[3][4] Causes of hair loss that occurs with scarring or inflammation include fungal infection, lupus erythematosus, radiation therapy, and sarcoidosis.

[4] Treatment of pattern hair loss may simply involve accepting the condition, which can also include shaving one's head.

[5][6] Alopecia areata may be treated by steroid injections in the affected area, but these need to be frequently repeated to be effective.

[4] Pattern hair loss by age 50 affects about half of men and a quarter of women.

[citation needed] Hypotrichosis is a condition of abnormal hair patterns, predominantly loss or reduction.

[citation needed] A substantially blemished face, back and limbs could point to cystic acne.

The most severe form of the condition, cystic acne, arises from the same hormonal imbalances that cause hair loss and is associated with dihydrotestosterone production.

[12] Hair loss induced by cancer chemotherapy has been reported to cause changes in self-concept and body image.

In such cases, patients have difficulties expressing their feelings (alexithymia) and may be more prone to avoiding family conflicts.

If hair loss occurs in a young man with no family history, drug use could be the cause.

Both track the progress of diffused thinning, which typically begins on the crown of the head behind the hairline, and becomes gradually more pronounced.

Three medications have evidence to support their use in male pattern hair loss: minoxidil, finasteride, and dutasteride.

[31] On June 13, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Olumiant (baricitinib) for adults with severe alopecia areatal.

[37] Hypothermia caps may be used to prevent hair loss during some kinds of chemotherapy, specifically, when taxanes or anthracyclines are administered.

[43] Male celebrities then continued to bring mainstream popularity to shaved heads,[44][45][46] including athletes such as Michael Jordan[47] and Zinedine Zidane and actors such as Dwayne Johnson,[48] Ben Kingsley,[49] and Jason Statham.

[32] There is only one small trial of saw palmetto which shows tentative benefit in those with mild to moderate androgenetic alopecia.

[medical citation needed] Research is looking into connections between hair loss and other health issues.

A 2007 study indicated that smoking may be a factor associated with age-related hair loss among Asian men.

The study controlled for age and family history, and found statistically significant positive associations between moderate or severe male pattern hair loss and smoking status.

Proteolysis of collagen leads to elimination of the damaged cells and, consequently, to terminal hair follicle miniaturization.

In June 2022 the University of California, Irvine announced that researchers have discovered that hedgehog signaling in murine fibroblasts induces new hair growth and hair multiplication while hedgehog activation increases fibroblast heterogeneity and drives new cell states.

[61] A new signaling molecule called SCUBE3 potently stimulates hair growth and may offer a therapeutic treatment for androgenetic alopecia.

The origin of this usage is because this animal sheds its coat twice a year, or because in ancient Greece foxes often lost hair because of mange.