CAUSES OF HAIR LOSS

The cause of hair loss is a controversial issue and disagreement is widespread even with the so called experts. There are many opinions on the subject and even more recommendations on how to stop hair loss or at least slow it down. There are some products which are even supposed to help regrow hair, however this is also debatable and can vary between person to person.

Adrogenetic Alopecia or so called male pattern baldness can be a man's worse nightmare, everyone loses hair but lets face it men do it faster and more efficiently than women. Male pattern baldness is a natural process and unfortunately is a part of getting older; if you are between the ages of 18 - 45 and you start to lose hair from your scalp then the probability that you are experiencing male-pattern baldness is very high.

To the despair of most men we are genetically predisposed to male pattern baldness and this is by far the biggest cause of hair lose in men. It also affects different groups of people to different extents. Supposedly more than 50% of white men will experience some level of male pattern baldness by the age of 50, while some other races in Asia such as the Japanese are not affected as much. Scientific research has shown that the gene for hair loss comes from either or both sides of the family, and contrary to popular belief, is not linked only to your mother's side. If your immediate family have experienced hair loss it is more than probable that you will also suffer this condition in your lifetime.

There is normally a consistent pattern in male hair loss with generally a gradual loss of hair at the temples / crown of the head and then eventually over time this leads to complete loss of hair on top of the head or in some cases all over.


DHT
Scientists believe that the male hormone testosterone or more importantly dihydrotesterone is the cause behind hair loss. DHT is produced when the enzyme 5 alpha reductase combines with testosterone. This overabundance of DHT leads to follicles that produce weaker, shorter and thinner hair and eventually over time this will cause it to stop producing hair. This DHT imbalance leads to baldness (androgenetic alopecia).
Since all of us all have DHT that is made by our bodies and only some people suffer from hair loss and others don't there must be something else at work here. This other factor is having hair follicles that have a bigger percentage of Androgen receptors for the DHT to attach to and this is the component that is passed on through the genes of your parents. Male hormones start activating when a man is sexually mature so it is rare that a male will experience hair loss before puberty.

Stress

In my own personal view and many others, stress can be a contributing factor behind hair loss, this can also be said for other many other illness we face in our lifetimes. Stress appears to be a product of modern day life, however it did exist in the past, but it would of never of had the same kind of coverage it does today due to the media age we now live in. Today's society especially in the west is so fast it is sometime hard to keep up and maybe thats why Caucasians suffer from hair loss more than other races. Our lifestyles seem to run at a furious and hectic pace and this even comes down to the way we eat food as more and more of us consume rubbish fast food at an alarming rate. Have any of you considered taking your full lunch time at work? I can tell you now that myself and the people I work with don't take there full lunch breaks and most of the time you have consumed your food within 20 minutes and you are straight back to your desk staring at your PC monitor!
Of course this is just a small factor of possible stress but work stress is definitely a big player in the overall stress you face in your life, however if this leads to your hair falling out no one can be certain, but it certainly can't help.
Among other hair loss causes there are also other factors in hair loss, these are listed below:

Injury or serious trauma
Poor diet
Environmental
Toxic substances
Medicines
Radiation (chemotherapy)
Hormonal imbalance


Possible cures
I don't believe there is a complete cure for hair loss but there are most certainly some products out there which help slow down or prevent further hair loss, some of these products even promote that they can regrow some of your hair. These products either come in the form of a pill or just a liquid such as a shampoo and some of them are claiming big successes.
First off I recommend you get diagnosed first and to make sure your hair loss is not due to any other factor other than androgenetic alopecia. If your hair loss is a natural process than I would start looking into the many products available on the net today and do some serious research about the issue.
Of course there are easier options such as wigs or if your have the money hair replacement surgery, however I believe most people don't want to or ever consider wearing a wig as its just to embarrassing or too much hassle or just doesn't work. Hair replacement treatment is also a no no for most people as it's either too expensive or they are just scared of the whole idea of taking hair from one part of your head and attaching it to another part.