Hair Loss Is As Natural As Ageing
Most people with hair loss simply have an unfortunate genetic tendency to start losing their hair at a certain age. This is a condition that if untreated will get progressively worse, and an understanding of this truth will help those who suffer from hair loss know what they can really do, in practical terms, about their hair loss.
It is an unknown fact that everyone suffers from a tendency for hair loss to some degree, as very few of us when we are in our fifties, sixties, and seventies will have the head of hair we had in our teens. The degree of hair loss we suffer becomes more apparent as we age, and those people with a greater genetic predisposition for hair loss usually start losing their hair earlier and to a greater degree than those with a lesser genetic predisposition.
At approximately twenty-five years of age, twenty percent of men will show some signs of hair loss or thinning of the hair, but by the age of sixty the percentage increases to about seventy-five percent. Of this seventy-five percent, half will have significant baldness on the front and top of their heads.
Women too will experience hair thinning as a result of their hair follicle’s genetic programming, however, noticeable hair loss in women will typically only occur after menopause. The entire genetic mechanism that causes hair loss is not completely understood, however, we do know that in individuals with pattern hair loss, particular hair follicles are genetically programmed to be more sensitive to a hormone circulating in the blood, dihydrotestosterone, the “male” hormone, although women have low levels as well.
This hormone is abbreviated to DHT and is formed from testosterone. The main cause of pattern hair loss in both men and women is this hormone DHT in the blood signaling the hair follicles genetically programmed to be sensitive to DHT to stop growing new hairs.
General texts like this are not intended as a substitute for competent, professional medical advice. As with anything medical, you should consult your physician for his advice before you consider making any changes, or taking any medications.