Going bald: hair loss may seem out of your control, but there are things you can do to help prevent it
Written by Male Pattern Baldness Writer on March 11th, 2010Teenage boys with a male adult in the family who is bald or losing his hair may be asking themselves this question: Am I going to be bald when I grow up?
The answer is … maybe. Among adults, the most common cause of hair loss is androgenetic alopecia, sometimes called male-pattern baldness. This condition is caused by a combination of factors, including the presence of hormones in the body called androgens. Genetics, traits that are passed down from generation to generation, also play a role. So if your father or grandfather is going bald, then there is a chance that you may too. And hair loss can start as early as the mid-teen years.
(For girls snickering out there, women can lose their hair over time too. But androgenetic alopecia in women rarely leads to total baldness.)
The truth is that people lose hair every day. Most people lose about 50 to 100 hairs a day, according to Kidshealth.org. New hairs replace these hairs by growing in their place. Studies have shown that when that doesn’t happen, it is often due to hormones in the body and genetics.
Regarding hormones in the body, medical studies have shown that men with androgenetic alopecia typically have lower levels of total testosterone, and higher levels of free testosterone and total free androgens than people who don’t go bald. Studies that have examined the genetic role of hair loss have yielded conflicting results. Some show that male pattern baldness is more likely to be inherited from a person’s mother rather than father. Others show the opposite.
But before you go blaming the older generations in your family for your hair loss or even the possibility that you may lose your hair, there are two other reasons why a person may start going bald that you have a lot of control over. The first is hair treatments and styling. Having your hair chemically treated, such as getting it colored, bleached, straightened, or permed, can cause damage that may make the hair break off or fall out temporarily. And wearing hair pulled so tightly so that it places tension on the scalp can result in a condition called traction alopecia, reports Kidshealth.org. Traction alopecia can be permanent if the style is worn for a long enough time that it damages the hair follicles.
Another factor that can cause hair loss is poor nutrition. This is why some people suffering from eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia lose their hair. What happens is that their bodies aren’t getting the necessary protein, vitamins, and minerals to sustain hair growth. So if you want to keep the hair on your head, please eat balanced meals that include meats, fruits, and vegetables, along with carbohydrates.