Most baldness, both in men and women, is hereditary and is determined by your genes and hormones. However, there are other factors throughout your lifetime that can also contribute to baldness.

The average person normally sheds anywhere from 50 to 100 hairs a day, and progressive hair loss begins in both men and women about age 50. There are three types of hair loss: alopecia areata (a-luh-PEE-she-uh ar-ee-AH-tuh), alopecia totalis, and alopecia universalis.

Hair transplantation for both women and men is a surgical technique for hair restoration. While it can't restore the thickness of your hair that you had as a youth, it can create a natural-looking head of hair, depending on the extent of your baldness.

Scalp reduction is a procedure in which a portion of your bald scalp is surgically removed. It was popular during the 1980s, but it isn't often performed today; however, some people still choose it today as a method of hair replacement.

If you've experienced male- or female-pattern hair loss, there are a number of treatment options. Although billions of dollars are spent each year by consumers on various baldness 'cures,' the only topical product approved by the F-D-A for hair loss is minoxidil (muh-NOX-uh-dill), a nonprescription chemical sold in the U-S both under the brand name 'Rogaine' (ROE-gain) and as 'Regaine' (REE-gain) in other parts of the world.