Common Causes of Hair Loss in Men and Women
and Normal Hair Growth Cycles

 Common Reasons for Pattern Hair Loss in Men and Women

Heredity - When there is a family history having a genetic predisposition to thinning hair and hair loss. It is commonly known as male or female pattern hair loss.

If you are a male and any of the following family members have or had thinning hair or hair loss, you also may experience male pattern hair loss: your father, grandfather, uncle or brother. If you are a female, and any of the following family members have or had thinning hair or hair loss, you also may experience female pattern hair loss: your father, grandfather, uncle or brother or your mother, grandmother, aunt or sister.

Medications - Many people are not aware that various kinds of prescription medications may either cause or contribute to thinning hair and hairloss. This includes various acne treatments, anti-depressants, birth control pills, chemotherapy and various drugs such as those for lowering cholesterol, high blood pressure, treating ulcers, arthritis and blood thinners. You may see an extended list of medications which cause hair loss.

Health Situations - Various kinds of health and medical conditions such as hyperthyroidism and lupus can cause thinning hair. Some women experience sudden hair loss at the conclusion of pregnancy or two to three months after discontinuing the use of birth control pills.

Stress and Trauma - It is commonly thought that extended periods of high stress can cause or contribute to hair loss as stress may increase a constriction of the blood supply to the scalp. Sometimes after surgery, some individuals may experience either temporary or long term hair loss.

Diet and Nutrition - Poor diet and nutrition may also contribute to losing one's hair. This may include diets high in animal fat (too much red meat), too much protein, too much fast food or quick weight loss diets.

Environmental Toxins and Pollutants - Various elements such as chlorine (swimming pools), metals, minerals and water pollution may also contribute in some way to losing one's hair.

 Main Types Of Hair Loss

• AndroGenetic Alopecia: (AGA) Also known as male or female pattern hair loss. This is the most common type of hair loss.
  

• Alopecia Areata: (AA) A sudden loss of hair in round irregular patches, where the scalp is not visibly inflamed. This type of hair loss occurs in individuals who have no obvious skin disorders or serious disease. The cause is unknown, but may be related to stress or auto-immune disease. Alopecia Areata may be confined to a few areas of the scalp and is often reversed in a few months. According to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, an estimated four million men, women and children suffer from this type of hair loss.
  

• Postpartum Alopecia: A temporary scattered hair loss at the end of pregnancy.
  

• Telogen Effluvium: A premature shedding of hair in the resting or telogen phase, which can result from various causes such as childbirth, shock, side effects of various medications, fever, etc. Some women also experience sudden hair loss when they discontinue use of birth control pills or follow extreme diets too low in protein. The hair loss is usually reversed once the condition is resolved.
  

• Traction or Traumatic Alopecia: Patchy or scattered hair loss due to the use of hot combs or repetitive traction of the hair by pulling or twisting. This type of hair loss could also occur after excessive applications of chemical softening agents such as relaxers and permanent waves, especially those that use lye-based perms and colorings. This condition is usually reversed once the trauma is stopped.

 Normal Hair Growth Cycles

Healthy human hair normally follows a cycle of growth (anagen stage), transition (catagen stage) and then falling out (telogen or resting stage). Then new hair growth starts over again.

Growth (Anagen) Stage
Normal healthy hairs grow at the rate of about 1/2 inch per month, but vary by individual. A healthy hair follicle produces a strong, thick, colored hair. The hair follicles grow the hair for a period of 2 to 6 years in increase in diameter during this phase. In a normal scalp, about 90% of the hairs are in this stage at any given time. Some follicles produce thick colored hairs, called terminal hairs and other follicles produce short, thin, non-colored hairs, called vellus hairs.

Transition (Catagen) Stage
After the growing stage, the hair goes into a short transitional stage, which typically lasts about two to three weeks. Less than 1% of your hair is in this stage at any given time.

Resting (Telogen) Stage
Next the hair follicles enter a period of rest for approximately three months. After that time, the follicles lose their old hairs and resume the growing stage of producing new hairs. About 10% of your hairs are in the resting stage at any given time.

Most individuals lose between 40 and 100 hairs per day. This is a very small amount of hairs, considering that the average head of hair has approximately 100,000 individual shafts of hair.

Normally, as the hair goes through these three stages, the follicles tend to return to the same length and width during the growing phase. As a result, they generally produce the same length and width hair shafts.

All hairs cycle through these three stages repeatedly. The length and thickness of each hair shaft is determined by how long the hair itself is allowed to grow in the follicle before entering into the resting / shedding stage. Consequently, pattern hair loss is actually a gradual conversion of thick terminal hairs to thin vellus-like hairs.

 The Effects of DHT and the Progression of Male and Female Pattern Hair Loss

The most common form of hair loss and balding is known as Adrogenetic Alopecia or pattern hair loss, which represents the vast majority of all hair loss cases. Scientists now believe that approximately 90% of the hair loss seen in both men and women is caused by pattern hair loss. Pattern hair loss is a common condition affecting approximately 40 million men and 20 million women in the United States alone. The disorder may begin before age twenty, however more commonly it begins in a person's 20's or 30's. This disorder is thought to affect about half of men by age 50. Symptoms are recognized as a gradual thinning of the hair on the scalp. Often, this results in a receding hair line and or balding on the top middle or back portions of the scalp. The hair loss, in general, can be described as mild, moderate or severe and tends to follow a particular pattern in men. (Norwood pattern hair loss diagrams) In women, it manifests itself as a generalized thinning hair over the entire crown of the head. It is extremely rare for women to lose all of their hair. The amount of hair loss and baldness, as well as the size of the affected areas of thinning hair and balding, tend to gradually increase over time, often over a span of several years or decades.

Clinicians and researchers generally agree that common male and female pattern hair loss is due to a combination of factors, including heredity, hormones and age and environment which cause a progressive shrinking or miniaturization of certain hair follicles pre-dispositioned to experience hair loss.  It is thought to be due to a combination of genetic factors, arising from either the mother’s or father’s side of the family, or both, and is dependent upon age, as well as circulating hormones. Pattern hair loss can manifest with surprising speed, but generally occurs gradually over time. In unaffected individuals of both genders, typically, normal, healthy human hair grows at the rate of about 1/2 inch per month, but varies by individual.

Clinical studies have shown that in those who experience pattern hair loss, the balding areas of the scalp contain smaller hair follicles and increased susceptibility to a hormone called DHT.

 Additional Reading

For those wishing to develop a better understanding of the processes involved in this subject, we have provided a selection of more detailed relevant research data covering important elements of hair growth and the disorders associated with hair loss:

1.) Hair Loss: Causes, Clinical Manifestations, And Available Treatments
2.) Androgen Disorders Related to Pattern Hair Loss

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