Hair Loss Causes

Hair loss or baldness is an occurrence only adults, supposedly, worry about. Approximately 30 percent of male and female adults in their 30's lose their hair and increases to 50 percent in people in their 50's. Losing your hair may begin with only a few hairs draining down the sink, caught after combing, or left on your pillow after waking up.

Everyone loses about 50-100 hair strands a day that simply grow back in the same hair follicle – which is absolutely normal. People's hair on the scalps has a resting (telogen) phase, which is a 2-3-month cycle, after which it sheds and the cycle begins again. Generally, new hairs grow approximately half an inch every month.

However, some people shed more hair that out speed the rate of hair regrowth. At this point, balding occurs. There are several causes of hair loss, and the reasons could any of the following:

Certain drugs that cause hair loss, as a side effect, are some medicines for acne like isotretinoin, and lithium (used for the treatment of bipolar disorder). In addition, diet pills containing amphetamines as well as contraceptive pills are also causes of hair loss in women. Some women may experience hair loss after delivering a baby due to a shift in hormones to the pre-conception state.

Some treatments for cancer like chemotherapy medications and radiation therapy are likewise hair loss causes, although certain cancers like lymphoma and leukemia can be causes of hair loss even before the beginning of treatment.

Poor nutrition is also a cause of female hair loss and also that of men. People need adequate amounts of protein and iron because each strand of the human hair on the scalp chiefly contains keratin (a type of protein) that needs nourishment in order to sustain health. A deficiency of these nutrients can result to excessive shedding of hair. This is mainly the reason why people with eating disorders are more likely to shed more hair than the average people.

Endocrine conditions (that instigates hormonal imbalance) may interfere with the normal hair cycle and regrowth. People with uncontrolled diabetes, thyroid disease, lupus, kidney and liver diseases,

Androgenetic alopecia or hereditary hair loss causes 98 percent of hair loss both in men and women, but is more prevalent in men. About 20 percent of men may suffer from androgenetic alopecia by the age of 20, about 50 percent of them show symptoms at age 50, and 80 percent of men lose their hair by the age of 80. Women are equally prone to shed hair but it is typically delayed by 10 years.

Alopecia areata is known as an autoimmune disease but what causes hair loss under this condition is still unknown. The body itself attacks the hair follicles, in this condition. After years of examining patients, it was revealed that people with alopecia areata are generally healthy. Some scientists hold on to the idea that certain people are genetically prone to developing alopecia areata and that an environmental trigger could set it off.

People with a family history of alopecia areata are almost certainly to develop the condition. You need not despair if you have this condition, however, since in most cases hair regrows within a couple years.

In addition to the hair loss causes is trichotillomania - an intentional cause of hair loss in people having this psychological disorder, making them pull their hair that often leads to bald spots. People with trichotillomania need to seek a mental professional's help before they pull out and damage all the hair on their scalp.

Hair loss causes may also include scalp infection, hair treatments, repeated hairstyles, and trauma. It is always best to seek medical help to ensure your hair loss is not a symptom of something else.