The general rule is that hair loss occurs when more hair falls out than grows on a sustained basis. This is normally a drawn-out process which the sufferer may only notice after a few months or even years have passed.
A good indicator for hair loss is the amount of hair which has actually fallen out. If this amount exceeds 100 on a regular basis, there is a strong possibility that you are suffering from hair loss. A visit to the doctor can confirm this presumption. The earlier treatment begins, the earlier hair can potentially be protected from hair loss.
The most common type of hair loss is hereditary hair loss or male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia). In the UK, millions of people suffer from hair loss, amounting to about 50 per cent of all men and around this many women over the age of 40. Men suffer from hair loss far more often than women and of these men, 70% already begin to lose their hair from age 25. This typically commences with the formation of ‘widow’s peaks’, which gradually become more prominent over time. Generally the hairline then recedes to the extent that after a few years, only a crown of hair still left, mostly at the back of the head and around the temples. Androgenetic hair loss usually presents itself differently in women, with hair loss instead being predominantly on the top and sides of the head. Other types of hair loss, such as diffuse hair loss, lead to an equal amount of hair being lost from all over the head.