ANDROGENETIC ALOPECIA

First cab off the rank and the most common cause of hair loss is androgenetic alopecia. Bit of a mouthful to say but one thing is for sure, you are not alone in struggling to pronounce it and you sure as hell aren't alone in wanting to learn how to treat it. 

You're noticing a few less hairs on your noggin and now you're asking yourself "WHY ME? Why do bad things happen to good people?". The simple answer to that question is simple, your genes. The majority of hair loss in both men and women stem from the genes your parents passed on to you. We'll touch on the myth about which parent it comes from later but that bastard enzyme they passed on to you, better known as 5-alpha reductase turns testosterone into DHT.

For the average person, the hair growth cycle from start to finish is roughly 2-6 years for each strand. In people who suffer from androgenetic alopecia, these cycles are shortened to 6 to 8 months.That means it takes longer for hair to start growing back after it is shed. Just like the movie "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids", your hairs become miniaturised, which means they gradually end up thinner, finer and shorter. This results in that not so stylish look of balding, but not quite ready to accept you're balding... You know that Donald Trump look or the pre-hair transplant Wayne Rooney?

So what role does tostesterone and DHT play? I'm glad you asked but first we need to talk about testosterone to set the scene a little. Now in blokes, testosterone is a completely normal sex hormone (androgen) needed for normal sexual function and reproduction. It's when that lil guy you inherited from your parents called 5-alpha reductase, converts it into DHT. DHT binds to receptors in your hair follicles and causes miniaturisation which can lead to a complete halt in hair growth for those DHT-affected follicles. 

While this is the most common cause of pattern baldness in men and women it doesn't mean game over. While there is no androgenetic alopecia cure there is plenty of options for a fella (or lady) such as yourself that isn't ready to part ways with those luscious locks. 

ALOPECIA AREATA

I'll be honest, if you asked me to say areata out loud I'd probably make a fool of myself... Are-e-ata? Yeah, good enough! Where does it come from? You guessed it, this bad boy is once again thought to be passed on to you from those gene-sharing-monsters you call mum and dad. If they've copped a case of the alopecia areata's in their life it doesn't mean that's your future but i'm sorry to say you are significantly more likely than someone with no family history.

The condition is thought to be an autoimmune disorder in which your body freaks out and attacks its own hair follicles, usually brought on by some sort of trigger. Essentially your immune system (which fights bad guys) doesn't recognise your hair as one of the good guys and like a swarm of bees surrounds the hair follicles and prevents them from growing. What's a trigger? Well, things like a major life event such as trauma, severe illness, pregnancy or emotional stress are examples of them. Combine that with hereditary factors and you're looking down the barrel of a case of your own. 

The symptoms to watch out for is non-scarring hair loss in single or multiple areas of the scalp, face or body. Like a bit of a patch-work quilt, your head can end up with a few spots of hair missing. If this is the current state of your dome, again don't stress, it's quite a common condition and about one person in 50 will experience an episode of alopecia areata. 

Luckily for you and every other person that suffers from this condition, the damage to hair growth is not permanent. Majority of people will see the return of their hair in the same amount of time between John Farnham farewell tours at the local RSL (that's a couple of short months for those who haven't blessed their ears with some live Farnham). 

OTHER CAUSES OF HAIR LOSS

Telogen effluvium is a form of hair loss where an illness or major life event such as pregnancy, major illness or major surgery triggers the hairs on the scalp to change from the anagen phase (growth phase) to the telogen phase (shedding phase) which results in excessive hair loss. 

Traction alopecia is a hair loss and damage caused by tightly pulled hairstyles such as cornrows, dreadlocks, braids and tight buns. If treated early it is completely reversible and the hair will regrow. Over time, however, hair follicles can become irreversibly damaged and by then it's too late my friend.

Anagen effluvium is widespread hair loss cause from chemotherapy or other radiation therapy procedures. In most cases, once the treatment is finished the hair returns.

Trichotillomania is a condition of compulsive and aggressive hair picking or pulling that can lead to patches of near complete hair loss. This is either a bad habit you need to shake ASAP or it could be something a little more so we recommend chatting to a doctor if you can't stop.