Why do we lose hair?

The primary causes of hair loss include:

Genetics

Hair loss is inherited through a gene from either your mother or father. If your father is bald, you may have a 50% chance of following in his footsteps. Even though there are many wives tales about knowing who will lose their hair, it is only a probable chance that it will happen.

Stress

Accelerated hair loss can be linked to stress. Stress due to illness, death in the family, or hardships in life can cause hair loss.

Illness

Accelerated hair loss can be caused by chronic mental illness, any disease associated with high fever, chronic course of relative debilitation, post-pregnancy, oral contraceptives, drugs and nutrition.

Age

Baldness occurs when the normal growth stage begins to slow.

Sex

Though predominately associated with men, hair loss is a physiological event in both men and women. Hair loss is most commonly called Male Patterned Alopecia or Male Patterned Baldness (the receding hair line).

Male sex hormones or androgens account for hair loss. Minimum amounts of androgens must be present for hair loss to be present. Testosterone is converted to dihydrotestosterone or DHT, a powerful androgen. Different hairs produce different levels of DHT. Studies have shown that DHT levels increase in balding areas and remain low in non-balding areas. Good blood flow to the scalp allows the hairs to obtain the necessary nutrients for healthy hair. Without good blood flow to the scalp, hair loss is triggered.

The conversion of the hormone testosterone to DHT triggers a change in the genetically predisposed hair follicles at the front and top of the head. DHT will either cause the hair follicle to grow or not to grow. The genetic code of the hair cells determines how it will respond to the conversion. These follicles actually slow down production of the new hair until, over time, they stop producing completely and the hair follicle lies dormant. When the existing hair falls out, no new hair grows in that particular follicle to replace the lost strand.