There are many studies indicating that 95% of baldness that occurs in males and 70% of the baldness that occurs in females is the result of hereditary genetic factors. Keeping those statistics in mind, here are some things to consider about the hereditary factors involved in hair loss in men and women.

A popular belief is that hereditary hair loss is in men and women predominately occurs in the Caucasian ethnic group. There is a misconception that the Caucasian community is the only ethnic group that experiences baldness. This is a long ways from fact.

Hereditary baldness affects many different ethnic groups. It is common in the Asian, Latino, and African-American ethnic groups. It seems that the common link to hereditary hair loss in all ethnic groups is that it can occur from both the mother’s and the father’s sides of the family.

There is another long-standing myth about hereditary baldness. This says that it comes only from the mother’s side of the family. It has always been said that if the mother’s father is bald and if she gives birth to a son, then the son will also become bald. The truth is that hereditary hair loss is caused by certain genetic factors that can result from both the mother’s side and the father’s side.

Hereditary baldness is not the only cause of hair loss. If you seem to have a “strange” baldness, such as your hair falls out in irregular patterns or if you don’t have any history of baldness in your family, then there may be some other underlying factors working. Some of these factors that could be causing hair loss include the following:

* Illness
* Stress
* Hair pulling
* Ringworm
* Tight hairstyles (pony tails)
* Hormonal imbalances

In summary, baldness is oftentimes hereditary. To determine the cause of your baldness, you should see your doctor. Your doctor should be able to determine the exact cause of your hair loss and be able to point you in the right direction for the specific treatment options that are available.