Two out of every three men can expect to be bald or balding (male pattern baldness) by the time they reach the age of 50, and as many as 36% of American women between the ages of 40 and 49 agonize over the loss of their hair.

It is a myth that baldness and hair loss comes from the mother's side of the family. A tendency to baldness is inherited from either side of the family. A maternal grandfather and uncles with thick heads of hair are no assurance against male pattern baldness.

Normal hair loss in a single day can range from 50 to 100 hairs which are usually replaced, baldness becomes apparent when 25% of the scalp hair has been lost and new hair does not grow back.

Hair loss is a gradual process, some research has indicated that it takes 5 years or more for follicle roots to fully cease.