Hair loss, better known to the ones in medical profession ad alopecia, is a problem which affects almost all adults in their respective ages. Though the causes may vary depending on the person, one of the major reasons is genetic predisposition (androgenic alopecia). Alopecia is a broad term referring to hair loss in any part of the body. But normally people experience loss of head hair only- alopecia areata, a term which refers to loss of hair in just one section of the body.

Androgenic alopecia often leads to baldness in males whereas in the case of women it just causes thinning of hair, rarely causing baldness. Research relates this form of hair loss to hormones called androgens, dihydrotestosterone(DHT) to be specific. Androgens are hormones responsible for regulating hair growth and sexual drive in males and females. Genetic factors cause the hair follicles to shrink when exposed to DHT, thus affecting normal hair growth.

Apart from the genetic causes of hair loss, other common reasons include compulsive hair pulling due to psychological problems- trichotillomania, chemotherapy, hair-styling routines, hormonal and iron deficiencies, fungal attacks and so on. Chemotherapy often results in loss of hair from almost all parts of the body, even the eyebrows, because of the side effects of drugs used.

Hair loss among teenagers is mostly due to the freaky hair styling ways they adopt. This includes the use of styling gels, hair relaxer solutions, hot hair irons, way too tight ponytails or braids etc. Some of them even prefer being bald and consider it as a modern trend. Hats off to those guys!

Treatment of alopecia depends on its causative factors. Many products are there in the market for those who care a lot about their hair. Thought most of them are known to cause serious side effects, those which contain natural ingredients don’t cause much harm.