Unnatural hair loss

While male patterned baldness is a natural process that occurs in many middle-aged men, there are several causes of unnatural hair loss. Male patterned baldness can begin as early as your twenties, resulting from an excess of testosterone in the hormonal system which is broken down to form DHT - an inhibitor of hair follicle reproduction. This process, known as Anagen effluvium, is largely heredity and irreversible.

Another condition is known as Telogen effluvium (TE), which is temporary and usually causes by external influences.

Telogen effluvium is a temporary loss of hair due to transitory damage to the follicles. The most common causes of telogen effluvium are:

Fortunately telogen effluvium isn't permanent. Within a six-month period the follicles replenish the supply of hair.

Cell reproduction inhibitor medications are another cause of unnatural hair loss, also relating to TE. Chemotherapy is the most widely known of these and results in total hair loss. In the same way as the therapy's medication destroys rapidly reproducing cancer cells, so it kills rapidly reproducing hair follicle cells. The good news is that once chemotherapy is completed, the hair usually grows back within six months to a year.