You can lose hair from a single patch on your scalp or all over your scalp. Rarely, you lose all your body hair.
-
It's normal to lose 50 to 100 hairs every day, as new hair grows and replaces old hair
-
Having a baby, losing a lot of weight quickly, taking certain medicines, having a serious illness, and going through other physically or mentally stressful situations can cause hair loss
-
Twisting or pulling out your hair Hair-Pulling Disorder (Trichotillomania) In hair-pulling disorder, people repeatedly pull their hair out, resulting in hair loss. People with hair-pulling disorder may feel tense or anxious just before they pull their hair out, and... read more
is another cause of hair loss—people may not notice they're doing it -
It can be bothersome to lose your hair, but hair loss may also be a sign of a serious health problem
-
Sometimes medicine can help regrow your hair, depending on what caused the hair loss
What causes hair loss?
The most common cause of hair loss is male- or female-pattern baldness.
Male- and female-pattern baldness runs in families. It can start as early as your 20s and gets more common as you grow older.
Losing Hair
Other causes of hair loss include:
-
Alopecia areata Alopecia Areata "Alopecia" means hair loss. "Areata" means occurring in patches. Alopecia areata is the sudden loss of patches of hair without any of the obvious causes. Your hair falls out in patches for no... read more , an autoimmune disorder Autoimmune Diseases "Auto" is a medical term for "self." The immune system is your body's defense system. It helps protect you from illness and infection. The immune system usually attacks invading bacteria, viruses... read more in which your body's immune defenses attack your hair follicles by mistake
-
Hormone imbalances, such as women who have too many male hormones or take anabolic steroids Anabolic Steroids Anabolic steroids are synthetic (man-made) versions of testosterone that are used to increase muscle size. Anabolic steroids are hormones that promote muscle growth and increase strength and... read more for bodybuilding
-
Nutrition problems, such as not getting enough iron Iron Deficiency Iron deficiency is a common cause of anemia, a condition in which the number of red blood cells is low. Iron deficiency usually results from loss of blood in adults (including bleeding from... read more or zinc Zinc Deficiency Zinc deficiency has many causes, including various disorders, alcoholism, and use of diuretics. People lose their appetite and hair and may feel sluggish and lose their sense of taste. Doctors... read more
-
Physical stresses, such as a high fever, surgery, a major illness, sudden weight loss, or pregnancy
-
Mental stress, causing you to pull out your hair
-
Injury to your hair follicles, such as from burns or radiation therapy, tight braids or rollers, chemical hair relaxers, or hot combs
