Does Daily Hair Loss Lead to Balding?

It’s normal to shed hair every day.  But does this normal shedding lead to male-pattern or female-pattern hair loss?

Dr. Ken Washenik, Bosley Medical Director, explains what is normal daily hair shedding and when it becomes a problem. He also explains the science behind why we regularly lose our hair and why we should worry less.

“One common, normal event that really draws people’s attention to it and causes worry with folks who have thinning hair is the fact we shed hair everyday; we’re supposed to shed hair.  How many hairs, you might ask?  Well, reading a textbook says 100 hairs a day, but depending who you read anywhere from 50 to even more than a hundred.  But using the number of 100 hairs a day, whether you brush your hair, or look in the drain in the shower, or look at the shoulders of your clothing during the day, you’re going to gradually lose hair.

The question is, does that make you go bald?  If I lose a hundred hairs a day, well it’s only a matter of time before I lose my hair.  The good news is you’re supposed to lose your hair.  It’s part of – from a shedding standpoint – it’s part of this turnover of the hair that leads to a growth phase, a resting phase, the hair falls out, and a new growth phase.  So somewhere around one in ten hairs on our head is in the resting phase.  Ninety percent, nine out of ten are in the growing phase, one in ten is in the resting phase which will shed – that leads to your hundred hairs a day – and then a new hair will grow back in.

The bad news is, if you have hair loss, if you have a genetic tendency for hair loss – and here we’re restricting our comments to male and female-pattern hair loss, what’s known as androgenetic alopecia – if you have that type of condition we know that when new hairs come in they’re smaller and less thick, less cosmetically useful, they don’t cover your scalp as well.  So that miniaturization process in subsequent cycles of the hair growth cycle leads to baldness or visible hair loss.

So, yes, you’re supposed to shed hair.  Yes, that hair comes back.  But if you have a hair loss condition like male-pattern or female-pattern hair loss, the succeeding cycles do not give you the same density, volume, or scalp coverage that you had earlier.”  -Dr. Ken Washenik

Bosley offers a microscopic hair and scalp analysis as part of your free consultation.  The analysis provides insight into the extent of your hair loss and availability of donor hair for permanent hair restoration.  You’ll also learn more about available hair loss solutions that are FDA cleared and approved.