ANDROGENETIC ALOPECIA: THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF HAIR LOSS

Androgenetic Alopecia: The Primary Cause of Hair Loss

Everyone will experience some form of hair loss in their life time.Determined by one’s condition or situation, we occasionally experience increased hair fall which is often quite alarming and could lead us to worry if this could lead to total hair loss. Luckily, most causes of hair loss are temporary or self limiting.

The most terrible cause of hair loss is androgenetic alopecia, which is a slow, but progressive type of hair loss that could lead to total baldness in men. The reason androgenetic alopecia is so dreadful that is also affects women and could happen at any age. Young individual or even teenagers can suffering from this type of hair loss.

Androgenetic alopecia or male/female hair loss is hereditary that causes the hair follicles to become hypersensitive to a hormone called DHT or dihydrotestosterone. This is predominately a male hormone normally produced in the testes. Remarkably, women alsoproducesmall quantities of this hormone, hence their hair loss.

Scientists found that DHT causes the scalp to harden or stiffen, shrinking the blood vessels leading to the hair follicles. This reducesblood flow to the scalp, which also means decreased oxygenation and nourishment to the hair follicles. This causes the follicles to weaken and shrink, producing weak and thin hair. As time passes, hair produced the follicles become tinnier and thinner until it can no longer produce terminal hair and what is left are very thin, transparent hair called fuzz or peach hair.

The only method to stop androgenetic alopecia is to stop the hormone causing it. Inhibiting the formation DHT is the only way to cut off its stiffening effect of the scalp, therefore, reopening the flow of blood to the follicles. This hair follicle rejuvenation stimulates new hair growth and stops further hair fall.

There are a lot of hair loss treatments available to inhibit DHT. Basically there are oral and topical medications. There have been a lot of controversies on the use of oral DHT inhibitors due to its serious side effects. Topical treatments on the other hand are much, much safer since the product is only applied on the scalp and its inhibitory effects are active locally.