Are you having problems with baldness? Is your hair falling out or thinning faster than usual? You might be suffering from male pattern baldness or alopecia. This condition affects men and women equally and can take decades to develop.

Baldness affects millions of men and women worldwide. According to Medline, before balding, it takes two to six years for hair to grow, enter a temporary resting stage, and then fall out. Understanding what causes balding is essential if you want to prevent hair loss.

DHT

Dihydrotestosterone (also known as DHT) is a hormone that plays a significant role in hair growth. A high level of this hormone levels makes your body stop producing testosterone. That forces hair follicles to retreat into their resting position. They must keep producing hair to prevent these follicles from becoming dormant again.

Heat Damage

Heat damage occurs when you expose your skin to extreme heat temperatures. Your body produces melanin, a brown-colored pigment that protects your skin from sunburns. Melanin increases the risk of hair loss, especially in areas like your scalp. There’s no way to avoid sunburn, but you can reduce your risks by wearing sunscreen daily.

Stress

Stress can lead to premature hair loss. Studies suggest that stress can affect the hypothalamus gland, which controls hormone production. Hormones regulate the hair cycle. When the level of these hormones falls, your body produces fewer hairs. Also, stress can raise cortisol levels and other stress hormones that lower blood flow to the scalp. These two factors can contribute to hair loss.

Nutritional deficiencies

When you don’t get enough vitamins and minerals in your body, it can affect hair follicles. Vitamin A aids the body in producing sebum, a natural oil produced by sebaceous glands. Sebum helps protect hair follicles from environmental damage. Lack of this mineral leads to low sebum levels and eventual hair loss.

Aging

As we get older, our bodies produce less testosterone. When this happens, the scalp sheds more often. As such, hair follicles become shorter and thinner. Each person loses about 100 hairs per day. Eventually, enough hair follicles get lost, and people lose their entire head of hair.

To slow down the progression of hair loss, visit us for further evaluation. We conduct a scalp assessment and recommend treatment options for your specific case.