The Cause of Male Hair Loss

Why is My Hair Falling Out?

Finding your hair is beginning to fall out can be anxiety-provoking. The majority of the time, it’s nothing to worry about – but if it starts coming out in significant amounts, you may have cause for concern.

Loss of hair on the head can happen for many reasons. There can be a variety of medical causes for hair loss from alopecia or during chemotherapy all the way to PTSD and various hormonal changes.

If you’re experiencing the first signs of balding or are developing bald spots but you don’t suffer from any such medical conditions, stress and genetics are likely to blame. This combination is the most common cause of hair loss in men under 25.

Male pattern hair loss (also known as androgenetic alopecia) is an issue that affects almost all men to some degree as they grow older.

It usually follows this pattern:

1. Male pattern hair loss and balding most commonly begins with the hairline slowly receding and becoming thinner at either side. You will also often notice the hair at the top of your head beginning to thin out over time.
2. Another common sign of hair loss is a bald patch appearing on the crown of the head.
3. All of these receding spots eventually get larger and merge together, leaving a patch of at the front which will usually continue to recede, leading to complete baldness.

The measuring tool shown below is known as the Norwood Hamilton Scale and is the industry standard for classifying hair loss in men – you can use it to compare your own hair loss – Where do you fall on the scale?

What Causes Hair Loss in Men?

Why does men’s hair fall out? What causes bald spots? Is there anything that contributes to making balding go faster?

Let us explain:

Healthy people, in general, tend to typically lose about one hundred hairs a day. New hairs constantly sprouting from the scalp (often referred to as baby hair) means that this loss isn’t usually noticeable and doesn’t lead to any significant thinning of the hair.

Hair loss is caused when this cycle of hair growth and replenishment is halted or disrupted for any reason.

The destruction of hair follicles and due to injury or trauma or being replaced by scar tissue are also leading causes.

Outside of injuries, the most common causes of hair loss in men tend to be related to one or a combination of the below factors:

Genetics or Heredity Hair Loss

The most common reason for thinning hair or hair loss is a hereditary condition we’ve already mentioned known as male-pattern baldness. This often happens gradually with ageing — and can usually be identified by a receding hairline and bald spots in older men. Genetics are a major factor, so if your father or grandfather suffer from baldness you may be at increased risk of suffering from this as time goes on.

Hormonal Changes and Medical Conditions

Hormonal changes can often be the most common cause of hair loss in women. While people don’t often connect hair loss in men with hormones, your hormonal composition does change as you get older, meaning this is likely a strong cause in men too. The way your follicles respond to the presence of a hormone called dihydrotestosterone is a big factor behind hair loss.

Medical conditions such as alopecia areata, (which results in patchy hair loss), scalp infections such as ringworm and a hair-pulling disorder called trichotillomania are also common conditions leading to baldness and hair loss. Diseases such as diabetes or lupus have also been suggested to lead to hair loss.

Medications and Supplements

There have been suggestions that treatments and medications for the following conditions can contribute to hair loss:

• Arthritis
• Depression
• Heart problems
• Gout
• High blood pressure

Radiotherapy or Chemotherapy

Cancer treatment can cause trauma to the follicles and to the head in general. When the follicles are damaged, unfortunately, there is always a risk of the hair not growing back. If you have beaten cancer and are no longer receiving radiotherapy or chemotherapy, a hair transplant procedure can be an excellent way to get your confidence and vitality back.

Stressful Events or Shock

While it’s commonly known that the slow progress of hair loss and balding can be exacerbated and accelerated due to stress, more traumatic events that involve physical or emotional shock can lead to months of hair thinning symptoms. This type of hair loss is often temporary and can usually be overcome naturally, but in extreme cases, a hair transplant procedure may be required.

Certain Hairstyles or Hair Treatments

Excessive hairstyling or hairstyles that put your hair under stress for long periods of time, for example, pigtails or cornrows, often lead to a kind of hair loss known as Traction Alopecia. Hot oil hair treatments can also cause the inflammation of hair follicles that potentially leads to hair loss. If scarring to the follicles occurs, hair loss can, unfortunately, be permanent – which is where we come in.

How Do I Prevent Hair Loss?

If you don’t suffer from any of the illnesses above and don’t have male pattern baldness in your family, the biggest threat to your hair is likely stress.

There are some basic steps you can take to help combat this including:

• Eating healthy and keeping hydrated
• Regular exercise
• Meditation, mindfulness and other stress relievers

There are also some nutritional deficiencies that can lead to hair loss so this is generally a good idea anyway. Keeping yourself healthy and stress-free can go a long way towards keeping your hair healthy and long-lasting.

Talk to HQ today

At HQ Hair Transplants we understand that male pattern baldness can be stressful, embarrassing and disruptive to your confidence and overall positivity.

This is why our team of specialists endeavour to provide you with the best possible care and procedures to make sure hair loss doesn’t need to be a barrier to your life and goals.

HQ Hair Transplants offers the highest quality hair loss treatments and transplants available thanks to our outstanding team of hair loss experts and surgeons. Feel free to get in touch with us today on 0800 193 388