Everyone loses hair every day.  Most people lose between 50 and 100 strands per day.  This can sometimes be because hair loss runs in the family or is genetic.  If hair loss is genetic in your family, you may lose a lot more hair than the average person.

Doctor Talking to Patient

Other factors can contribute to hair loss too, such as medications and certain illnesses.  Either one can cause more hair loss than normal.  Hair loss can be extremely tough for some individuals, because it can so drastically change the way a person looks.

Causes of Hair Loss

Causes of hair loss are important, because some of them can be prevented.  Whether it has to do with heredity, stress or something else, if you can do something to prevent or stop the hair loss, you’ll be much better in the long run.  This is where your family doctor may come in handy.  Sometimes your doctor can help determine exactly why you are losing your hair and can help you fix the problem.

Common Causes of Hair Loss Include:

• Heredity:  In most cases, hair loss is inherited.  That means that it is passed down from one or both of the individual’s parents.  In these cases, it is called male or female-pattern baldness.
• Stress:  This includes stress from illness, physical stress from surgery and a high fever associated with illness.
• Chemotherapy:  Can also cause hair loss.  It is a powerful medicine used in cancer treatment that can destroy cancer cells.
• Damage from Hairstyles:  You can damage your hair by pulling at too tightly with tight braids and ponytails.  Constantly wearing these types of hairdos can cause too much tension on your hair, which may cause damage or breakage.

If you think you may be suffering from hair loss or thinning hair, you must first decide whether or not your hair loss is unusual.  Learn to identify your diagnosis:

• Is your hair just thinner?
• Is your “part” wider?
• Is your hairline receding or different in some way?
• Are there any bald spots or patches, which appeared recently?
• Does thinning hair or hair loss run in your family?

If you are having problems with thinning hair, talk with your hairstylist first.  There are some very normal reasons why your hair may be thinning and your hairstylist can be of help in figuring out why.  If your hairstylist isn’t helpful, speak to your doctor, or do a combination of both.  Your doctor can help you determine if your hair loss is a result of something you’re doing, your dietary habits or an illness or disease.

Woman Washing Man's Hair

Someone who notices thinning hair should speak to their hairstylist about what they may be doing physically that may be causing the hair loss.  Many hairstylists are great at helping their clients appropriately deal with thinning hair.

Some people don’t realize this, but many women suffer from hair loss too.  Unfortunately, men are more highly publicized.  In the 1980s, there weren’t many options for women, except for wigs.  Today, we now know that there are things that can be done if we discover hair loss or hair thinning early.  Sometimes the hair follicles can be revived before they die.

If you think you are losing more than 50 to 100 strands of hair a day, make a doctor’s appointment immediately to discuss possible options for treatment or to find out if treatment is even needed.

Things to Check for if You Hair is Thinning

• Pay attention to your doctor’s visits.  Do you have a hormonal imbalance?  Perhaps this is something you should have your doctor check out.  If you are already on medication for hormonal issues, this may also be the cause of your thinning hair and should be checked into.
• Pay close attention to how well you treat your hair on a regular basis.  Are you doing anything to your hair that may be causing permanent damage?  Tight ponytails and headbands can be bad for your hair, as well as chemical treatments, improper use of a heated styling tool and other tools, which can cause damage.
• What medications are you on? Sometimes medications can be the cause of thinning hair.  Check all of your medications to determine whether or not hair loss is a possible symptom.  Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you are unsure.
• Check your stress levels. Stress can cause hair to thin or fall out.  The reason stress causes hair loss is because stress affects the major organs, such as the heart.  Physical and mental traumas can also cause hair loss and thinning hair.
• What’s going on with your scalp? Talk to your hairstylist.  He or she can help you figure out what’s going on with your scalp that may be causing hair loss.

Are you noticing your hair loss?  What makes you think you’re losing more hair than you should be?  You may consider keeping a log or a journal regarding your hair care and practices.  It can help you determine what may be causing the hair loss.

Woman Combing Her Hair

Illnesses such as high fever or severe infections, major surgeries, or other significant life stressors contribute to hair loss. From four weeks to three months after a person has a high fever, severe infection, major surgery, or other significant life stressor such as death in the family, he or she may be shocked to see a lot of hair falling out. This condition usually corrects itself but may require treatment.

Thyroid disease is a major contributor to losing hair. Both an overactive and an under active thyroid can cause hair loss. The hair loss associated with thyroid disease can be reversed with proper treatment.

Inadequate protein and iron in diet can also slow down hair production. Some vegetarians, people who go on crash diets that exclude protein, and those with severely abnormal eating habits, may develop protein malnutrition. When this happens, a person’s body will help to save protein by shifting growing hairs into the resting phase. Massive hair shedding can occur two to three months later. Hair can then be pulled out by the roots. This condition can be reversed by eating the proper amount of protein. Iron deficiency sometimes produces hair loss. Low iron can be detected by laboratory tests and corrected with iron pills.

Prescription drugs and some over-the-counter medications can cause temporary hair shedding in a small percentage of people. Examples of such drugs are blood thinners, some drugs used to treat gout and arthritis, acne, or psoriasis, and some medications for heart problems.

Most drugs used in chemotherapy will cause hair cells to stop dividing. Hair shafts become thin and break off as they exit the scalp. This can occur one to three weeks after beginning chemotherapy. The patient may lose all of his hair, but this will usually re-grow after treatment ends.

Women who lose their hair when taking birth control pills usually have an inherited tendency towards hair thinning. This does not appear to affect women with a genetic disposition for hair loss.

Alopecia areata is a type of hair loss in which hair falls out in smooth, round patches. This disease may affect children, women or men of any age.

Androgenic alopecia is the most common type of hair loss and is often called “male- or female-pattern baldness”. The hair usually thins out first in the front of the scalp and moves progressively to the back and top of the head. It tends to be progressive. This type of hair loss also runs in families.

Infections such as ringworm, or tinea capitus, are a common fungal infection in children. Patches of hair may be lost and replaced with pink scaly skin.

It is highly recommended to see a doctor if you experience hair loss at the same time as you experience the following symptoms: unexplained weight loss or gain, breathing problems, fever, poor appetite, skin problems, vomiting, fever, pain, constipation or diarrhea.

Woman Brushing Her Hair

On average, a person’s hair grows approximately ½ an inch per month.  This number can vary according to genetics and the age of the person.  Different hair strands go through different phases of growth at different times.  Each hair has a maximum amount of growth and it will never exceed that, no matter what.

Androgens, which are testosterone and Dihydrotestosterone are extremely important to hair growth.  This controls human hair growth.  Androgens must be present in order for a beard, pubic hair or underarm hair to grow.  Scalp hair is not considered to be androgen-related.

Most people lose between 50 and 100 hairs a day, on average.  This is nothing to be concerned about.  There is no real way to determine how much hair you are losing a day, but if you feel you are losing more than 50 to 100 hairs, you may want to seek medical attention.

You could be losing hair because of a chemical or hormonal imbalance, a nutritional deficiency or an illness.  This is especially true for young children and teens who are experiencing a great deal of hair loss.  Stress can also cause hair loss.

Hair loss can be very difficult for someone to deal with.  When people think of hair loss, they often think of men’s hair loss, but women lose hair too.  Whether you are a male or a female, it can be devastating and difficult to deal with.  Loss of self-esteem and an extreme amount of stress can all be factors

More recently, people have been provided with a lot of new choices for hair loss restoration.  There are some very effective over-the-counter medications that work as well.

Hair loss in both men and women can sometimes be a result of some types of disease. Hair loss can also be triggered by excessive weight gain or weight loss over a very short period of time.

Some people confuse hair growth with hair length.  Your hair may be growing, but it may be breaking off, so it appears as if the hair is not growing.  One thing you can do to improve your hair is to get enough sleep and to drink plenty of water and eat a well balanced diet.