Going bald and losing hair is a fact of life for millions of men. Adults lose about 10,000 scalp hairs each day. Hair normally lives for around five years. With male pattern baldness these hairs do not always get replaced and gradually bald areas appear. This process can however take a long time and the age at which you start to lose hair does not necessary provide any clues as to how long it will be until you define yourself as bald. Most men are genetically predisposed to male pattern baldness. It is the effect of hormones on the hair follicle that produces male pattern baldness. Testosterone, a hormone that is present in high levels in males after puberty is converted to dihydrotestosterone by an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. DHT has an adverse affect on the hair follicles. Acting on a hormone receptor on the hair follicle it slows down hair production and produces weak, shorter hair, sometimes it stops hair growth from the follicle completely. This process gradually depletes your stock of hair and is normal hair loss.
The hair follicles in men who suffer from male pattern baldness appear to be genetically predisposed to being more vulnerable to the toxic effects of testosterone and DHT later in life. This hereditary disadvantage makes it probable for the DHT to cause restricted hair growth more easily and fully on the scalp. It is believed that this difficulty of the hair follicle is handed down through DNA from generation to generation. Baldness can also be caused by several illnesses and conditions. These health conditions that can cause make hair loss include:
- High temperature associated with infections or flu.
- Thyroid and pituitary problems.
- Some medical treatments radiotherapy, side effects of medications such as interferon, chemotherapy and steroida can all cause hair loss.
- Stress
- Fungal infections of the scalp
- Ringworm
- Burns
- Alpaca Areata Universalis, where the whole body is affected, or totalis where the whole of the scalp becomes bald.
