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What Causes Androgenetic Alopecia?

Androgenetic alopecia, often referred to as male pattern baldness, is the most common cause of hair loss in men. According to the American Hair Loss Association, at least two thirds of American men experience some androgenetic alopecia by age 35, which causes hair thinning and loss. The condition is also one of the primary causes of female pattern baldness. The causes of androgenetic alopecia involve mostly genetic factors.

  1. Sensitivity to Dihydrotestosterone

    • The main cause of androgenetic alopecia involves a sensitivity to a byproduct of testosterone called dihydrotestosterone, or DHT. DHT causes hair follicles to shrink. If you have androgenetic alopecia, your hair follicles have a shorter lifespan and are more likely to stop producing healthy-looking hair. Androgenetic alopecia caused by DHT sensitivity causes hair thinning and loss across the top of the scalp, leaving the rim of hair that is typical to male pattern baldness, according to the American Hair Loss Association.

    Genetics

    • Sensitivity to DHT is an inherited condition. The genes you inherit from your mother's or father's family play a role in its development. Androgenetic alopecia is most common in caucasian men, followed in percentage of incidence in the population by Asian and African American men. Native American men are the least likely to develop male pattern baldness, eMedicine notes.

    Aging

    • Androgenetic alopecia is much more common in older people. The American Hair Loss Association reports that 85% of men over 50 have the thinning hair associated with the condition. It is also much more common in older women than younger, affecting up to 75% of women over age 65, according to eMedicine.

    Hormonal Imbalances

    • In women, hereditary imbalances in hormone levels such as DHT can also cause androgenetic alopecia. Most women with androgenetic alopecia experience thinning across the whole scalp, however, and not in the rim shape of male pattern baldness. Having ovarian cysts, taking birth control pills, pregnancy and menopause are also factors that may upset hormone production and lead to the development of androgenetic alopecia in women.

    Associated Conditions

    • Research from the National Library of Medicine has shown that men who have androgenetic alopecia have an increased risk of coronary heart disease and enlarged prostate. Women with androgenetic alopecia have an increased risk of polycystic ovary syndrome, a hormone problem accompanied by weight gain and menstrual irregularities.

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