Going bald is a fact of life for millions of men. Adults lose about 10,000 scalp hairs each and every day. Hair normally lives for around five years. With male pattern baldness these hairs do not always get replaced and gradually bald areas appear. This process can however take a long time and the age at which you start to lose hair does not necessarily provide any clues as to how long it will be until you define yourself as bald. There are a number of reasons why men start to go bald, but if you are a man between the ages of about 20 to 45 and you start to lose scalp hair, then the chances are 95 per cent certain that you are experiencing male pattern baldness. As the term suggests, male pattern baldness follows a typical sequence or pattern.

The normal cycle of hair growth and loss

The normal cycle of hair growth lasts for 2 to 6 years. Each hair grows approximately 1 centimeter (less than half an inch) per month during this phase. About 90 percent of the hair on your scalp is growing at any one time. About 10 percent of the hair on your scalp, at any one time, is in a resting phase. After 2 to 3 months, the resting hair falls out and new hair starts to grow in its place.
It is normal to shed some hair each day as part of this cycle. However, some people may experience excessive (more than normal) hair loss. Hair loss of this type can affect men, women and children.

Excessive Hair Loss Reasons

A number of things can cause excessive hair loss. For example, about 3 or 4 months after an illness or a major surgery, you may suddenly lose a large amount of hair. This hair loss is related to the stress of the illness and is temporary.
Hormonal problems may cause hair loss. If your thyroid gland is overactive or underactive, your hair may fall out.
Certain infections can cause hair loss. Fungal infections of the scalp can cause hair loss in children.
Finally, hair loss may occur as part of an underlying disease, such as lupus or diabetes.

The common baldness

The term “common baldness” usually means male-pattern baldness, or permanent-pattern baldness. Male-pattern baldness is the most common cause of hair loss in men. Men who have this type of hair loss usually have inherited the trait. Men who start losing their hair at an early age tend to develop more extensive baldness. In male-pattern baldness, hair loss typically results in a receding hair line and baldness on the top of the head.

Male Pattern Baldness

The male pattern baldness form of androgenetic alopecia accounts for more than 95% of hair loss in men. By age 35, two-thirds of UK and EU men will have some degree of appreciable hair loss and by age 50 approximately 85% of men have significantly thinning hair. About 25% of men who suffer from male pattern baldness begin the painful process before they reach 21.
Most men who suffer from male pattern baldness are extremely unhappy with their situation and would do anything to change it. Hair loss affects every aspect of their life. It affects interpersonal relationships as well as their professional life. It is not uncommon for men to change their career paths because of hair loss.

The Causes of Male Pattern Baldness

Most men are genetically predisposed to male pattern baldness. It is the effect of hormones on the hair follicle that produces male pattern baldness. Testosterone, a hormone that is present in high levels in males after puberty, is converted to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. DHT has an adverse affect on the hair follicles. Acting on a hormone receptor on the hair follicle it slows down hair production and produces weak, shorter hair, sometimes it stops hair growth from the follicle completely. This process gradually depletes your stock of hair and is normal hair loss.

Know about DHT

Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is a derivative or by-product of testosterone. Testosterone converts to DHT with the aid of the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase. While the entire genetic process of male pattern baldness is not completely understood, scientists do know that DHT shrinks hair follicles, and that when DHT is suppressed, hair follicles continue to thrive. Today, with proper treatment, this process can be slowed or even stopped if caught early enough.

Treatments for hair loss Online

Depending on your type of hair loss, treatments are available. If a medicine is causing your hair loss, your doctor may be able to prescribe a different medicine. Recognizing and treating an infection may help stop the hair loss. Correcting a hormone imbalance may prevent further hair loss.
Medicines may also help slow or prevent the development of common baldness. One medicine, finasteride (brand name: Propecia) is available with a prescription, it is a FDA-approved products have been clinically proven to stop or prevent hair loss. It comes in pills and is only for men. You can buy it online from the site propeciafinasteride.co.uk .
Propecia Hair Loss Treatment Pills
Finasteride is the generic name for the brand name drugs Propecia. Finasteride was originally developed by the pharmaceutical company Merck as a drug to treat enlarged prostate glands.
During the trials on men with prostate problems, researchers noted an intriguing side effect: hair growth. Since finasteride had already been approved by the FDA to treat enlarged prostates in men, Merck decided to pursue the possibility of developing finasteride as the first pill to treat male pattern baldness.
In December 1997, the FDA approved a 1mg dose of finasteride for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia (male pattern baldness) in men. Propecia is the first drug in history to effectively treat male pattern baldness in the majority of men who use it.

Hair loss in men is caused by heredity, hormones, and age. One of the main reason is the over production of the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which causes them to shrink. This “shrinkage” results in overall thinning with time. This causes thinning and baldness in men.

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Below are some common hair loss myths.
Myth: Losing an average of a hundred hairs per day is normal. Don’t worry about it.
Fact: It’s true only if you don’t have MPB (male pattern baldness). Everyone loses some hair each day. Some hair loss is a normal part of human hair growth.When a hair is released from a hair follicle, new hair growth should replace the lost hair. If you are experiencing male hair loss, the follicles which produce hair are in the process of shrinking. At this stage the hairs being produced are thinner and shorter. As time progresses these follicles die and no new hair are produced to replace the lost hair, and extensive hair loss begins.
Myth: You can increase the number of hair follicles by using drugs or other methods such as hair loss products.
Fact: No. The number and diameter of your hair follicles is completely out of your control. It is hereditary.
Myth: Cutting or shaving hair can cause faster hair growth, with more thickness.
Fact: No. Hair grows at an average rate of one centimeter a month. Because each hair shaft is slightly thicker at its base compared to its tip, hair can temporarily appear thicker for about a week after it has been cut.
Myth: Wearing hats can cause hair loss.
Fact: Unless the hat is worn so tight as to cut off circulation to the hair follicles, wearing a hat does not cause hair to fall out. Instead, hats can contribute positively by blocking the sun and preventing sunburn. Wearing a hat for too long especially in hot and humid climate, however, can contribute to the excretion and accumulation of sebum and oil on your hair.
Sebum is a waxy substance that is secreted by the sebaceous glands in your skin onto hair follicles. Over time, sebum can react with cholesterol to create a hardened sebum plug that cuts off oxygen circulation to the hair follicles and cause it to fall out. Sebum plug can also accumulate dirt and become a breeding ground for bacteria thereby contributing to hair loss.
Myth: Blow drying and frequent washing causes hair loss.
Fact: Unless they are done excessively, blow drying and washing your hair frequently will not cause hair loss.
However, heat damaged hair is often brittle and prone to shedding. Too much heat can also permanently damage hair follicles, leading to hair loss. Similarly, physical damage to hair due to overaggressive shampooing or toweling can lead to a hair loss condition called traction alopecia. Similarly, coloring hair, perming, and styling – when done properly – do not lead to hair loss.
Myth: There is nothing you can do to prevent or treat hair loss.
Fact: This last myth is probably the most misunderstood thing about hair loss. In the past, this was true – there was nothing that could be done about hair loss. But now, with advances in science and hair loss product research has increased understanding about the nutritional needs of hair, men and women no longer have to live with hair loss treatment.
Article Written by Raj Pandey

Article Source: http://www.lifestyle-information-services.com

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The hair growth cycle normally lasts for 2 to 6 years. Each strand grows approximately 1 centimeter per month during this phase. About 90 percent of the hair on your scalp is randomly growing. The remaining 10 percent of the hair on your scalp, at any one time, is in a resting phase. After 2 to 3 months, the resting hair falls out and new hair begins to develop in its place.

This resting phase makes it normal to shed some hair each day as part of the cycle. However, some people may experience excessive hair loss. Hair loss that is more than normal can affect everybody, and it is good to know what causes this.

There are a number of things that can cause excessive hair loss. For example, about 3 or 4 months after an illness or a major surgery, a patient may abruptly lose a large amount of hair. This hair loss is associated to the stress of the illness and is temporary. Another example is when women just had a baby. This loss, that may occur 3 months after giving birth to most women, is also related to hormones. During pregnancy stage, high levels of certain hormones make the hair more attached to the body which minimizes hair loss. After birth, the hormones return to pre-pregnancy levels making that hair fall out. Then the normal cycle of growth and loss starts again.

Hormonal problems may cause hair loss too. For example, if your thyroid gland is overactive or underactive, your hair may fall out. This hair loss usually can be helped by treating the thyroid disease. Hair loss may also happen if male or female hormones, known as androgens and estrogens, are having an imbalance state. Correcting this hormonal imbalance may stop the unwanted hair loss.

Some medicines can also cause hair loss. But the moment you stop taking the medicine, hair loss stops too. The medicines that we are talking about include blood thinners (anticoagulants), medicines used for gout, medicines used in chemotherapy to treat cancer, vitamin A (if too much is taken), antidepressants and birth control pills.

Certain infections can also cause hair loss such as fungal infections of the scalp. The infection is easily treated with antifungal medicines. Improper hair care may cause hair loss as well. Wearing pigtails, cornrows, or tight hair rollers put much stress on your hair that can cause hair loss. Minimize using these regularly to avoid scarring of the scalp. Scarring can cause permanent hair loss.

Finally, hair loss could be part of an underlying disease you are suffering, such as lupus or diabetes. Since hair loss may be an early sign of these diseases, your urgency is to find the cause so that it can be treated. Examples of hair treatment that can scar your scalp in the process are hot oil treatments and chemicals used in permanents (commonly known as perms).

You may address your hair loss depending on the of type you are experiencing. If a medicine is causing your hair loss, your doctor may be able to prescribe an alternative. Spotting and treating an infection may help prevent hair loss. Correcting a hormone imbalance may stop further hair loss.

Medicines may also help slow or stop the occurence of common baldness. One unisexual medicine, minoxidil (with brand name: Rogaine), is available over the drugstore counter. Just apply it simply to the scalp. Another medicine (however, for men only), finasteride (brand name: Propecia) is available with a prescription and comes in pills. Effectivity of these medicines may take up to 6 months.

If the type of your hair loss has no adequate treatment available for your type, you may consider trying different hairstyles or wigs, hairpieces, hair weaves or artificial hair replacement.

The hair growth cycle normally lasts for 2 to 6 years. Each strand grows approximately 1 centimeter per month during this phase.

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We have a lot of hair if not million of them is found in the scalp. It is said that the natural crown of our beauty is our hair especially with women. But what if you are already beginning to lose that crown? Is hair loss normal?

Hair Loss and Growth

Before we could understand hair loss, we should fist know how our hair grows. For two to six years, our hair grows. That is a normal cycle. In that cycle, hair grows approximately one centimeter a month. In the scalp about 90 percent of the hair is in an active phase or are growing while the remaining 10 percent is resting. After about two to three months, that 10 percent starts to fall. But there is nothing to worry because normally, new hair grows and replace their places in the scalp.

Hair loss is normal. It is part of the cycle and everyday is a part of it; as such a person could lose a portion of his or her hair everyday. Moreover, hair loss is a phenomenon experienced by all people, women and men alike, regardless of age and race. However, there are people that experience excessive hair loss aside from their normal hair growth and loss cycle.

Causes of Excessive Hair Loss

There are so many things that could cause excessive hair loss. A major illness like cancer or a surgery can cause a large amount of hair to fall. However, this is temporary. After recovery from the stress of the illness, the hair growth cycle could be restored to normal.

Hormonal imbalances like in the thyroid gland can also cause excessive hair loss. An overactive or inactive thyroid can cause your hair fall. Also the imbalances in the female hormone estrogen and male hormone androgen are also known to be causes of hair loss. It is only when the imbalances are corrected that the hair loss may stop.

Another cause that is still related to hormonal imbalances is experienced by women after giving birth. During pregnancy, the body produces hormones that keep the hair of the mother from falling and disturbs the cycle. However, three months after child birth, the cycle goes back to normal.

Some medicines like anticoagulants, birth control pills antidepressants and excessive vitamin A can also call massive hair fall. Fungal infections in the scalp are also one cause; though it is not proven that dandruff, a scalp ailment cause by fungi, is directly related to hair fall.

Improper Care of Hair

Hair loss is also affected with the improper care of hair of an individual. Wearing ponytails, cornrows, or tight rollers can cause a type of hair fall called traction alopecia. In this case, the hairs are pulled and losses their strength. It is only when the pulling is stopped that the excessive fall will discontinue and the hair grows normally. Also, the use of chemicals on the hair is one of the causes of hair fall. These chemicals cause the scalp to swell thus inflaming the hair follicles and scarring the scalp.

Hair Loss to Baldness

Hair loss can lead to permanent baldness if not treated properly. Men lose more hair than women that is why the term common baldness usually means male-pattern baldness. This type of hair loss in men is usually affected by genes and is inherited. The most common is in receding hairline from the top of the head. In women, female-pattern baldness is characterized by thinner hair over time in the entire scalp.

Treatment for Excessive Hair Loss

Science and technology have already developed a lot of treatment for hair loss. There are shampoos specifically designed to control hair fall. For the male and female pattern hair loss, there are prescribed drugs or medication to control the hormones that causes it.

Other measures like hair implants, surgery and laser treatments could also be done to reverse the effect of hair loss.

We have a lot of hair if not million of them is found in the scalp. It is said that the natural crown of our beauty is our hair especially with women. But what if you are already beginning to lose that crown? Is hair loss normal?

Information about the Author:

Hair Loss Articles: http://www.article-buzz.com