Hair loss is natural in both men and women.
Everyone loses some everyday because of natural shedding, and normally when some does falls out, others replace them within a few months.
However, continuous shedding can gradually lead to patchy or all over baldness.
The causes of hair loss in men vary between genetics, age, and even diet.
The number one cause of baldness in men is heredity.
Studies show that sufferers of male pattern baldness actually inherit follicles with a genetic sensitivity.
That causes the lifespan of each follicle to shorten and even makes the follicles smaller.
This usually starts with a receding hairline and then the top or crown of the head begins to thin.
Emotional or physical trauma can also cause hairs to suddenly fall out.
Shock can actually make it stop growing and cause it to fall out.
In cases such as these though, it generally does return over time, although it can be distressing to suddenly discover that you are going bald seemingly overnight.
Your diet can also cause you to shed more than usual.
This is usually detected by noticing that you are shedding more than usual two or three months straight.
If your diet is low in iron or zinc, your hair is actually starving.
Foods such as broccoli, eggs, and spinach as well as multivitamins can help to restore those lost nutrients.
Your own hairstyle may be an actual cause of thinning and falling out.
Men that wear a lot of tight hats, like baseball caps, plus those who pull their mane back in tight ponytails or even in cornrows can fall victim to this.
This puts excessive force and strain on the follicles, stretching it, thinning it, and causing it to fall out before it is time.
Age is another culprit when it comes to balding.
As you age, your mane does get thinner and for some this means bald spots.
What happens is that age weakens the follicle and shaft.
This causes shrinkage in the shaft, so the hairs grow thinner.
Once thin hairs fall out in their normal cycle, the natural process of new hairs replacing them does not occur, resulting in baldness.
There are many causes of hair loss in men.
Trauma, diet, genetics, and even your hairstyle can play a part in baldness.
In some cases, the loss is temporary and eventually grows back, other times it is permanent leaving you with unsightly patchiness or baldness.