WOMEN • What Is Androgentic Alopecia And Its Cause?

Coping with hair loss has taken such various steps from miracle magical ointments and potions to altering the way one wears their hair, hair additions and hair alternatives to surgical hair transplants. Baldness has been a part of the aging process as far back as history will take us. But, somehow we disregard history and can't imagine or accept the fact that there is no absolute cure at this time.

Understanding the causes of alopecia may help us cope and may indicate exactly why to date there is no absolute cure.

Androgentic alopecia is the term for either male or female hair loss and can be broken down into two parts.

1. Androgen - various hormones that affect the developmental characteristics of appearance

2. Genetic - inherited genes from either the mother or the father.

Add age which represents a time clock that signals the hair follicle to produce an enzyme named 5 alpha reductase. When the testosterone present in the follicle combines with the enzyme 5 alpha reductase it produces dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The hair follicle is extremely sensitive to DHT and thereby starts the negative process for male or female hair loss. This chemical reaction can start as early as in your teenage years but, more often starts in your twenties or thirties. Hair loss generally starts either as a receding hairline at the temples or a thinning in the crown area and progresses according to a set genetic pattern known as "male pattern baldness".

Alopecia is the term used for hair loss. Alopecia can be distinguished by a general all over thinning, a patchy void of hair area, total hair loss of the scalp or hair loss over the entire body. Some of the known causes of alopecia are physical or emotional stress, disease or illness, certain prescription drugs, poor nutrition or vitamin deficiency and as of recent research data alopecia has been linked to the immune system. Alopecia can also be the direct results of radiation therapy and/or the administration of certain chemotherapy type drugs.

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