Just like the skin and nails, hair goes through a cycle of rest and growth, so excessive hair loss can occur at any time if this cycle is disturbed by illness, stress etc.

There may be ways to treat certain types of hair loss. Your doctor may ask you specific questions concerning your diet, medication you are taking and whether or not you have suffered a recent illness. He will also ask you how you care for your hair. If you are a woman, he will also ask you about your menstrual cycle, menopause or pregnancies. You will also receive an examination which will try to ascertain the cause of your hair loss. Blood tests and biopsies of the scalp may also be required to establish the cause of your problem.

Specific treatments may be available, depending on what type of hair loss you have suffered. If your doctor believes a medicine is causing you to lose your hair, he will try to prescribe a different type of medication. Recognising and treating illness and infections can also help the hair loss to stop. Hair loss may well also be prevented by correcting hormonal balances in the body.

Certain medications might help slow down the development of common baldness, such as Minixidil. This is available without prescription and can be applied to the scalp. It can be effective for both men and women. Finasteride is available via prescription only and comes in pill form. However this is only available for men. You may have to wait up to six months before you can see if the medicines are working.

There are alternative methods which can be tried if medication is not available for the type of hair loss you have. Try experimenting with different hairstyles, wigs, hairpieces, hair weaves or hair replacement (artificial). They are very natural looking nowadays and can be very effective.

Emotional or physical stress could be a factor in some cases of hair loss.  Yoga, guided imagery or meditation can help relieve stress.  Poor nutrition may also be a factor in some cases of hair loss.  Get back on a balanced nutritious diet and ask your doctor about vitamins A, B complex and C and also iron and zinc. 

Some studies have found that a low fat diet may help slow down the balding process.  Male pattern baldness may be associated with increased testosterone levels during puberty, which in most cases are the result of a high fat diet or the consumption of too many animal products.