Understanding hair loss: Causes and treatment

Up to 100,000 hair follicles can be found on your head. In youth, the buds that emerge out of follicles pop through the scalp without hesitation, like flowers shooting out of the soil in spring. Later in life, it’s more common for growth to slow or even stop. The buds form, but they may not be able to breach the scalp line.

Gradual thinning is a typical part of aging. But people with androgenetic alopecia, the most common type of hair loss, experience additional changes. The length of the growth phase shortens over time, and hair doesn’t grow as thick or as sturdy, a process called miniaturization. Eventually, the growth phase becomes so short that the hair produced fails to reach the surface of the scalp.

Hereditary hair loss with age is the most common cause of baldness. But effective treatments are available to prevent hair loss and restore growth.