One of the first things we look at on a person we meet whether we know them or not, is their hair. Hair loss is a major concern for many people, primarily men but women are affected as well and it can affect how you see yourself and how you believe others see you.

The word balding does not get used as much today but hair loss is primarily a genetic trait which members of the same family suffer although there are other factors involved, it may take quite a while for science to find a genetic cure to the problem. The primary cause of balding in men and women is that it is a genetic trait passed down by their parents but baldness can be cause by other conditions. When the problem effects men in a particular family, it is common to find particular areas of the scalp that are more sensitive to hormonal changes as they grow older and these are the areas that are affected by hair loss.

So the hair loss really occurs when male and female hormones are not in the correct proportions. While this much is known, where hair loss is a genetic trait there isn't as yet a way to cure it.

Male pattern-baldness is also something that women can suffer with as well but is treatable and the result of a hormone that aids sexual development in people and is common in both sexes called DHT. To help reduce the amount of DHT in the hair follicles, tables like Provillus are available or you can also use a shampoo like Rogaine to help increase the growth of hair. Of course hair replacement treatments like transplant surgery are generally successful as the hair from the areas where the DHT level is higher are replaced by hair from other areas of the head that are not as sensitive to the hormone.

Our hair growth takes place in cycles which last between two to six years and at any one time about ten percent of our hair is in a dormant phase and not growing but starts to shed after a few months when new hair will grow in its place. It must be noted that hair loss is quite normal and hair can grow over 1 centimeter each month during the growing phase but there are people that, owing to other reasons, will lose more than this per month.

There are many misconceptions relating to hair loss with reasons like stress, wearing a hat that is too tight or poor blood flow even sweat, but these are all inaccurate. While it is possible to lose hair through stress, this has to be extreme like that caused by torture for example and not everyday stress and generally, when this occurs, the condition is reversible.

It is also possible to have a hair loss problem if you have been subject to chemotherapy, have taken pills to control depression or hormones, if you have a diabetes and even an excess of vitamin A can cause the condition along with infections of the scalp. A permanent solution to hair loss might take sometime and while many people wait anxiously for it, they will have to use what science has devised so far.