Numerous factors contribute to the cause of hair loss: Scalp bacteria, stress, poor nutrition, genetic baldness (affecting men and women) and hormonal imbalance. In many cases, hair loss may be caused by a combination of these factors but genetic pattern baldness is by far the most dominant factor, accounting for nearly 95% of all hair loss in men, as well as affecting millions of women.

Studies carried out by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology revealed that most men regard hair loss as "an unwanted distressing experience that diminishes their body image."

The Academy also reports that hair loss in women can negatively affect self-worth, ?including a significant loss of self esteem, being introverted, feeling less attractive and tense feelings in public places.?

A further unsettling study shows that ?At least half of women in the U.S. will experience some form of hair loss by the time they are 50 years old.? Considering hair loss affects 80 million people in the USA, this shows a disturbingly high number of people suffering emotional distress because of this syndrome.

There are a number of options available to those who want to improve or indeed reverse hair loss. Some may choose to use a wig or hairpiece while others choose medication. The only two medications approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are Rogaine?, and Propecia? and both are proven to combat hair loss.

Propecia? is a prescription pill that men can take once a day to effectively treat genetic hair loss. The active agent in Propecia is a drug called Finasteride. Propecia works by controlling the levels of Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the body. With the levels of DHT in your body returned to normal, your hair loss could stop.

Rogaine? was the first FDA-approved hair loss treatment for both men and women. The active agent in Rogaine is a drug called Minoxidil. Rogaine is a solution that is applied topically to the scalp twice a day and is clinically proven to combat hair loss in its early stages. Rogaine comes in either 2% or 5% strength.

Surgery is another popular alternative for those seeking treatment. Hair transplantation has significantly improved over the last few years, and unlike old-fashioned ?dolls hair? plugs, results in virtually undetectable, natural-looking restored hairlines and density.

Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) is one of the newest methods of hair transplantation, and there are only a few clinics around the world that offer it. FUE is a technique of extraction of follicular units and is an ideal option for patients who wish to wear their hair very short or are afraid of surgery. Up to 1500 follicular units may be transplanted in one sitting.

The FUE procedure allows the surgeon to harvest each follicular unit one at a time from the donor area (the back and sides of the head, as these two areas are not prone to balding). Once harvested, each hair is artistically transplanted into the balding or thinning areas of the scalp, allowing for painless and complete hair restoration.

This revolutionary process has many advantages including completely natural results, very little bleeding, no visible scar formation and less recovery time for patients. No blades or scalpels are ever used with the FUE procedure. Since there is no cutting of the scalp, patients still have the option of shaving their heads throughout their lifetime.

Clearly, the treatment of hair loss has come a long way over the past decade and the options available are numerous and painless. Indeed, the prospects of losing your hair need not be so terrifying after all. Who knows, with all these ground-breaking treatments becoming more popular and improving social awareness, our world in the next decade could well be a much happier, hairier place to live!