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Locks of Love is devoted to helping every child suffering from medical hair loss, thus we do not discriminate as to the cause of hair loss. We list the following information in an attempt to explain types of hair loss and specific needs of individual recipients.

There is a close relationship between infection outbreaks on teeth and the presence of alopecia areata or localized alopecia, a type of hair loss which has an unknown origin.

Through Locks of Love, children are able to overcome the social stigma associated with hair loss.

The most common type of hair loss seen in women is androgenetic alopecia, also known as female pattern alopecia. Alopecia means baldness, but just as in men, it does not have to be complete hair loss.

Hereditary-pattern baldness is the most common cause of hair loss. Hereditary-pattern baldness is not really a disease, but a natural condition caused by some combination of genetics, hormone levels and the aging process.

"I have tearful patients in my office many times a day," she said. "When they lose their hair, they feel like they've lost their identity."

A recent study suggests that hair loss may occur in a few persons who have received vaccinations. This side effect, if confirmed by other studies, would be considered very rare.

Millions of women have unexplained hair loss. Here's what may be at the root of the problem

In the United States, some 35 million men are losing or have lost their hair from male-pattern baldness, according to the American Hair Loss Council. Approximately 20 million women have experienced a similar loss of hair (from female-pattern hair loss), and an estimated 2.5 million Americans have lost their hair due to other causes.

Male pattern baldness is genetically inherited, but may also be related to slightly elevated levels of male hormones.

Balding or hair loss in both men and women is sometimes due to disease. Hair loss can occur with excessive weight gain or loss in a short period of time or when recovering from a high fever.

Female pattern baldness involves a typical pattern of loss of hair in women, caused by hormones, aging, and genes.

About 90 percent of hair on the scalp grows continually. The other 10 percent of scalp hair is in a resting phase that lasts two to three months. At the end of the resting stage, this hair is shed.

You might be surprised to learn that many people are unable to untangle fact from fiction when it comes to hair loss. Some of the blame lies with the many companies and individuals exploiting hair loss myths in order to sell bogus hair products.

Androgenetic alopecia is a genetic predisposition to hair loss activated by the presence of male hormones, or androgens. In men it expresses itself in frontal, central and crown balding or combinations of the three.

Minoxidil (Rogaine® or Regaine®) is a vasodilatory medication known for its ability to slow hair loss and promote hair regrowth.

Alopecia areata is a skin disorder that causes hair loss, usually in patches, most often on the scalp. Usually, the bald patches appear suddenly and affect only a limited area. The hair grows back within 12 months or less.

Below the surface of the skin is the hair root, which is enclosed within a hair follicle. At the base of the hair follicle is the dermal papilla.

The Low Laser Therapy (LLT) for hair loss is claimed to work by supplying energy to the body in the form of non-thermal photons of light.