Typical Baldness Causes

Baldness occurs when hair falls out but new hair does not grow in its place. Why it happens depends on whether you are a man or a woman. The roots cause of most baldness it genetics. With men, DHT is usually the culprit but with women it is less clear. Baldness varies by ethnic group based on genetic background but seems unaffected by environmental factors. Male pattern baldness affects roughly 40 million men and about half this amount of women. Approximately 25% of men begin balding by age 30 and over 60% begin balding by age 60. Some gradual baldness accompanies ageing in both men and women, and about half of all men are affected by male pattern baldness before they are 50. Baldness is shared by other primate species, and supports the generally accepted notion that baldness is genetic.

What is DHT? DHT is a sex hormone that acts as a body and facial hair growth promoter that can inversely affect head hair. DHT can initiate a process of follicular miniaturization whereby hair shaft width is progressively decreased until scalp hair resembles fragile vellus hair and then eventually disappears. This DHT imbalance is usually blamed on baldness genes and has traditionally been blamed on the maternal grandfather. While most experts agree that pattern baldness is predominantly determined by genetics, most also agree that both parents contribute to their child's hair loss genes.

The cause of the failure to grow new hair in female pattern baldness is not well understood, but it is likely genetic, age related, and hormonal, particularly androgens- the male sex hormones. Changes in the levels of androgens can affect hair production