If you are in need of hair replacement surgery, you're not alone. There are over 80 million men and women worldwide that are affected by this disease. Medical Hair Restoration understands that this condition affects everyone differently. We figure out the root of the hair loss so we can provide you with all the hair restoration information needed to make the best decision for you.

The Truth Behind Hair Loss
The most common reasons for hair replacement for men are heredity, hormones and age. However, research shows that a majority of the patients inherit the hair loss trait from either the paternal or maternal side of the family. The medical term for inherited baldness is androgenetic alopecia, commonly known as male pattern baldness and female pattern baldness.

How Hair Grows
About ninety percent of your hair is growing at any one time. The other ten percent stays in a resting phase that lasts two to three months. At the end of the resting state, the hair is shed and a new hair from the same follicle replaces the lost hair. Once this happens, the growth cycle is re-started. Hair loss is an ordinary daily occurrence. Believe it or not, 50 to 150 hairs (on average) are lost each day. Most of the hair lost experiences regrowth because the hair follicle remains. Once shedding begins to exceed hair growth by a considerable amount, baldness occurs.

Different Types of Hair Loss
Anagen Effluvium
This form of hair loss is commonly associated with cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. When hair follicles’ mitotic or metabolic activity is harmed, hair loss occurs. Because chemotherapy and radiation targets your rapidly diving cancer cells, it also affects your hair follicles in the growth phase. After cancer treatment begins, upwards of 90 percent of your hair can be lost while in the growth phase.

Androgenetic Alopecia
Genetic makeup determines if hair follicles are sensitive to the dihydrotestosterone hormone (DHT), causing them to shrink. As the hair follicle begins producing only a very tiny, short hair, it is first noticed as thinning. Eventually the hair follicle dies and permanent baldness occurs. In short, DHT is your hair follicles’ worst enemy.

Traction Alopecia
Harsh hair care product and tight hairstyles can agitate hair follicles, destroying them and preventing hair growth. Certain hairstyles like braids, cornrows, tight ponytails and extensions are known to create this type of hair loss. However, if the condition is detected in the early stages, hair loss may only be temporary.

Other Hair Loss Causes
Some of the other causes of hair loss are autoimmune disease, the use of certain medications including birth control contraceptives, pregnancy, menopause, illness, surgery, high fever and nutritional deficiency, may also cause hair loss or induce early pattern baldness. Head trauma that results in scarring can also produce permanent damage to hair follicles. Finally, high levels of stress are a widely accepted cause of hair loss, but fortunately, it is usually short-lived.