Understanding Hair Loss: Causes, Treatments, and Prevention

There are many common causes of hair loss including medication and stress. Illness and some diseases will cause hair loss whether you are a man or woman. In some cases it is considered genetic and a part of aging. A common hair loss issue with men is called patterned baldness, but women can also experience the same problem. Poor nutrition and stress are two more common causes of hair loss.

Disease

• Some diseases that cause hair loss include diabetes, lupus, alopecia and thyroid problems. There are five types of alopecia: traction (excessive hair styling), telogen effluvium (disruption in normal hair cycle), alopecia areata (autoimmune disorder), cicatrical (inflammation causes scarring) and androgenetic (patterned baldness).

Hormone Changes

• Temporary hair loss can occur from changes in hormones due to stress, birth control pills, menopause, and giving birth. The excessive increase of testosterone can cause hair loss.

Hair Treatments

• Hair color including bleaches and permanents are a common cause of hair loss when used too frequently. Combining treatments will cause scarring of the scalp and contribute to hair loss.

Scalp Infections

• Another common cause of hair loss is infections of the scalp. Ring worm and fungal infections are the most common of scalp infections.

Medication

• Another common cause of hair loss is the use of certain medications like chemotherapy, radiation treatment and in some cases pegylated interferon alfa for the treatment of hepatitis C will cause hair loss.