The causes of hair loss vary, depending on age, hormones, and genetic disposition. Hair loss may also be caused by medication and stress or trauma.

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Hair loss is common for women - there are more than 30 million women experiencing hair loss in North America. Forty percent of all women will have female pattern hair loss by the time they reach menopause.

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Many people think that wearing hats regularly causes hair loss, but it does not.

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Hair growth is genetically programmed and hair growth rate is not affected by close clipping, shaving, trimming, or cutting.

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Extensive hair brushing can actually cause breakage and stress the hair. Bristle or ball-tipped brushes are recommended to prevent hair loss.

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It is normal to lose between 50 and 100 hairs per day from the scalp.

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Alopecia Areata is spotty hair loss, resulting in completely smooth areas about the size of a quarter coin or larger. This hair loss condition is most common in people under 30. The cause of Alopecia Areata is unknown. However, for some patients, it resolves itself spontaneously within 18 months.

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Trichotillomania is an impulse disorder that causes people to pull out the hair from their scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, or other parts of the body, resulting in noticeable bald patches. It is currently defined as an impulse-control disorder, but there are still questions about how is it should be classified. Trichotillomania is estimated to affect 1% to 2% of the population, or 4 to 11 million Americans, 90% of them women.

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Chemotherapy can cause hair cells to stop dividing resulting in hair loss. In some cases, patients can lose up to 90% of their scalp hair. When the cancer treatment ends, the hair may possibly re-grow. Common chemotherapy drugs that cause hair loss include methotrexate, cyclophosohamide, blemycin, doxorubicin, mitomycin, cytarabine, vinblastine, and vincristine.

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