The most common form of hair loss is androgenetic alopecia, and somewhere in the region of 98 per cent of men who experience balding find out that it is due to this most common cause of hair loss. This type of alopecia in men is known as male pattern baldness, but it is not just males experience this normal hair loss condition. The same proportion of women experience hair loss as men, but female pattern baldness expresses itself as a general thinning of the hair rather than a balding crown and receding hair line at the temples as seen in men. This condition is genetic, and is not thought to be affected by outside influences or changes in external factors such as stress or illness whatsoever. Treatments for this type of balding are more readily available for men than women due to the hormones contained within the medication, some of which promote facial hair growth.

Women’s hair loss is as common as balding suffered by men, especially if it is reaction to illness, stress or medication. It is very rarely however seen in the same form as male pattern baldness, as women tend to lose hair evenly rather than receding at the front and suffering severe thinning at the crown.

One of the causes associated with women’s hair loss in particular is a change in hormone levels, and as such more females experience thinning during pregnancy or after the menopause.

The change in hormonal levels causes the hair follicles to enter a resting stage. The loss of hair is delayed by around three months, which is the typical amount of time it takes for follicles to go from resting to shedding stage.

Once the hairs have been shed, many women find that normal hair growth is resumed after around three months as long as hormonal levels even out. It is possible to treat some women’s hair loss by altering the diet to restore desirable nutrient levels in the body, or by taking a vitamin supplement.