Hair loss in men and women can be triggered by a variety of habits and conditions, but a receding hairline is typically the result of the natural process of aging. A receding hairline, also known as male pattern baldness, involves a gradual thinning of hair above the temples and near the crown of the head. In addition to age, factors such as genetics, hair styling and diets can also interrupt normal growth and cause the hairline to recede.
Aging
Hair undergoes an ongoing cycle of growth, called the anagen phase, and rest, the telogen phase. After a growth phase of approximately 2 to 3 years, the follicles rest for several months before shedding the hair. Over time, hormones known as androgens cause the growth phase of each follicle to become shorter, according to the Genetics Home Reference. The follicles shrink, resulting in thinner, shorter hair strands. Eventually, these follicles stop growing hairs altogether, producing a balding scalp.
Genetic Predisposition
For most individuals, the onset and extent of pattern baldness is largely predetermined by genetics, the Mayo Clinic states. Although hair thins naturally as you age, a receding hairline is more likely to occur when alopecia is inherited genetically. Genetics influence how early hair loss begins and the degree of hair loss. Alopecia can affect men even in the teenage years or early twenties. Although women can experience pattern baldness, the hair typically thins throughout the scalp rather than at the hairline.
Damaging Hairstyles
Hairstyles or treatments that put too much stress on the hair follicles can cause a form of hair loss known as traction alopecia. AgingSkinNet, a service of the American Academy of Dermatology, warns against hair care practices that can produce temporary or permanent scarring to the scalp. Using chemical treatments, heat-based styling products like flatirons, or pulling hair too tightly can cause harmful breakage and disrupt the growth cycle.
Diet
Poor nutrition or significant weight loss can throw off the hormonal cycles in the body and stimulate unexpected hair loss, according to Sound Medicine, a website sponsored by the Indiana University Medical Group. An inadequate diet that is lacking in essential nutrients such as protein and iron can induce the telogen phase prematurely, especially if the individual is already predisposed to androgenetic alopecia.
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