It is a misconception that if your maternal grandfather is bald, you are doomed to repeat in his footsteps. In reality, hair loss can be inherited from either the mother’s or father’s side of the family. You can approximate when you will be affected and the extent of the hair loss by comparing the hair loss of members in your family tree. Depending on your pattern of hair loss, you could be suffering from male pattern baldness or something even more serious.
Some types of hair loss are the result of a using a specific drug or treatment. Chemotherapy patients often experience hair loss as they try and kill cancer cells. However, the hair is regrown when the drug or treatment is stopped. Permanent hair loss is known as anagen effluvium and results in the actual destruction of hair follicles. Temporary hair loss is called telogen effluvium and is due to too many hair follicles in the resting stage instead of the growing stage. If you are suffering from Androgenetic Alopecia, male-pattern baldness, you will first see a receding hairline in the front or a thinning of hair in the crown area on the back of your head
If left untreated, the hair loss in the front will meet the hair loss from the back and result in the classic pattern of hair left only on the sides of the head. A physician can better diagnose temporary from permanent hair loss and give you advice on where to proceed. Many people are able to take advantage of the medications available today to protect their thinning hair from ever falling out.