Male Pattern Baldness (Androgenetic Alopecia) - (cont)

What causes male pattern baldness?

Although the causes of hair loss are not completely understood by researchers, there are thought to be many intertwining causes of male pattern baldness. What is generally accepted however (as suggested by its medical name Androgenetic Alopecia) hair loss from male pattern baldness seems to involve both hormonal (androgen) and genetic factors. There are many different kinds of hormones that play roles in the formation and maintenance of scalp hair, but the hormones that have the largest role to play are the androgens.

Testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) are the hormones that are responsible for increasing the size of hair follicles in areas such as the beard and underarm during puberty. They can also however cause hair follicles in the scalp to decrease in size later in life. It is speculated, but not proven so far, that the different reaction from various hairs on a human body to the presence of DHT is down purely to the genetic makeup of the hair itself. Thus, hair in the regions of the underarm and the beard tend to grow thicker and stronger, while the hair on top of the scalp grows thinner and weaker, becoming smaller and more Vellus-like. During this period the growing phase of the growth cycle becomes increasingly shorter, which in turn means that more hairs are shed. Although the follicles still have an adequate blood supply, they continue to shrink, and some will eventually wither and die.