men often lose some of their hair as they grow older. this is known as "baldness". doctors call it "male pattern baldness" because hairs often fall out in similar places. it often begins by hair falling out first from the front of the head, and then from the top of the head. after a while, all that may be left is a some hair running above the ears and around the lower back of the head. even though it is unusual for women to go bald, many women suffer from thinning hair over the top of their head as they grow old.