Common wisdom has it that for men, if you want to find whether you’ll go bald or not, just look at your mother’s father: if he wasn’t bald, then you’re most probably safe. If he was, you might be in trouble.
Well, despite things being much more complicated than this, science and modern research found some truth in the above statement. Male pattern baldness appears to by mostly determined be genes, with some of these crucial genes that eventually determine your hair loss, do tend to come from your mother’s father. But why is this a male thing only? Why women don’t experience hair loss as often as men?
Let’s find out. (the article continues after the ad)
Alopecia occurs when enzymes in our body convert testosterone into something called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). And it’s this DHT testosterone by-product that attacks hair follicles by shrinking them and making them hard to live hence, causing baldness to the affected person. These enzymes are hereditary and that’s why some people have them, some don’t. Moreover, the amount of these enzymes as well as they amount of receptor’s on a persons head, determines how quickly one will experience hair loss – the more receptors/enzymes, the more and quicker the hair loss. But, why are women less affected?
Well, because dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is a by-product of testosterone, and testosterone is the primary male hormone, women are not as dramatically affected as men, because their bodies simply don’t have a great amount of testosterone.
As simple as that!
BONUS FACT: Research shows that nearly half of men will be affected by hair loss by age 50. On the other hand, only a quarter of women will experience hair loss at that age.
If you like what you read, then you will definitely love this one: Men Can’t Nurse Babies, So Why On Earth Do They Have Nipples?
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Sources: Why is Hair Loss More Common in Men than Women? | Why Hair Loss Is More Common In Men, And What You Can Do About It | The Genetics of Balding