic makeup is most often hormone related. The loss of hair in women is mostly attributed to estrogen imbalances during heavy menstruation and during and after pregnancy.
Women often experience excessive hair loss after giving birth. This is due to the hormonal changes but quickly regain their head of hair on the estrogen levels stabilizing. Menopause and replacement hormonal therapy can cause more permanent hair loss. Especially hormone therapy with progesterone causes hair loss, due to progesterone blocking the development of follicles.
All excessive hair loss must be thoroughly checked and consulted with a doctor. Hair loss can often be a symptom of a more serious underlying health condition and will need to be ruled out. Hair loss due to certain health conditions or deficiencies reverses on receiving the right treatment. Many conditions can be diagnosed with simple blood tests. If excessive hair loss is seen a medical practitioner must be consulted.