The question of what causes hair loss has bugged men and women for a long time. However, if truth be told, we all lose hair, maybe up to 100 hairs every day. The human hair has a tendency of renewing itself where the old hair falls out and new hair grows in its place. This hair renewal happens in men and women. There is no cause for worry if you notice hair coming off on your comb in the morning but if you notice a receding hairline, then you have cause to get worried. Excessive hair loss in men is not extraordinary because today, we have so many bald men. However, this loss occurs later on in life. So, the question still remains… what causes hair loss? What makes it happen? Diet changes? Age? Hormonal changes? Of course, everyone wishes they could answer that because when you know the cause of something you can be able to stop it from happening.

Now there are many causes of hair loss in men and women. Some of them cause temporary hair loss while others may cause permanent hair loss. Therefore, if you have been losing hair, you want to know what causes hair loss so that you know what to expect. Now, the first major hair loss causes is age. As we grow older, our hair tends to thin out naturally. Therefore, if you are advancing in age and at the same time losing hair, then you should know that that is expected. It is important to know that the causes of hair loss in women are different from those that cause the same in men.

What Causes Hair Loss

What Causes Hair Loss In Men?

If your hair loss is male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia), then most likely, you inherited it from someone in your lineage from either side. What causes hair loss in men can sometimes be attributed to genetics. In such cases, it is hard to escape that but if precautions are taken early enough, the loss can be stopped.

Changes in the hormone testosterone are likely to cause hair loss.  This hormonal change or imbalance in males affects the hair follicles directly and so they just fall off, leaving very scanty hair on the head. The skin of the scalp changes the hormone testosterone to dihytestosterone and this is what affects the hair follicles causing them to fall off.

What Causes Hair Loss In Women?

Women too are not exempt from an attack on their crown of glory but perhaps it affects them worse than men. However, in women, most of the hair lost grows back unlike androgenetic alopecia in men where the hair never comes back on its own. Women may lose some hair when they hit menopause. Usually, at the age of 50, more than 50% of women will experience hair loss.

During pregnancy and childbirth, most women will lose hair for about six months. This occurs due to a destabilization of the hormones but after childbirth and after everything gets back on track, the hair grows back. When a woman is pregnant, the hormonal levels in her body are very high and they prevent the renewal of hair. After the level of hormone takes a dip after childbirth, the hair will thin noticeable and after some months, it starts growing back.

Lack of enough iron in the body also causes hair loss in women. This can be reversed easily by taking iron supplements. However, consult a doctor before using any supplements.

Hair treatments, especially the ones laced with chemicals also cause hair loss in women.

What Causes Hair Loss In Children?  

Hair loss has no boundaries because it occurs even in children. In children, the causes are more related to skin conditions than anything else. In addition, hair loss in children is temporary and as soon as the condition goes away, the hair starts to grow back. Children who are on other types of medication may also experience hair loss. This is temporary loss though.

If you notice excessive hair loss from your head, you should also ascertain whether it is happening on the head only or whether it is falling from other parts of the body too. Again, you should consult your doctor so that if the hair loss causes are related to health, you can get treatment on what causes hair loss early enough.