Causes of Hair Loss
Hair loss is one of the very common disorders that affects one-third of the world’s population. The causes of hair loss are very wide-ranging, including genetic, environmental, and health-related factors. Despite having many reasons for hair loss, like genetic predisposition, stress, scalp problems such as dandruff or bacteria, nutritional deficiencies, and hormonal imbalances, genetic factors dominate the cause of hair loss in men. This form of alopecia accounts for about 95% of male baldness and also occurs in millions of women worldwide.
Male pattern baldness is another term for androgenic alopecia, which is inherited in a primary pattern. The genetic code that predisposes one to alopecia can be inherited from either the mother or father, hence explaining why the condition is very familial. The first scientist to link male pattern baldness to androgens, which include testosterone, was Dr. James Hamilton. According to his research, one who has a genetic tendency for baldness can start losing hair even when there is a normal amount of androgens in the blood. Basically, male pattern balding occurs when a genetically inclined person has an androgen level that causes miniaturization of hair follicles, which leads to a progressive thinning of the hair. Age seems to exaggerate it, though the degree of and the pattern of hair thinning may vary widely. Usually, unpredictability characterizes the pattern of thinning though, with time, the balding tendency tends to be more marked owing to the continued exertion of the genetic factor.
Therefore, androgenic alopecia is a genetically determined condition in which androgen hormones, specifically in the presence of certain genes, prompt gradual hair loss. Although this is the basic cause, other contributing factors can increase the rate of hair loss in predisposed people.
