Androgenetic alopecia – understanding the cause of your Pattern Baldness

In order to deal with your androgenetic hair loss, it is vital that you understand the causes of this common health problem. Understanding the causes of androgenetic alopecia and how it occurs is crucial to correcting your condition.rnLosing hair on a daily basis is a normal occurrence in men and women. The average number of terminal hairs lost on a daily basis ranges between eighty and one hundred hairs every single day. This also applies to a large proportion of the men and women who have hair loss or are experiencing hair thinning. When facing hair loss caused by alopecia, the hair follicles shift into the resting or telogen phase and hair is shed at the same rate as people who aren’t experiencing any hair loss. The main difference is that the follicle seals itself and shuts down instead of re-entering the active hair growth stage called the anagen phase. Some forms of alopecia result in increased shedding rates, often causing whole patches of hair to fall out at the same time. Thankfully this condition is not very common. There are multiple types of alopecia, with the most widespread form being androgenetic alopecia, the main culprit in over 95% of all hair loss cases. Androgenetic alopecia isn’t restricted to a particular sex or age group, in fact men and women can both suffer from this type of hair loss. In the case of men, it is often conspicuous and visible for all to see and is popularly called Male Pattern Baldness. In women, it is normally dispersed, occurring over broader areas of the scalp resulting in blanket thinning of the hair instead of being concentrated in any noticeable form or shape of baldness. Androgenetic alopecia is broadly known as a genetic trait passed on from either your mother or father. This is why it is known as “pattern” baldness because the same patterns show up in the family from generation to generation. The passed down genes send hormonal messages to the cells in the hair follicles associated with the family pattern. These hormone messages more or less tell the papilla in the hair follicles to grow thinner and produce less hair, finally shutting them down so that they don’t grow any hair at all. The hormones that instruct the hair follicles are part of an assortment of hormones called androgens. Testosterone is an androgen that is present in both men and women. It plays an important role in the genetic code’s order for pattern hair loss. Hormone levels differ from individual to individual and fluctuate at different stages in their lives. As testosterone is transported to the hair follicle via blood, it collaborates with an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase, modifying the testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The modified testosterone causes the restriction of blood flow to the papilla under the hair follicle and this in turn causes hair loss.rnEstrogen blocks the effects of DHT and since women have higher estrogen levels than men, most women are protected from androgenetic alopecia, that is until they reach the menopause when their estrogen levels drop sharply. At this stage, DHT is unimpeded and the onset of hair thinning in menopausal women can be quite dramatic and quick. There is another important factor to keep in mind. The genes you inherit from your parents only determine the tendency towards DHT’s effect on blood flow to the papilla. When unchecked, hair loss will certainly occur. However using the right hair growth products and massage techniques that increase the flow of blood to your scalp will help combat the effect of DHT preventing your follicles from being starved of the nutrition they need to produce healthy hair.