3 Common Causes of Hair Loss

Dwayne Johnson. Photo by Steven Ferdman/REX/Shutterstock (8587768o)

It’s every man’s greatest fear: losing all the glorious hair you once had and succumbing to the world of baldness. We know that an almost 85% of men will experience hair loss by the time they hit 50, but the million dollar question is why?

Iron deficiency

Marc Glashofer is a certified dermatologist that specializes in hair loss, and he’s identified a few common causes of hair loss that perhaps, if addressed, could slow the burn.

“When I’m seeing a patient for the first time, one of the first things I want to rule out is an iron deficiency,” says Glashofer. It turns out that iron deficiencies and other diet-induced issues can be a major factor in hair loss.

How a person manages their stress is an equally important factor. Glashofer says that a big stressor like loss of a job, illness, surgery, etc. “can cause a shift in the body’s hair production cycle, which leads to extra shedding.”

Time to start eating right and meditating more!

Hair Loss Might Be A Side Effect

It’s well-known that medication often comes with unwanted side effects, and Glashofer has seen a variety of medications cause increased hair loss.

“I always ask patients how long they’ve been taking their medication, and how recently their hair loss began,” shared Glashofer.

This helps him to determine if it might be the meds causing the loss, and it might be something to ask your doctor about if you suspect your medication might be the culprit.

Those Evil Genes

Your genetic code determines the coarseness of your hair, the colors, and whether it’ll curl or stay straight. It also determines whether you’ll lose it or not and when. Roughly 50 million people suffer from androgenetic alopecia, or male-pattern baldness as it’s commonly known. The most distinctive sign is a receding hairline that takes an “M” shape on your scalp, and the condition is closely linked to testosterone levels.

“This is the most common cause of hair loss in men and due mainly to genetics,” says Glashofer. “Basically, in some men, the hair follicles are more sensitive to testosterone, which leads to thinning and balding.”

If you’re experiencing hair loss, one of these might be the reason.