How to Diagnose Normal and Abnormal Hair Loss

As you observe those strands of hair in the sink, you may have the sinking feeling that you are experiencing abnormal hair loss. Technically, the term "alopecia" refers to both genetic and environmental causes of hair loss, according to the American Hair Loss Association (AHLA). With your physician, determine what constitutes normal hair loss, assess or rule out environmental factors, consider genetic causes and rate the extent of the hair loss with established scales to determine if your hair loss exceeds normal limits.

Things You'll Need

• Number of scalp hairs lost per day
• List of possible environmental causes
• List of possible genetic causes
• Norwood scale (for men)
• Ludwig and Savin scales (for women)

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Instructions

• 1

  Observe how much hair you are losing. Normally, hair on the scalp sheds about 50 to 100 hairs a day, according to the Mayo Clinic. Since most people have approximately 100,000 hairs, few notice the loss. In fact, "shedding" generally triggers the growth of new hair. Aging typically results in some thinning; however, excessive shedding and thinning or loss of patches of hair may signify an abnormality, the Mayo Clinic says.

• 2

  Analyze possible environmental factors affecting your hair loss. According to the Mayo Clinic, extreme hairstyles , coloring treatment or compulsive hair pulling may cause permanent harm to the roots unless stopped in time. In addition, lack of protein from excessive dieting and eating disorders can lead to alopecia. Infections such as ringworm may result in temporary hair loss. Other causes of hair loss may prove difficult or impossible to eliminate, such as major surgery and chemotherapy or drugs for gout, heart problems, high blood pressure, birth control, arthritis and depression.

• 3

  Assess genetic causes of abnormal hair loss. The most common genetic cause---androgenetic alopecia (AGA), or pattern baldness---affects approximately 33 percent of both sexes, according to the Mayo Clinic. This condition leads to at least 95 percent of male hair loss, the AHLA says. Acknowledging that testosterone acts as the major culprit in the balding process, the AHLA stresses that the level of DHT (dihydrotestosterone derived from testosterone) may shrink hair follicles, leading to hair loss in women. Other genetic causes for hair loss are lupus and diabetes.

• 4

  Rate the extent of hair loss using established scales. Your physician can use the Norwood Scale to diagnose the degree of loss in men with genetic pattern baldness and to recommend treatment. Women, however, need additional diagnoses, including tests to measure hormone levels (such as testosterone), iron, thyroid functioning and blood count, according to the AHLA. Doctors may perform a scalp biopsy and use the Ludwig and Savin scales to measure the degree of hair loss and thinning in women. Male and female hair loss patterns differ. Generally, men's hairlines recede, while women experience an overall thinning.

• 5

  Seek possible treatment after diagnosis. Finasteride, already approved for enlarged prostates, has become the first effective drug for treating male pattern baldness, according to the AHLA. For women, treatment may involve antiandrogens---such as Aldactone and Tagamet, which fight male hormones---or hormone replacement therapy.