Condition Basics

What is hair loss?

Hair loss is hair that is thinning or is falling out of your scalp. It's fairly common. Everyone loses some hair every day. Losing up to 100 hairs a day is normal.

But if hair loss runs in your family, you could lose a lot more hair. With this kind of hair loss, you may end up with bald spots if you're a man. If you're a woman, you may find that the hair on the top of your head is slowly thinning.

What causes it?

In most cases, hair loss is inherited. That means it's passed down from one or both of your parents. Age, stress, poor diet, certain diseases, and side effects of medicines or medical treatments can also cause hair loss.

What are the symptoms?

Your symptoms will depend on what kind of hair loss you have. If your hair is thinning, you may not notice the hairs falling out. If your hair is shedding, then clumps of hair fall out. You may lose hair all over your scalp, or you may lose hair only in one area.

What does inherited hair loss look like?

Inherited hair loss (androgenetic alopecia, also known as male- or female-pattern hair loss) is the most common cause of hair loss. It is inherited from either or both the mother and the father.

• In men, hair loss occurs on the scalp above the forehead and on the top of the head. Bald spots are noticeable.
• In women, hair loss occurs as thinning of the hair all over the scalp, but mostly on the top of the head. Women tend to keep their front hairline and do not generally develop bald spots.

How is hair loss diagnosed?

Your doctor will ask you about your past health and examine your scalp and hair loss pattern. Your doctor may gently pull out a few hairs for tests. If it's not clear what's causing your hair loss, your doctor may do a blood test or look at a sample of your hair or scalp.

How is it treated?

Treatment for hair loss depends on the cause. It also depends on your feelings. You may decide that you need treatment, or you may not be worried about thinning hair or baldness. The choice is up to you.

If hair loss is caused by something that won't last or can be treated, your hair is likely to grow back. For example, if an underactive thyroid is causing the problem, taking thyroid medicine may help. And most hair lost during chemotherapy will grow back after the treatment ends.

Hair loss that runs in the family can be treated with medicines or hair transplant surgery. Some people choose to wear hairpieces, like wigs or toupees. Finding different ways of styling your hair, like dyeing or combing, can help.

If hair loss is caused by something you can control, like stress or medicines, you can treat it by getting rid of the cause.