Hair grows in cycles that last about two to three years.
Every hair follicle grows about one centimeter every month.
About ninety percent of hair is growing on your scalp at any given time.
The remaining ten percent is in a resting phase.
After spending three to four months in a resting phase, the hair falls out and a new one grows in its place.
Shedding hair each day is a normal part of this cycle.
Some men and women, however, experience more than normal hair loss and this causes them to seek treatments for this particular hair problem.
There are a number of reasons why someone is losing hair excessively.
If you have had a major illness or surgery you can expect a sudden loss of a large amount of hair.
This is due to the stress of the illness and is only temporary.
There are treatments for hair loss available, depending on your type of hair loss.
If it is a specific medicine that you are taking that is causing your hair to fall out, then your doctor might be able to prescribe a different medication.
Treating a recognized infection can stop hair loss.
Also, correcting an imbalance in your hormones can prevent hair loss.
There are medicines that are used as treatments for hair loss too.
One of them, minoxidil or Rogaine, is available without a prescription.
It is applied directly to the scalp and can be used by both women and men.
Finasteride is another hair loss medicine.
The pills can only be taken by men and it can be up to six months before you know if the medication is working.
If these treatments are not working you still have some other options.
You could consider trying a different hair style.
The well known comb-over is one possibility, although the popularity of this is waning, especially after its brutal ridiculing in the movie Kingpin.
Or you could try completely shaving your head.
This seems to be the next generation's version of the comb-over and it currently a favorite option.