While it may be a blow to the ego, men know that, at some point, most are going to start losing their hair. Medem Medical Library reports that in the U.S. alone, male pattern baldness affects roughly 40 million men. Roughly 25 percent of men begin balding by age 30, and two-thirds begin by age 60. But given the number of male celebrities sporting proudly follicle-free noggins, balding isn’t so bad. For women, however, it’s a whole different story.

Balding in women generally sets in after age 50, though it can be brought on earlier by pregnancy, crash diets and stress. Women under 50 who find themselves losing more than the occasional clump in a paddle brush should visit their doctors: early hair loss in women can be symptomatic of conditions like thyroid disease or anemia, which is particularly easy to get in Shanghai if you’re a vegetarian or don’t get enough iron.

Dr. Guo Chunying, a dermatologist at Shanghai United Family Hospital & Clinics agrees, adding, “While genetics largely determine how much the hairline recedes, additional external factors such as heavy drinking and smoking, overexposure to sun and malnutrition can also cause hair loss.”

Cutting back on the sauce, quitting smoking and wearing sunscreen every day, even when it’s cloudy, are preventative measures. If you’ve already started losing hair, Dr. Guo suggests Minoxidil, an FDA-approved topical solution that you apply once daily. If you want to go the traditional Chinese medicine route, local supermarkets and chemists sell Ba Wang Fang Tuo (霸王防脱) brand shampoo for around RMB18 a bottle. It may be cheap, but Dr. Guo says that Chinese herbs have been used to treat hair loss for thousands of years, so it might be worth a try.

As with everything else involving your body, diet affects hair health. Hair is made of protein, so a diet rich in protein and healthy fats (think avocados) leads to healthy hair. You’re not necessarily going to look like a Pantene model, but your mane will be thick and strong.

Guo suggests regularly incorporating eggs into your diet as well as they are an inexpensive, vegetarian-friendly source of protein. Guo says she sees many female patients who are not getting enough protein and are thus suffering from anemia, fatigue and hair loss. She also adds that certain vitamins and minerals like vitamins B6 and B12, folic acid, zinc and magnesium all contribute to overall health, and that includes hair.

If you’ve confirmed with your doctor that there are no underlying conditions and have tried out the above remedies to no avail, don’t feel bad. You can just pin the blame on your parents for passing on the bad genes.

Have you been able to regrow your hair after experiencing female hair loss? Let us know who you did it.