Last month, “Modern Family” star Sarah Hyland opened up about a disheartening side effect of taking medication for her battle with kidney dysplasia: hair loss. Although this is a very singular, specific case, thinning hair isn’t something that’s exclusive to people grappling with chronic illnesses. We all deal with it to varying degrees, be it through genetics or the way we treat our hair on a day-to-day basis.
And because we wouldn’t want anyone to mis-diagnose themselves, we reached out to Michelle Blaisure, certified Trichologist for Bosley Professional Strength Hair Care, who gave us a crash course on everything from the main causes to simple, yet effective forms of prevention.
MORE: Sarah Hyland Opens up About Losing Her Hair, Asks Fans for Advice The Common Cause and Signs
According to Blaisure, the main and most common cause of hair thinning, also known as male or female pattern baldness, is genetic predisposition. In simpler terms, that means you can inherit genes from your mother and father that make it nearly impossible to avoid. “About 60-70 percent of men will thin by age 60 and 20 percent of women inherit as well, but with women, we seem to be prone to hair loss due to many things that can affect our hormonal and bio-chemical balance,” she says.
Excess hair shedding is often one of the first signs that something is out of balance. And if you’re constantly over-manipulating your strands with tight ponytails or...