Hair Loss Facts
Hair plays a significant role in our lives. Another person's hair is one of the first characteristics we notice upon meeting them. Our own hair is one of the first and last things we attend to before a meeting or a social event. Hair disorder, especially when severe, often profoundly affects the lives of those affected as well as the people they surround themselves with. Severe hair loss evokes cosmetic concerns, feelings of vulnerability, loss of self-esteem, alterations of self-image and self-identity.
By far, the most common form of hair loss is determined by our genes and hormones. Also known as androgen-dependent, androgenic, or genetic hair loss. Other common names for genetic hair loss include baldness, diffuse hair loss, male or female pattern baldness.
- Male Pattern Baldness(MPB)
- Signs and Symptoms
- Receding hairline
- Moderate to extensive loss of hair, especially on the crown
- Horseshoe balding pattern on top of the head
- Female Pattern Baldness(FPB)
- Signs and Symptoms
- General thinning of hair all over the head
- Moderate loss of hair on the crown or at the hairline
MPB, or male pattern baldness, is the most common cause of hair loss in men. The hair loss normally begins at the temples, which gradually recedes to form an "M" shape. You will also find that your hair is finer and does not grow as long as it once did. The hair on the crown begins to thin and eventually the top points of the "M" meet the thinned spot on the crown. Over time, you are left with a horseshoe pattern of hair around the sides of your head. Any remaining hair in the balding area is very thin and grows at a below normal rate.
FPB, or female pattern baldness, begins around the age of 30, becomes noticeable at the age of 40, and may be even more noticeable after the onset of menopause. Female hair loss is normally an overall thinning, two hairs where five hairs used to be, rather than a bald area on the top of the head. Women may experience a receding hairline in some cases. Hair loss affects nearly 30 million women in this country. Just as in men, the hair follicles simply shut down, with hormones playing some role in the process.
The Mechanism of Balding
The rate of hair loss is caused by three factors: aging, an inherited tendency to bald early, and an over-abundance of the male hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) within the hair follicle. DHT is a highly active form of testosterone, which influences many aspects of male behavior, from sex drive to aggression.
The conversion from testosterone to DHT is driven by an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase, which is produced from the prostate, various adrenal glands and the scalp. Over time, the action of DHT causes the hair follicle to degrade and shortens the anagen phase. Some follicles will gradually die, but most will shrink to the size they were at birth and produce weaker hairs. With a steadily shorter anagen growing cycle, more hairs are shed, the hairs becoming thinner and thinner until they are too fine to survive daily wear and tear. The hair changes from long, thick, coarse pigmented hair to fine unpigmented sprouts.
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