Hair loss can happen at any age, and for many different reasons, including heredity, stress, extended illness, poor diet habits, allergies, health problems or medical treatments. Over 4 million men, women and children will experience some form of hair loss.
As we age, it is expected that hair thickness and density lessen, however, hair loss can also be an inherited trait, where some people are biologically "given" to a premature reduction of hair.

There are also medical conditions that cause hair loss, often referred to as "alopecia". There are four types of alopecia: androgenetic, areata, totalis and universalilis. The most common type is androgenetic, which is associated with male and female pattern baldness. Alopecia areata appears as small, smooth circular patchy areas of hair loss. Alopecia totalis is the complete loss of scalp hair, and universailis alopecia is the complete loss of all body hair.

Understanding what is causing your hair loss is the first step in getting help AND treatment to reverse and even grow thicker, healthier hair in the process! Hair loss can usually be attributed to the following common causes:

Short term or every day stress will not cause your hair to fall out; however a repeated pattern of stress, including emotional and physical stress, can affect your sleep, diet and living patterns, which can had adverse effects on your body, causing temporary hair loss.  Long term stress can cause physiological changes in your body, which can cause a change in  physiological functions. However, this usually happens over a long period of time, and usually ends when the stressful period is over.  Hair loss can be one way the body responds to significant physiological stress that may be brought on by diet, medical, or lifestyle changes.  Certain "trigger events", such as sudden or excessive weight loss, a high fever, surgery, or a death in the family can also cause temporary hair loss.  

The most common cause of male and female pattern baldness is heredity. If Uncle George or Aunt Sally experienced hair loss at an early age, along with their parents or grandparents, its probably certain that pattern baldness runs in the family. Heredity also affects the age at which you begin to lose hair, the rate of hair loss and the extent of baldness. It is usually noticeable as a receding hairline and bald spots in men and thinning hair in women.

From pregnancy to childbirth to menopause, hormones can wreak havoc on a woman's body, causing temporary hair loss. Thyroid conditions in men and women can also affect hair loss. Certain illnesses and skin conditions can also cause or aggravate hair loss, including scalp infections, such as ringworm, and certain medical conditions such as lupus or sarcoidosis. Once these medical conditions are treated, hair usually grows back.  

Hair loss can be caused by drugs used for cancer, arthritis, depression, heart problems, high blood pressure and birth control. Intake of too much vitamin A may cause hair loss as well. Radiation treatment, especially to the head, can cause a significant thinning or irreversible hair loss that may not grow back the same as it was. Chemotherapy drugs can damage hair follicles, causing hair to fall out. Some drugs can even cause hair loss on the scalp and the loss of pubic hair, arm and leg hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes. Fortunately, hair usually starts to grow back once the treatment has ended, and oftentimes before.