What Causes Baldness

Baldness has been a bane of aging males since the dawn of human kind. The weight that people place on physically pleasing aspects has led us to pursue a cure for baldness almost as fervently as a cure for some life threatening conditions.

Androgenetic Alopecia
This is a hormonal condition that is largely hereditary. In males it results balding that follows a predictable pattern that moves across the crown of the head. In women it is typically more evenly occurring and results in general thinning of the hair. The hormone that causes hair follicles to shorten the length of their growth cycle, resulting in hairs achieving shorter lengths and smaller diameters is Dihydrotestosterone.

Illnesses
Since the supply of hair is one of the first functions of the body to slow or shut down when the body has to concentrate its efforts on healing, many illnesses can cause temporary hair loss or even baldness. A malfunctioning thyroid can cause hair loss that is treatable when the cause has been diagnosed. Diet plays a very important part in the healthy production of hair. A diet that is lacking in proteins or iron can result in hair loss or balding. Correction of dietary shortfalls should halt the balding process. Cancer treatments cause a rapid loss of hair and usually result in as much as 90% of the hair to be lost. This is a temporary balding and the hair typically will return after the treatments have ceased. Alopecia areata is a disorder that causes the immune system to treat hair follicles as antibodies. The follicles are shut down and the result is baldness. A fungus called ringworm can cause patches of baldness and the fungus is easily spread but can be effectively treated with medication.

Stress
The general thinning of hair due to stress is a condition that is relieved with the easing of the stress that is causing the balding. A condition known as trichotillomania is a nervous condition where the sufferer pulls their hair out by tugging or twisting it. This is usually characterized by a centralized balding patch.