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Growth & Hair Changes in Adults

The hair's condition often reflects the body's internal condition. As the body matures, hair grows in new places, falls out in others, and changes color and texture. Hair reacts to the changes in hormones and health that come with age.

  1. Androgenic Alopecia

    • Alopecia is a condition affecting humans, in which hair is lost from some or all areas of the body, but usually from the scalp. The most common form of alopecia, androgenic alopecia, is the result of aging, genetics and hormones, and causes follicle changes that lead to miniaturization and halts growth. Known as "male-pattern baldness" in men, hair thinning takes place in the front and on the crown, progressing in a horseshoe pattern around the head, according to HairFinder.com.

    Gray Hair

    • Melanocyte cells in the follicles beneath the scalp produce melanin, the hair's pigment. Melanin determines blonde, redhead or brunette hair color, and its depletion over time causes hair to become shades of white, silver and gray.

    Hair texture

    • The declining presence of melanin also contributes to dry, gray hair. As hair becomes lighter, the texture becomes more coarse, making gray hair more curly or wiry, according to InteliHealth.com.

    Female hair loss

    • According to HairFinder.com, about 40 percent of people experience some form of hair loss. In women, androgenic alopecia is more gradual and involves thinning throughout the crown and top of the head.

    Genetics

    • Going gray and hair loss is genetically encoded in DNA. People are likely to follow in their parent's footsteps regarding when and how they gray and bald, according to InteliHealth.com.

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