Possible Causes of Hair Loss

Hair Loss Basics

Everyone loses around 100 hairs from their head every day, but serious hair loss isn’t a “one cause fits all” type of problem; many factors contribute to hair loss.

Common Causes

The most common causes of hair loss are listed here.

Genetics: Yes, you knew it all along: It’s Mom’s (or Dad’s) fault that you have no hair. The overwhelming majority (up to 98 percent) of men with balding fall into the genetic category.

Female genetic balding occurs much less frequently, but up to 50 percent of women have hair loss related to their inherited genes. The good news is that only seven percent of men develop the most advanced balding pattern (left with just a 3 inch wreath of hair around the side and back of the head). If you’ve inherited this pattern, it’s usually evident by the time you’re 30.Genetic hair loss in men generally falls into one of several distinct hair loss patterns identified under the Norwood classification system.

In balding men, the hair around the sides of the head almost always retains a normal,
thick appearance.

In women, genetic hair loss is different; for one thing, it tends to occur as overall hair thinning (including the sides of the head) rather than loss of hair on certain areas of the head.

Diseases: A number of diseases as well as hormonal influences, including thyroid disease and anemia, cause hair loss. Autoimmune disease also can cause patchy hair loss.

Mechanical causes: This is caused by external forces such as tight braiding, rubber banding, turbans, or other hair torture devices that put stress and strain on your hair.


Stress: In some cases, stress can contribute to hair loss in those who are genetically predisposed to it or can result in a sudden loss of hair in a condition called telogen effluvium.

Medications: Many medicines, most notably anabolic steroids, birth control pills, antidepressants, and tranquiliz-
ers, can cause hair loss.