The hair growth cycle consists of three phases: growing, resting and shedding. Approximately 90 percent of the hair on your head is actively growing on any given day. Ten percent is resting, waiting for the shedding phase. Once a hair sheds, a new one grows in its place. Hair loss and thinning occurs when new growth is unable to keep up with the amount of hair shed.
Appearance
According to the Mayo Clinic, hair loss begins slowly and builds up speed with age. Most forms of hair loss follow a specific pattern. For example, men start to lose hair at their front hairline, developing what is known as a widow's peak. Thinning at the crown closely follows. Eventually, the entire top of the head is bald. Men can start losing their hair from their early twenties to their late thirties. For women, the process occurs much later. Around the age of 50, women start to thin all over the top of the head. The hairline stays intact and balding is rare.
Heredity
Balding and thinning are genetic traits passed down from both parents to their offspring, male and female. A strong genetic background predisposes you to male-pattern or female-pattern hair loss, the most common forms of hair loss. Accounting for 95 percent of all hair-loss cases, genetic hair loss occurs when a hormonal byproduct called dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, builds up in the scalp. Since DHT is a male hormone, males experience the brunt of genetic hair loss, according to Medical News Today. Females possess fewer male-hormone receptors in their hair follicles, making it almost impossible for them to go completely bald.
Gender
Men start losing their hair at a younger age than women do, but the playing field levels out around the age of 50. By the age of 50, nearly 50 percent of men and women have some form of thinning, according to eMedicine Health. However, appearances vary drastically from men to women. Men experience balding and intense, concentrated loss at the front hairline and on the top of their head. Women tend to thin all over, allowing them to hide their condition from others.
Causes
Approximately five percent of hair loss cases are caused by something other than heredity, according to Medical News Today. Causes include scarring, autoimmune disease, emotional or physical shock, excessive hairstyling, poor nutrition, certain medications, some diseases and medical treatments, hormone changes and scalp infection. Hair loss caused by all of these factors, with the exception of scarring, is considered temporary and reversible, as reported on the Mayo Clinic website.
Treatment
Treatments vary according to the cause of hair loss. Topical treatments such as Propecia and Rogaine slow down the hair loss process in cases of genetic hair loss, according to the Mayo Clinic. Surgery may also be an option for those who can afford it. Treatments for other types of hair loss seek to treat the underlying cause and vary from patient to patient.
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