Is Baldness Genetic?

There are many reasons why men and women lose their hair. It could be a medical condition, such as alopecia areata, or the side effect of treatment, such as chemotherapy. The most common reason for losing your hair is, in part, genetic. If you're healthy but going bald, chances are that you have family members with the same problem. Baldness can be inherited from either side of the family. It's not any one gene that causes people to lose their hair, but rather a combination of factors. Because of this, baldness may sometimes skip a generation.

Causes

• The most common type of baldness is male (or female) pattern baldness. It's caused by dihydrotestosterone, or DHT. DHT comes from an androgen, a male hormone that is present in both men and women. DHT binds to hair follicle receptors. As a result, hair grows thinner, making it more likely to fall out. The more DHT there is in the bloodstream, the more likely you are to lose your hair. Eventually, your hair follicles will wither away.

  Less common causes of baldness include alopecia areata, anemia, thyroid conditions, changes in hormones, stress, scalp fungus and certain prescription medications.

Types

• The scalp contains approximately 100,000 hairs. It's normal to shed around 100 hairs a day. With male pattern baldness, the hairline recedes from the forehead until all that is left is the distinctive horseshoe of hair around the back of the head. A quarter of men prone to male pattern baldness start to lose their hair before the age of 30. By the age of 60, around two-thirds are either balding or already bald.

  With female pattern baldness, there is an overall thinning of hair. Hair loss is evenly distributed all over the head, rather than in a specific area.

Genetics

• Hereditary hair loss is known as androgenetic alopecia. While it is clearly genetic, there is not a single gene that guarantees that someone will go bald. A 2008 study found that a gene on the X chromosome, EDA2R, may play a major role in male pattern baldness. Men inherit their X chromosome from their mothers, meaning that the gene is passed through the maternal line. However, a woman inherits an X chromosome from her father as well as their mother. Other genes that may play a role in hair loss are not gender-linked.

Treatments

• There is no cure for baldness, but there are treatments. Some topical medications, such as Minoxidil, can slow hair loss. They must be used continuously. Once a person stops using the product, hair loss resumes at the same rate as before. A drug called Finasteride has also been shown to slow hair loss, and even regrow hair. It, too, must be used continuously. Hair loss treatments are not available without a prescription.

Covering up

• Even though it is common, some men find baldness embarrassing. This is even more true for women, since female pattern baldness is less common than male pattern baldness. Wigs and toupees have been used for centuries to hide hair loss. Hair transplants are a more drastic and expensive solution, which can have mixed results. Some men take the other route and shave their heads completely, making it seem that baldness is a choice. Unfortunately, this is not an option for most women.