What is the Normal Cycle of Hair Growth and Loss?

The normal cycle of hair growth lasts for 2 to 3 years. Each hair grows approximately 1 centimeter 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 3 to 4 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.

What Causes Excessive Hair Loss?

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. This hair loss usually can be helped by treatment thyroid disease. Hair loss may occur if male or female hormones, known as androgens and estrogens, are out of balance. Correcting the hormone imbalance may stop your hair loss.

Many women notice hair loss about 3 months after they’ve had a baby. This loss is also related to hormones. During pregnancy, high levels of certain hormones cause the body to keep hair that would normally fall out. When the hormones return to pre-pregnancy levels, that hair falls out and the normal cycle of growth and loss starts again.

Some medicines can cause hair loss. This type of hair loss improves when you stop taking the medicine. Medicines that can cause hair loss include blood thinners (also called anticoagulants), medicines used for gout, high blood pressure or heart problems, vitamin A (if too much is taken), birth control pills and antidepressants.

Certain infections can cause hair loss. Fungal infections of the scalp can cause hair loss in children. The infection is easily treated with antifungal medicines.

Finally, hair loss may occur as part of an underlying disease, such as lupus or diabetes. Since hair loss may be an early sign of a disease, it is important to find the cause so that it can be treated.

Can Certain Hairstyles or Treatments Cause Hair Loss?

Yes. If you wear pigtails or cornrows or use tight hair rollers, the pull on your hair can cause a type of hair loss called traction alopecia (say: al-oh-pee-sha). If the pulling is stopped before scarring of the scalp develops, your hair will grow back normally. However, scarring can cause permanent hair loss. Hot oil hair treatments or chemicals used in permanents (also called “perms”) may cause inflammation (swelling) of the hair follicle, which can result in scarring and hair loss.

What is Common Baldness?

“Common baldness” usually means male-pattern baldness, or permanent-pattern baldness. It is also called androgenetic alopecia. 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.

Women may develop female-pattern baldness. In this form of hair loss, the hair can become thin over the entire scalp.

Can My Doctor Do Something to Stop Hair Loss?

Perhaps. Your doctor will probably ask you some questions about your diet, any medicines you’re taking, whether you’ve had a recent illness and how you take care of your hair. If you’re a woman, your doctor may ask questions about your menstrual cycle, pregnancies and menopause. Your doctor may want to do a physical exam to look for other causes of hair loss. Finally, blood tests or a biopsy (taking a small sample of cells to examine under a microscope) of your scalp may be needed.

Is There Any Treatment for Hair Loss?

By age 35, 40 percent of men have noticeable hair loss and 65 percent have noticeable hair loss by the age of 60.

If you’re among the 85 million men suffering from hereditary hair loss, Provillus can help you grow new hair and regain your youthful, sexy appearance.

Hair Loss for Women, While as Common as for Men, Carries Extra Worries. While men tend to start losing hair in the 30s and 40s, thinning begins in the 40s or 50s in women, though it can occur as early as the 20s.

Hair loss in women as a matter of fact is just as serious as in men but the emotional impact for women is generally more significant. Most people’s mentalities accept balding men but when a woman loses her hair, it’s a devastating endeavor to her and her self-esteem.

Provillus for Women is fortified with natural ingredients chosen for their ability to support healthy hair regrowth. Did you know that the average woman is born with about 100,000 hair follicles on her head—and she keeps them for the rest of her life?

If you’re one of the 30 million women in America who experience hereditary hair loss, you may be losing 150 hairs or more a day—hair that doesn’t grow back as thick and healthy as it once was. You may notice more hair on your brush, in your sink, or in the shower drain. As your hair begins to look thinner, it may become a challenge to style your hair.

The good news is, with Provillus you can take control of hair loss and start regrowing beautiful, healthy hair—especially if you begin treatment at the very first signs of hair loss.