Male hair loss or to be more specific, male pattern baldness is a result of genetics and the effect of testosterone on the hair growth cycle. This is changed by an enzyme called alpha reductase into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which shrinks the hair follicles and prevents normal hair growth.Find out more in our male pattern baldness section.

With women, their hair loss is caused by a variety of reasons which include:

• Hormonal imbalance due to pregnancy or menopause
• Stress
• Poor diet
• Thyroid disorders
• Side effects of medications
• Traction alopecia
• Telogen effluvium

 likely cause of hair loss in women is hormonal, e.g. pregnancy. Fluctuations in hormones can affect the hair growth/loss cycle and lead to thinning hair and eventual loss. The most popular cause is ‘telogen effluvium’ in which hair is lost after childbirth although this returns to normal after a period of time.