The average person loses an estimated 100 hairs every day through the natural cycle of hair growth, states MedlinePlus, a service of the National Institutes of Health. However, several different conditions may cause you to experience abnormal or excessive hair loss, especially around your hairline. These range from health-related issues to psychological conditions. Styling problems may also be responsible for hair loss around your hairline.
Pattern Baldness
Pattern baldness, or androgenetic alopecia, is one common reason why you may be losing hair around your hairline. Pattern baldness is seen in both men and women, and it occurs when hair becomes gradually weaker and less rooted with each hair growth cycle. This allows the hair to fall out more easily, creating a receding hairline or bald spot on the scalp. If you have family members who have pattern baldness, you are more likely to suffer from similar hair loss, suggests MayoClinic.com.
Permanent Scarring
Serious infections, including common ones associated with skin problems like acne, can cause inflammation and scarring around the hair follicles of your hairline. This permanent scarring disables the follicle's ability to properly grow new hair strands, resulting in hair loss around the hairline.
Autoimmune Diseases
Certain autoimmune diseases may cause problems with hair loss. One of the most common is alopecia areata, which causes the body's immune system to attack healthy hair follicles, resulting in hair loss. Alopecia areata affects more than 4.7 million people in the United States, according to statistics provided by the National Alopecia Areata Foundation.
Styling
Certain hairstyles may have an impact on hair loss, especially around the hairline. Tight hairstyles like ponytails or buns place stress on the hair roots of your forehead and the rest of your scalp. Over time, this stress may damage the hair follicles and result in hair loss. Regular extreme styling, such as using flat irons or chemical straighteners, may also result in hair loss.
Medications
Certain medications may interrupt hair growth. These medications include those used for depression, heart disease, high blood pressure and chemotherapy cancer treatment.
Psychological Causes
Hair loss around the hairline may be caused by psychological issues such as trichotillomania or telogen effluvium. Trichotillomania is a psychological disorder that causes those affected by it to have an overwhelming urge to pull out their hair, including the hair around the hairline. Telogen effluvium is a type of hair loss that occurs after a major shock to the system; it may involve emotional or physical distress. For example, a car wreck, a death in the family or extreme weight loss through starvation diets may lead to telogen effluvium.
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