What Is Hair Loss?

Hair loss is the partial or complete loss of hair from the scalp that can cause a lot of emotional stress affecting both men and women.

Recent data says that in the UK 8 million women suffer with some form of hair loss, and nearly 9 in 10 men will suffer with hair loss by the age of 50 years.

In men the most common type of hair loss is androgenic alopecia (male pattern baldness). Male pattern baldness will affect roughly 85% of all men and presents itself as thinning of hair often starting at the temples and the crown.

The primary cause of male pattern baldness is believed to be a combination of genetic and hormonal factors.

In individuals predisposed to the condition, hair follicles become sensitive to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone derived from testosterone.

DHT binds to receptors in the scalp, starting a process called miniaturization, Over time, affected hair follicles produce finer, shorter hairs until they eventually stop producing hair altogether.