It seems that since genetics has become known to mankind, one of its biggest problems, that being hair loss has been linked to it. Some say it truly is genetic and therefore, people who have this problem are screwed, while others are not as convinced.
We decided that this article would go ahead and explore everything you will ever need to know about hair loss in regards to the genetics side of it and we will also explore if there is any way to combat this hair loss or even reverse it even if, in the worst case, it is.
Let’s start with a bit of a history lesson on the relation between hair loss and the heredity branch of it:
Yes, genetics play a role in hair loss (it always has), but how much of a role?
This subject gets pretty involved and has been studied for years by many medical studies and the results are pretty much as one would think but for different reasons than most would guess.
With regards to males, even though around 50% of all males who’s father has early baldness will likewise experience the same hair loss at about the same time their fathers did, it is actually their mothers’ fault!
How is that possible? Where’s the logic? Let us explain!
While male pattern baldness is just like the title says, the reason for it is actually caused by several things, one being the X chromosome, which is only found in men and this is where it gets interesting…
This chromosome can only be given to the males by the mother, making at least part of the reason for male pattern baldness comes from the mother!
That would be the easy answer but it does get a bit more involved than just blaming good old mom for our hair loss!
There is also another contributing factor to male pattern baldness and that is the male hormone dihydrotestosterone or DHT for short.
How does DHT affect hair loss?
DHT is a major player in loss of hair in men 50 and over and to understand how this happens we must first understand how hair grows.
There are three stages of hair growth, the anagen stage, the catagen stage, and the telogen stage.
The anagen stage lasts about 2 to 6 years and this stage accounts for the majority, around 80% of the hair on the head at any given time.
The Catagen stage lasts about 2 weeks and it is during this stage the hair follicles renew themselves.
The telogen stage is the third stage and this is the stage the hair lays dormant meaning it is resting and this accounts for around 15% of the hair on your head.
At the end of stage three, the old hair sheds and the process starts all over again.
As we age the growth cycle becomes shorter thus the results are shorter hair each cycle until eventually, the hair is so short it does not even break the surface of the scalp.
This naturally leads to thinning and loss of hair as we age.
Add a little DHT to speed up the process and…
Now, when we introduce DHT to the hair growth cycle it seems to trigger the 2nd stage and accelerate the cycle prematurely.
Thus what might be a natural loss of hair well into our senior years begins to happen at a much younger age.
It is funny how armpit, beard and pubic hair simply cannot grow without DHT, but at the same time, it is the biggest enemy to your head of hair! This is one of those life ironies that is so sad, funny and unfortunately true.
Is there any way to combat this process from happening prematurely?
There is!
To do this we need to understand what we are looking to do and why we are doing it so let’s take a look at how DHT accelerates the hair growth process and how to stop or even reverse it.
5-alpha-reductase Enzyme
This is the enzyme that is responsible for all the trouble with hair loss and DHT as it converts the body’s testosterone into DHT which is needed for early sexual development but after that, the need for the conversion drops off.
Now, there are two types of enzymes that convert testosterone into DHT and it is the second type that we want to deal with as the first type involves the health of our skin.
Type 2 DHT will sit in the hair follicles on the head and choke out the hair creating a very unhealthy situation with dry, dull hair that is slowly dying, falling out and not returning. It shortens the time of the second cycle and thus speeds up the whole process leading to early hair thinning and eventually loss.
There are two ways you can approach treatment for this, you can take a type two selective blocker to block the effects of the type two 5- alpha enzyme.
This will eliminate the excess DHT from building up in the hair follicle and chocking them out, and it will stop the shortening of the step two process, a win, win situation!
The second thing you can do is take care of your hair by using quality hair care products, being gentle to your hair when combing and brushing, and not using hot rollers, curling irons, and hair dryers as these all damage hair and lead to possible hair loss.
Everyone wants to keep their hair throughout their entire life and thankfully there are things we can do to keep it healthy and help it grow and shine!
We hope we covered everything you need to know about this topic and we do understand there are always questions so it is your turn!
Please leave any comments or questions below and we will be happy to answer them the best we can!