Thick And Thin.(hair care)

Byline: INTERVIEW BY HANNAH MORRILL

Hair loss can be caused by a medical issueor it can be simply a consequence of aging. Here, the myths and facts about thinning hair.

An interview with George Cotsarelis, associate professor of dermatology and director of the Hair and Scalp Clinic at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

MYTH: Women rarely lose their hair.

FACT: "About 30 percent of women will experience female pattern hair loss [thinning on top of the head] by the time they're 50. But it takes a 20 or 30 percent loss for most women to notice. The good news is that unlike men, who experience receding hairlines, a woman's hairline is usually sparedinstead, women start to have fewer hairs on their head, and the size of the follicles becomes smaller, making the hairs finer. Thinning happens slowly over many years. You're not going to wake up bald one day."

MYTH: It all hinges on how your maternal grandfather's hair held up.

FACT: "There is a genetic component, but it's not inherited from your mother's father, like the old wives' tale saysit can be from either side of the family. Or you may not know of anyone in your family who has hair loss, yet you still may have it. But generally, if few people in your family have thinning hair, you have a lower risk."