Overview
There are many kinds of hair loss, including what we call:
*) Alopecia areata (patches of baldness that usually grow back);
*) Telogen effluvium (rapid shedding after childbirth, fever, or sudden weight loss); and
*) Traction alopecia (thinning from tight braids or ponytails).
All of these types of hair loss can be alarming but, fortunately, they are most often mild and temporary or reversible.
The majority of people who lose their hair, however, do it gradually and all through the scalp, with some emphasis on the frontal part.
Doctors refer to this process as "androgenetic alopecia" which implies that a combination of hormones (andro-) and heredity (genetics) is needed to develop the condition
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