Hair Care

10 Reasons Your Hair Is Thinning

Watching your hair go down the drain -- literally? Find out what's normal, what's not, and what you can do about it

by Erica Smith | 8 COMMENTS

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Suspect #1: Genetics Would it help to know your hair loss may not be your fault all? Yeah, we didn't think so. Nevertheless, your family tree is the first place to look when dealing with a thinning head of hair. According to Marotta, genetic hair loss (what doctors call androgenetic alopecia) is the most common cause of a receding hairline. But before you go pointing a finger at your dad who's been sporting a shiny bald spot since his 30s, Marotta notes that the gene can be inherited from either your mom's or your dad's side of the family. And even if you slept through your biology lecture on Mendel's Punnett squares, it doesn't take much deduction to realize that if both your parents have a history of hair loss, you're more likely to be in for the same fate.

Solve It:
Dr. Robert Leonard, chief surgeon and founder of Leonard Hair Transplant Associates, suggests seeking the services of a hair restoration specialist for the best results. "They can look back in your family tree on both sides to help predict the extent of hair loss -- it's very common to have mothers, aunts, or grandmothers with thinning hair, even if it occurred at a much later age than the woman with the concern."

From there, a specialist can reccomend the best plan of action for you to take. Standby medications like Rogaine and Propecia are helpful, though only temporary. According to Marotta, hair restoration surgery is "still the best and only way to fully reverse hair loss."

SEE NEXT PAGE: Suspect #2: Anemia

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