Are you worried about hair fall or are you infact experiencing it? Read some of the frequently ask questions on hair fall.

It's normal to lose between 80 and 150 hairs each day. These hairs have naturally reached the end of their growth cycle and loosen on their own, although brushing and shampooing may help them to shed.

Cutting or shaving your hair will not make it grow faster or thicker. The width of your hair shaft is genetically determined, as is the length of your anagen, or hair growth cycle.

The length your hair will grow is genetically determined by the length of your anagen, or growth, phase. Anagen can last for up to 1,000 days or more. The longer your anagen, the longer your hair will grow before reaching the end of its cycle and naturally falling out.

For men, a shorter hairstyle like a crew cut or a layered "caesar" cut will give the illusion of thicker hair. Long strands will only draw attention to hair's sparseness closer to the scalp. For women, a chin-length bob gives hair more body and "swing" at the ends. Face-framing bangs help give the style more fullness and height. Anything longer than shoulder-length will make thinning hair look straggly.

Any change in your body's chemistry could potentially lead to hair loss. The loss usually begins around 2 to 3 months after a shock to the system from severe stress, high fever, surgery, child birth or menopause; or from a medical or nutritional problem like a vitamin or mineral deficiency, hypothyroidism, or chemotherapy. Even starting or stopping some medications can cause your hair to fall out.

The hair loss caused by these problems is called diffuse hair loss or telogen effluvium. The good news is that, although you may lose hair from all over your scalp, you will not go completely bald. Your hair should begin to return to normal about three months after the problem is corrected.

DHT stands for Dihydrotestosterone, a hormone formed when the enzyme 5 alpha-reductase interacts with testosterone. DHT destroys hair follicles in people with hereditary hair loss.

Some of the newer chemotherapy drugs are actually able to target cancer cells better and leave hair cells intact. In addition, some cancer patients who take at least 1000 IU of Vitamin E daily several weeks before chemotherapy have been shown to lose less hair. However, it's important to talk to your doctor before trying any potential hair-saving remedies before or during chemotherapy.

Diffuse hair loss does not lead to complete baldness. The condition causes you to lose hair from the entire scalp region. This can cause your hair to thin, but you can never go bald because each hair is eventually replaced.

It depends which one you take. You really need to consult your doctor. Some pills are more or less "androgenic." This relates to the amount and type of hormone called progestins in the Pill. The more androgenic the progestin, the more likely you are to suffer from acne and hair loss as side effects.

Hormones definitely play a role in hair loss. For certain women, there can be an increase in hair loss during menopause. For some, their hair-loss problem gets better. During menopause, you basically stop making estrogen. Your skin can get dry. You can have hair loss. You still have some progestin, but the progestins are now unopposed. Now there is a tilt toward the side that makes the hair fall out, since the side that was blocking it is now gone (the estrogens).

Having a healthy balanced diet with enough protein is very important. Biotin and zinc sulfate, taken as supplements, are good for the hair. Anemia (a condition caused by a deficiency of iron) can also lead to hair loss.

Fortunately, the most common patterns of hair loss in women are different from those in men. Women do not "go bald." Usually it starts as a widening of the part and then loss of the frontal area behind the frontal hairline. This gives us room to get creative with the way we part our hair to cover up the thinning areas. Also, if your hair is lighter, closer to the color of your scalp, the thinning is less noticeable. Hairpieces are also coming back into fashion.

Unfortunately, this problem is as common in women as it is in men, but it's less socially acceptable. But wigs for women look better than toupees for men. And they are more socially acceptable. A wig is an accessory. I have friends who have a ton of hair, but they wear wigs because it's fun. Wigs have come a long way and they are not as damaging to the underlying hair - but not everyone tolerates them. I have a problem with hair extensions and braids. These are usually traumatic to the hair. They can cause a problem called traction alopecia, where the constant pulling of the hair leads to hair loss.

There are bound to be some variations in how much hair we lose on any given day depending on what we do to our hair. You may notice less hair loss if you don't brush your hair one day, or more if you manipulate it more on the next. I think it's reasonable to consult your doctor if this lasts more than a few weeks. Obviously, if you notice big chunks falling out, you need to see your doctor immediately. Thyroid conditions or other hormonal changes, anemia, malnutrition or even lupus can have hair loss as one of the signs of the condition. There is also a condition called alopecia areata, where the hair falls out in patches. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition where the body attacks the hair follicle. The hair falls out in discreet circle-shaped patches of hair. You can also get this on the eyebrows or any hair-bearing part of the body. It is usually treated with a series of cortisone injections into the scalp to stop the inflammation and help the hair regrow. But it should be treated early; if you treat it within a couple of weeks to months, there is a better chance of the hair coming back.

Family history definitely plays a role in hair loss, but is not a guarantee. It comes from both sides of the family.

Improper care plays a very large role. Wearing a tight ponytail or braids pulls the hair and makes it fall out prematurely. If you think your hair is falling out and you keep checking to see, then you may also be pulling your hair out. Too much blow-drying or processing can also cause breakage and pull hair out prematurely. This includes coloring and relaxing. Highlighting is less problematic, since this usually doesn't affect the root of the hair or the scalp as much. It's best to do as little as possible to your hair.

It's not good to rub too much or use a harsh shampoo. There's an ingredient in shampoo - surfactant - that makes it lather so nicely. Surfactants can be irritating to the scalp, and that can lead to itching and scratching. By doing this, you can traumatize the area, which can lead to permanent hair loss. It's better to use a gentle shampoo. Or look for a shampoo that's surfactant - free.

There is a ton of new research going on. And a lot of money is going into this research. The race is on to clone the hair or reverse this process. With the most common forms of baldness, the hair follicle is still there, it just becomes miniaturized. If you find a good way of opening that up, through a gene or by blocking the process that leads to that miniaturization - something that you can take as a pill or a cream - it would be an ideal way to control the hair loss.