All of us men and some women have the fear of thinning and receding hair. Unfortunately most of us men can blame it on our fathers. Recently I have noticed that my hair has been thinner than usual and I want to get to the bottom of it. According to Huffington Post, about 66% of men experience some form of hair loss by the age of 35. That number increase to about 85% of males by the age of 50. The most common type of hair loss is called male patterned baldness (Scientific Name – Androgenic Alopecia) which is typically described as the hair at the temple starts to recede. This will eventually create a small spot of hair at the front of your hairline because you will start to lose the hair on the crown of your head simultaneously.
So what is the science behind how hair loss actually occurs. The science behind it isnt completely understood yet, but there is a well known belief of the root cause. As stated by American Hair Loss Association, it starts occurring when enzymes in the body start converting testosterone into dihydro-testosterone (DHT). Hair follicles are sensitive to DHT, so it essentially shortens the life of each follicle that it had contact with. If it was affected it is rendered basically useless and is now unable to produce quality hair follicles.
As always we know in science things are meant to be proven wrong, and this leaves much opportunity for someone to contest this theory. The thought of correlation does not equal causation is very relevant in this theory because there has a possibility of being many third confounding variables in someones life. A few of the most common are though to be:
- Diet
- Stress
- Lack of sleep
- Lack of protein
- Various medications
It is nearly impossible to test many of these factors and the effects they have on someone over time to there is not very much data to eliminate or prove any of these factors.
Overall, this is something none of us men can avoid. Its just something we have to expect will probably happen to us. For those who may experience some of these issues or want to get ahead of the curve, here is a link to help prevent your hair loss.
Hair loss is something that I have seen my dad fret over on many occasions. I have always thought hair loss has been due to old age and stress. However, you state in your blog post that other major reasons were due to dieting, lack of sleep, lack of protein, and various medications. This leads me to question the process of becoming bald. According to the Mayo Clinic, most people shed anywhere between 50 to 100 hairs per day. Hair loss also seems to relate to family history, hormonal changes, medical conditions, and medications. These reasons I just listed seem to relate to the reasons you listed in your blog article which presents a better understanding of the process of hair loss. To find out more in depth information in regards to the reasons I listed you can click on the article below!
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hair-loss/basics/causes/con-20027666