Alopecia is the medical term for hair loss and it affects millions of men and women worldwide. While hair loss is different for every person, there are common causes and contributing factors including genetics, age and hormones. Often, people have more than one contributing factor, which leads to a cumulative effect of more severe hair loss that occurs at a faster rate. Whether you�re struggling with a receding hairline, overall thinning or patchy hair loss, you�ve come to the right place for information.

Only a medical professional can diagnose the true cause of hair loss, but the most common reason both men and women lose their hair is genetics. This condition is called androgenetic alopecia and it means being born with a propensity for hair loss. Androgenetic alopecia is also known as male and female pattern hair loss, and it can come from either or both the mother�s side or father�s side of the family.

Men experiencing male pattern baldness typically lose their hair in a very predictable and visible way. Hair loss begins with receding at the temples and/or thinning at the crown. As hair loss progresses, the two balding areas eventually meet in the middle, leaving hair only on the back and sides of the head. The reason this band of hair remains is that it�s resistant to a hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Men with male pattern baldness are born with a sensitivity to DHT that attacks hair follicles at the crown and along the hairline, particularly at the temples.