Regardless of your age or gender, losing your hair can be traumatic and embarrassing. If you're one of the millions of people who are losing their hair faster than they would like, this guide on how to conceal hair loss will provide you with tips to make your thinning hair less evident.

• Men, women, and even children of all ages may experience temporary or permanent hair loss due to such diverse factors as stress, aging, taking certain medications, chemotherapy and pregnancy. Regardless of the reason behind your hair loss, you'll likely want to do something to conceal your thinning or receding hair. Luckily, there are several options available for those looking to hide their hair loss.

• Perhaps the most obvious method of concealing your hair loss is to simply cover your head with a:

1. Hat
2. Scarf
3. Turban
4. Wig

• There are virtually hundreds of different hats, scarves, wigs and other head wraps you can use to vary your look. For women who are suffering from hair loss in a specific area, such as the temples or forehead, wearing a stylish headband is another option.

As some celebrities and sports stars have demonstrated, sporting a cleanly shaven head can be fashionable and trendy. Shaving your head will disguise the fact that your hair is thinning or that you are only losing hair in specific areas. If you shave your head and keep it neatly short, it will demonstrate that you are confident with being bald and that you have made a personal choice to go without hair.

• Especially for women, there are several different hair styles that may help conceal hair loss. For example:

1. A perm or body weave can make thinning hair appear much fuller
2. If you're suffering from a receding hair line, try cutting bangs into your hair style
3. If your hair is thinning at the temples, ask the hairstylist to give you shorter, face-framing layers
4. If your hair is thinning at the top or near the crown, grow your hair long so you can pull it back into a ponytail to cover the thinning areas
5. You can also consider getting a hair weave or having extensions added to your existing hair

• There are several different products designed to conceal hair loss by concealing the area where the hair is thin or missing. These products either color or add hair-like fibers to the balding areas. Most of these products are designed to stay on even if your head gets wet. For example:

1. Concealers similar to cosmetic concealers are used to temporarily dye hairless areas. DermMatch is an example of a topical concealer designed to cover bald spots
2. Colored aerosol sprays can be applied to the balding areas
3. Powdery colored fibers can be applied to the affected area and then locked in using a setting spray. Nanogen is one such product

• If your hair loss is permanent and you are looking for a more permanent solution, you can consider having one of the following surgeries performed. These options should always be performed by a licensed professional and will cost more than the other options listed above.

1. Hair transplants
2. Hair plugs
3. Scalp reduction surgery

• Although hair loss can be embarrassing and traumatic, there are several different products and methods that will help conceal your thinning hair. Depending on whether your hair loss is permanent or temporary, you can cover your head with a hat, scarf or head band, try out a different hair style that more effectively covers your thinning or bald spots, use a specially designed concealer, or pursue surgical options.