Losing Your Hair In Patches Or Sudden Balding With White Regrowth Or No Regrowth At All. For example, the rest of the hair. Unfortunately, she didn't give many details about her health, family or genetic history, or any dermatological or scalp issues that may have been contributing to the problem. There's a difference between shedding and thinning or balding. Sometimes low iron or vitamin deficiencies can cause shedding.

So, I wrote back with a list of possible causes. , I received one from a woman who wanted to know why she was seemingly losing her hair.

I get a lot of emails about women's hair loss. But, honestly, in a western diet, this is quite rare. Shedding can be seasonal and temporary or it can occur suddenly when there's stress on the body or a health issue or a change that crops up. Some women (and men too) have patchy hair loss that comes out only in clean, round patches.

Examples are pregnancy, thyroid issues, menopause (although much younger women can have these issues), starting or stopping medications, or allergic reactions to foods or shampoos and styling products.