Hair loss is not life-threatening, but for many people it is a serious problem that leads to severe emotional distress and depression. The problem is very common, for example, according to the American Association for the Fight against Hair Loss, two thirds of men in the United States face baldness by the age of 35. And by the age of fifty, about half of men lose their hair. Sometimes even women suffer from hair loss. But despite the fact that a huge number of people face baldness, this process is still poorly understood.
About half of men face baldness. Photo source: hfe-hfe.ru
Contents
- 1 Why does hair fall out on the head
- 2 How does baldness occur in men
- 3 Why does hair fall out in women
- 4 Is it possible to stop baldness?
Why does hair fall out on the head
Several thousand years ago, people began to assume that baldness was somehow connected with male sexual development. For example, ancient doctors and ancient Greek philosophers noticed that eunuchs did not go bald, which they wrote about in their medical works that have survived to this day. Let us recall that eunuchs were servants in harems who were castrated from childhood.
In our time, scientists have confirmed this assumption – baldness occurs due to male sex hormones. It must be said that this was discovered back in the 40s. The famous anatomist James Hamilton, who studied people with mental disorders, discovered that men who were castrated before puberty never developed baldness, except in cases where they were treated with testosterone, that is, a male hormone.
In men, baldness occurs on the top of the head, while hair remains on the back and sides. Photo source: ria.ru
How does baldness occur in men
Scientists believe that male pattern baldness is linked to a hormone known as DHT (dihydrotestosterone). This hormone is derived from testosterone – about 10% of this male hormone is converted into DHT every day. As dermatologist Andrew Messenger, a researcher at the University of Sheffield in the UK, explains, the hair follicles in the skin respond to the hormone DHT by shrinking in size. Eventually, the shrinking of the hair follicles leads to hair loss.
This begs the question: why do men then have hair on the back and sides of their heads, but lose hair on the top? For some reason, the follicles in these areas of the head do not respond to DHT. As a result, a characteristic bald spot appears.
But, what is even more interesting, on other parts of the body, sex hormones lead to the opposite effect. That is, in humans, as well as animals, male sex hormones “strengthen” the hair, as a result of which it becomes darker, thicker and longer. That is why men develop a beard after puberty.
Hair loss is associated with the hormone testosterone. Photo source: ihc-russia.ru
Despite the fact that baldness in men occurs due to hormones, the problem is genetic. According to some scientists, it is inherited by about 80%. Moreover, many of the genes that are associated with baldness are not on the sex chromosomes.
Why do women lose hair
As mentioned above, not only men but also women face baldness. But why does this happen? Male and female baldness have some similarities and have the same medical term – “androgenic alopecia”. But at the same time, it is unclear whether sex hormones are involved in female pattern baldness, and if so, how?
As with male pattern baldness, hair loss in women is associated with thinning hair. However, baldness does not occur on the crown of the head, but rather all over the head. Hair loss first becomes noticeable on the parting, and then spreads to other parts of the head. Usually, baldness in women begins later than in men – after 40 years, while men begin to go bald after 30 years or even earlier.
Hair loss in women is poorly understood. Photo source: ypsed.ru
Is it possible to stop baldness?
Nowadays, the problem of hair loss is solvable. The most well-known way to avoid baldness is hair transplantation. In addition, there are now special drugs to prevent hair loss. Such drugs prevent the conversion of testosterone into the hormone DHT. However, the drugs can have psychological and sexual side effects.
It should be said that anti-baldness drugs were initially developed for men, but they can be effective for women, too, but they also carry significant risks. One of the side effects for women is an increased risk of breast cancer. Therefore, taking such drugs is not always justified. Earlier, we reported that drugs for rheumatoid arthritis and even anti-cancer drugs also help with hair loss.
One of the ways to eliminate baldness is hair transplantation. Photo source: ihc-russia.ru
It must be said that hair loss is not always related to genetics. Sometimes it occurs for other reasons – due to certain diseases. Their treatment allows you to prevent baldness even without a hair transplant or taking medications. Therefore, if a person begins to lose hair, first of all, it is necessary for a doctor to establish the reasons for this.
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But should baldness be considered a disease at all? Many people consider hair loss to be a normal, natural age-related process. Therefore, instead of looking for ways to avoid baldness, they simply learn to love their new image. Perhaps this is the most correct approach. The main thing is to remember that the bare scalp must be protected from solar radiation. Earlier, we said that bald people have an increased risk of skin cancer. Otherwise, there is nothing wrong with this.