Everything You Need to Know About Hair Loss

Hair loss (alopecia) is a fairly common occurrence. While it’s more prevalent in older adults, anyone can hair fall reasons experience it, including children. It’s typical to lose between 50 and 100 hairs a day, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). With about 100,000 hairs on your head, that small loss isn’t noticeable. New hair normally replaces the lost hair, but this doesn’t always happen.

Hair loss can develop gradually over years or happen abruptly. Depending on the underlying cause, it may be temporary or permanent.

Trying to tell if you’re actually losing hair or just experiencing some normal shedding? Unsure if it’s time to see a doctor? Read on for more information about hair loss and how to manage it.


Hair loss symptoms
The main symptom of alopecia is losing more hair than usual, but this can be harder to identify than you might think.

The following symptoms can provide some clues:

Widening part. If you part your hair, you might start to notice your part getting wider, which can be a sign of thinning hair.
Receding hairline. Similarly, if you notice your hairline looking higher than usual, it may be a sign of thinning hair.
Loose hair. Check your brush or comb after using it. Is it collecting more hair than usual? If so, this may be a sign of hair loss.
Bald patches. These can range in size and can grow over time.
Clogged drains. You might find that your sink or shower drains are clogged with hair.
Pain or itching. If you have an underlying skin condition causing your hair loss, you might also feel pain or experience itching on your scalp.


What causes hair loss?
There are several types of hair loss, some are common and some are rarer, and each with different underlying causes.

Depending on the type of hair loss, it can be the result of genetics, internal causes, or external causes. Here’s a look at a few different types of hair loss:

Androgenic alopecia
Androgenic alopecia refers to hereditary hair loss, like male pattern baldness or female pattern baldness, and is also known as “pattern alopecia” because it can happen to both males and females.



Hair loss related to androgenic alopecia tends to happen gradually. While some people might experience hair loss as early as puberty, others might not notice symptoms until their middle ages.

Female pattern baldness often results in thinning all over the scalp and might look like widening or thinning around the part. It typically occurs after age 65 but, for some females, it can begin early in their lives.


Alopecia areata
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition that causes your immune system to attack hair follicles, resulting in bald patches that can range from small to large. In some cases, it might lead to total hair loss.

In addition to losing hair on the scalp, some people with alopecia areata lose hair from their eyebrows, eyelashes, or other parts of the body.

Learn more about alopecia areata.

Anagen effluvium
Anagen effluvium involves a rapid loss of hair. This usually happens because of radiation treatment or chemotherapy. Hair will usually regrow after the treatment stops.

Telogen effluvium
Telogen effluvium is a type of sudden hair loss that results from emotional or physical shock, like a traumatic event, period of extreme stress, or a serious illness.

It can also happen because of hormonal changes, like those that happen in:

childbirth
postpartum
menopause
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)