There are various causes of hair loss in men and women. Hormonal imbalances, emotional stress, fungal infections and medications are just some of the causes of hair loss. It is important that you know what is causing your hair loss so that you will know how to treat it and prevent further hair loss. This article will discuss some of the most common causes of hair loss in men and women.
Hair Loss Causes in Men
• Physical or Emotional Trauma – Physical or emotional trauma is one of the causes of hair loss in men. The shock caused by a physical or emotional trauma can cause telogen effluvium. Telogen effluvium is a condition that makes your hair stop growing and eventually fall out.
• Unhealthy Diet – Your hair needs nutrients in order to sustain rapid growth. If your body lacks zinc, biotin and iron, it may cause your hair to fall out. Restore these nutrients by adding eggs, broccoli, and spinach to your diet.
• Hormones and Genes – Hormonal imbalances or genetics are believed to be the cause of male pattern baldness in men. Hormones or a genetic predisposition can cause your hair follicles to shrink, resulting in finer and shorter hair. Eventually, your hair follicles do not grow new hair anymore. Hair thinning on your crown and a receding hairline are symptoms of male pattern baldness.
• Fungal Infection – Fungal infections can also cause hair loss. Tinea capitis is one of the fungal infections that can cause hair loss in men. Tinea capitis is like an “athlete’s foot on the head.” The white blood cells that battle the fungal infection also harm your hair follicles, causing you to lose your hair.
Hair Loss Causes in Women
• Telogen effluvium – Telogen effluvium occurs after a woman’s pregnancy. It is also a side effect of some medications. During telogen effluvium, your hair shifts quicker than normal from the growing phase to the resting phase. This causes your hair to move to the shedding phase quicker, and you lose more hair than normal.
• Androgenetic alopecia – Androgenetic alopecia is hair loss caused by genes. The gene is inherited from your father’s or mother’s side of the family. Androgenetic alopecia causes thinning at your hairline behind your bangs. This condition develops slowly and sometimes starts as early as during your 20s. You are also more prone to this condition if your mother has telogen effluvium.
• Alopecia areata – Alopecia areata causes hair loss in both men and women. It is an autoimmune disease with various degrees of hair loss severity. In less severe cases, you only lose small patches of hair that regrow without any medical treatment. In severe cases of alopecia areata, you lose all the hair on your scalp as well as the hair on your body. This disease affects both genders and occurs at any age but is found to occur more often in young adults and children. This disease affects about 2% of the United States population.
