Common baldness, sometimes called male- or female-pattern baldness, accounts for 99 percent of hair loss in men and women. Although its exact causes are unknown, heredity, hormones and age are contributing factors. Unlike hair loss resulting from disease or other non-hereditary factors, hair loss due to common baldness is permanent.

Male baldness usually begins with thinning at the hairline, followed by the appearance of a thinned or bald spot on the crown of the head.

Women with common baldness...