The Cause of Baldness Amongst Men and Women
Baldness is a multi-factorial process that is it is caused by a number of factors.
The exact cause of baldness is not known however studies have identified factors that either promote or speedup the process.
The following are some of the causes of baldness in both men and women; Genetics Genetics plays a crucial role in the response of hair follicles to chemicals present in the blood.
A good example of this kind of baldness that is caused by genetics is male pattern baldness.
Depending on the persons genetics individual hair follicles will respond differently to dihydrotestosterone (DHT).
Some follicles shrink in the presence of this compound, some follicles will die while others remain unaffected by this compound.
Health status The health status of a person plays a crucial role in the maintenance of hair follicles and hair.
When a person's immune system is weakened several bacteria and fungi can attack the skin on the scalp such that they may trigger irritation of the skin which will result in hair loss and baldness.
Some diseases show certain symptoms which include hair loss.
Usually this hair loss will be as a result of the toxins being released by the pathogens.
These toxins then accumulate in the scalp where they will trigger hair loss leading to balding.
Diet A person's diet contributes significantly to hair maintenance or hair loss.
Hair growth is determined by a good supply of nutrients, minerals, vitamins and energy to active hair follicles.
When these hair follicles are not sufficiently supplied with these essential growth components they tend to shrink while some die off resulting in hair thinning and baldness.
There is also another form of dieting which is called crash dieting.
These diets involve taking very low levels of nutrients so that the body sheds off weight.
This form of dieting will not only shed weight but it may also lead to reduced hair growth and increased hair shedding, resulting in baldness.
Some foods are over processed such that they become deficient in certain minerals and vitamins.
Persons eating such foods are at risk of developing deficiency diseases that lead to hair loss.
Drugs There are two categories of drugs that can be linked to causing hair loss and baldness.
The first group is the therapeutic drugs.
Certain drugs especially the ones used in cancer treatment cause hair loss.
This is so for cancer drugs have cytotoxic actions (cell killing).
The idea is that these drugs kill cancerous cells.
However while killing cancerous cells these drugs will also kill hair follicles leading to hair loss.
The next group of drugs is the sedatives and barbiturates.
These drugs affect cellular function and retard immune response.
This may cause the body to be attacked by harmful pathogens that may cause hair loss.
Steroids Certain sportsmen, especially wrestlers and bodybuilders, use steroids to enhance performance.
These steroids increase the levels of androgens in the body, particularly testosterone.
Excess testosterone in the body can accelerate baldness through the formation of DHT in the presence of the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase.
The exact cause of baldness is not known however studies have identified factors that either promote or speedup the process.
The following are some of the causes of baldness in both men and women; Genetics Genetics plays a crucial role in the response of hair follicles to chemicals present in the blood.
A good example of this kind of baldness that is caused by genetics is male pattern baldness.
Depending on the persons genetics individual hair follicles will respond differently to dihydrotestosterone (DHT).
Some follicles shrink in the presence of this compound, some follicles will die while others remain unaffected by this compound.
Health status The health status of a person plays a crucial role in the maintenance of hair follicles and hair.
When a person's immune system is weakened several bacteria and fungi can attack the skin on the scalp such that they may trigger irritation of the skin which will result in hair loss and baldness.
Some diseases show certain symptoms which include hair loss.
Usually this hair loss will be as a result of the toxins being released by the pathogens.
These toxins then accumulate in the scalp where they will trigger hair loss leading to balding.
Diet A person's diet contributes significantly to hair maintenance or hair loss.
Hair growth is determined by a good supply of nutrients, minerals, vitamins and energy to active hair follicles.
When these hair follicles are not sufficiently supplied with these essential growth components they tend to shrink while some die off resulting in hair thinning and baldness.
There is also another form of dieting which is called crash dieting.
These diets involve taking very low levels of nutrients so that the body sheds off weight.
This form of dieting will not only shed weight but it may also lead to reduced hair growth and increased hair shedding, resulting in baldness.
Some foods are over processed such that they become deficient in certain minerals and vitamins.
Persons eating such foods are at risk of developing deficiency diseases that lead to hair loss.
Drugs There are two categories of drugs that can be linked to causing hair loss and baldness.
The first group is the therapeutic drugs.
Certain drugs especially the ones used in cancer treatment cause hair loss.
This is so for cancer drugs have cytotoxic actions (cell killing).
The idea is that these drugs kill cancerous cells.
However while killing cancerous cells these drugs will also kill hair follicles leading to hair loss.
The next group of drugs is the sedatives and barbiturates.
These drugs affect cellular function and retard immune response.
This may cause the body to be attacked by harmful pathogens that may cause hair loss.
Steroids Certain sportsmen, especially wrestlers and bodybuilders, use steroids to enhance performance.
These steroids increase the levels of androgens in the body, particularly testosterone.
Excess testosterone in the body can accelerate baldness through the formation of DHT in the presence of the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase.
