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Causes of Hair Loss in Men and Women
Understanding the
Cause
It is important to understand the possible causes of male and female hair loss, including the eyebrows,
so that you can make an intelligent and informed decision about how to treat it. Certain hair loss treatments are more appropriate for certain hair loss causes,
while others have no effect at all.
Cause
of 95% of all Hair Loss
Hair loss may occur from genetic and medical factors, scalp disease, hormone disorders, or trauma such as burns or injury to the scalp.
In men, genetic hair loss, also called male pattern baldness (MPB), is responsible for more than 95% of all hair loss. Hair loss caused by scalp diseases and hormone disorders are rare,
in comparison to genetic causes. The more common genetic hair loss can be treated in a variety of ways, including topical treatments, medical treatments and hair restoration surgery.
Women Also Suffer
Genetic Hair Loss
About 15% of all women suffer from some degree of genetic pattern hair loss,
with general thinning or veil effect being the most common.
Some women with female pattern hair loss eventually develop bald patches.
The Genetic Pattern for a Man and Woman
Genetic hair loss, or pattern baldness, means that we inherit a tendency to lose our hair from our parents or grandparents.
The genetic programming is embedded in certain hair follicles, specifically those on the top of our heads.
It is these hair follicles that cause the common hair loss pattern:
first receding temples, then thinning on the top, followed by a bald spot on the crown, and eventually no hair at all on the top of the head. Usually, hair on the sides and on the back of our head remains,
even with advanced inherited pattern hair loss.
Hair Follicles
Hair follicles grow hairs. When the ones with a genetic program to stop growing reach a certain age,
they begin to produce hairs that are thinner, shorter, and lighter. Eventually they just stop producing new hairs altogether.
When enough hair follicles on one part of our heads do this, a thin spot appears. When they all stop producing baldness results.
Cosmetically
Significant Hair Loss
Significant hair loss from genetics can begin as early as 17 years of age.
By age 50, nearly 60% of all men will experience cosmetically significant
hair loss.
The most common age range for pattern baldness to begin is
24-38 years.
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