Baldness is a commonly occurring thing that happens to both men and women. Terms frequently used to describe baldness include male pattern baldness and permanent pattern baldness. While women experience baldness, it is more prevalent in men.

While many things are blamed for baldness, it could be boiled down to a couple of things in particular: your genetic makeup and hormonal changes. This article will cover three specific types of balding and what their causes are.

Patchy Hair Loss

Patchy hair loss is unlike male pattern baldness in that the hair loss occurs in patches, as the name suggests. Patchy baldness does not affect very many people. In fact, those who have patchy hair loss may not even realize it unless it is pointed out by someone else. There are two main causes for patchy hair loss: ringworm and alopecia.

Ringworm most often occurs in children. Although it does not pose any major health threat, ringworm is extremely contagious. Usually what happens is the skin that is affected by ringworm becomes very dry and flaky, resulting in some hair loss around the infected area. This type of hair loss is easily treated by a family physician.

Alopecia is a more common type of patchy hair loss. Alopecia causes hair loss, resulting from a hormonal imbalance or from your genetics. Alopecia can even be cause by some drug treatments, such as chemotherapy for cancer. In most cases of alopecia that aren't caused by drugs, alopecia begins very early on, possibly even starting in the teens. It can increase throughout your life and usually tends to affect the entire head of hair, and not just in patches.

Balding

Balding in men is a natural occurrence that happens to many men. The biggest cause for male baldness is the changing of hormones. However, another ordinary cause of male baldness is simply that it is an inherited trait, passed on from one generation to another. While balding affects men and women alike, there are many more reported cases of male balding than of female balding.

General Hair Loss In Men And Women

General hair loss can occur in men and women alike. The cause of generalized hair loss can usually be attributed to one or more of the following:

* Thyroid disorder

* Vitamin deficiency that lasts over a long period of time

* Sickness or infection

* Side effect of drug treatment (i.e. chemotherapy)