I’m sitting here overlooking my window watching people passing back and forth and it got me thinking. Why is it that some men experience hair loss whilst others have long flowing hair even in their later years.

Although there are numerous factors that could contribute to hair loss occurring in men, undoubtedly the number one cause tends to be male-pattern baldness (MPB), also referred to as Androgenetic Alopecia. Essentially it’s down to your genetic makeup that you have inherited from your family line- in particular your mother and father.

A combination of that genetic makeup alongside your hormones with environmental factors throw in can form the perfect setting for MPB to occur.

Now before you head of and pin the blame solely at your parents feet. It’s important to remember that it’s not the only factor to hair loss. Researchers are quick to outline that there remains many unanswered questions in relation to inheritance and the importance of each parent. So for now mom and dad can rest easy, they are not quite guiltily without reasonable doubt.

So who are the main culprits in taking away those hair follicles?

DHT (Dihydrotesterone)

DHT is an androgen made as a byproduct of testosterone! Yes Testosterone, that sex hormone that allows you to have all your manly features and characteristics. Well, turns out this very thing also plays a big role in taking away your hair follicles. In a way a very cruel joke, it gives with the right hand, only to take away with the left.

If you are genetically prescribed to lose your hair, DHT clings into these receptors that are found in the hair follicle. This in affect leads the follicle to gradually weaken overtime and minimize, till eventually falling out altogether. DHT shrinks the follicle shortening its hair growth cycle leading to baldness.

Now, I’m sure you’re asking surely there’s a way for us to block this pesky DHT so that it leaves our hair alone. Well, there is but it’s not that simply (I know it rarely is when it comes to hair). Due to DHT being such a vital sexual hormone for males, attempting to block it with either medical drugs or natural methods can come with side effects such as erectile disfunction as well as increasing the risk of developing prostate cancer.

The development of DHT is a natural process, it will affect everyone differently. Those built with a greater sensitivity genetically than others are more prone to experience a decrease in their hair.

While it might seem that some men produce more testosterone than others it’s not always the case. MPB and testosterone are most definitely linked together but if you’re thin up top it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve got more testosterone than an 80’s action hero. So keep reading and see what other reasons cause hair loss.

Stress

Ever since I can remember I have heard about this being the contributing factor to hair loss. Whilst there has been enough research conducted to back this claim up, we have to analyse what sort of stress is capable to effect your hair follicles.

Can the person next to you on the train talking loudly drive you mad as he proceeds to carry out his fourth call of a 20 min journey, or how about your boss driving you insane piling on the work as soon as you have just completed that previous pile, Or finding yourself being stuck in traffic every day when all you want to do is head home in time for that big evening game.

Can these situations cause stress? Absolutely, can these situations be enough to affect your hair? Chances are most likely-no. Highly emotional stress or shock from a traumatic experience such as a death of a close relative can cause hair loss.

What tends to happen to the hair follicles in this sort of situation is they are driven into the shedding and resting stage of the hair growth cycle. This sort of hair loss is referred to as Telogen Effluvium. Usually, this a temporary form of hair loss and once time has passed and the stress levels are lowered, hair can grow back.

Another form of hair loss that is linked from stress is Trichotillomania. This is better known as the hair pulling disorder. Due to high levels of stress and anxiety an individual can’t resist the urge to pull out hair from their scalp as well as hair from the face and other parts of their body.

Diet

The old saying of ‘you are what you eat’ is usually mentioned to the notion of to be fit and healthy you need to eat good and healthy food. Can this saying ring true for hair loss? Yes but not exactly how one might think. A poor diet can complicate the situation with your hair. In order to have healthy hair you need the right amount of essential proteins, nutrients, vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. If you are deficient in any of those it can lead to complications.

If you have too many cheat meals it might not directly make those hair follicles fall right out but what it will do is affect the quality of your hair. Brittle and weakened hair that has been starved of the essentials it needs to grow will only shorten its life span.

Rapid weight loss diets can have an impact on your hair loss. This is because many of these diets strip you of the essential nutrients in order to lose weight. Restricting healthy food and proteins in order to cut weight can negatively affect your hair. Drastic changes in weight from crash diets whether gaining or losing those extra couple of kilos will damage your hair and due to the deficients from the lack of eating the right food, will inhibit your bodies ability to support your hair follicles.

On the other side, weight gain can also impact your hair. Those who fancy themselves as a bit of bodybuilder will take in increased levels of DHT from consuming supplements such as creatine. This doesn’t help your cause if you are already suspect to MPB.

Experiencing hair loss from a diet is possible but should be checked with your doctor as it’s not usually the reason for hair loss alone. However, it’s an important enough factor to consider if you see any changes in your hair. So you really need to watch what goes into your body, it’s not just affecting the waistline but also potentially that hairline.

Drugs, Supplements and Medications

Drugs

It comes as no surprise that taking drugs can be a major risk to your health. They may also be affecting the overall health of your hair follicles. It’s argued that bad habits such as smoking can harm the follicle and cause damage to your hormones. Whilst the link from smoking to hair loss is an iffy subject to say the least, what can’t be argued is that knocking the habit out of your system will bring with it greater health benefits regardless.

In terms of other recreational drug use there may be a link that these drugs cause your adrenalin levels to rise up and affect your hair growth cycle. This is a area that has not be researched enough to provide a definite answer but they could potentially be playing a part.

Medications

As for taking pills to treat various medical issues such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis and other prescribed medications, this is a more complicated answer. Certain illnesses are of a life threatening nature and medication is a necessity.

Hair loss may occur in some men due to the sensitivity and how their metabolism functions in regard to the drug and dosage. Again, each individual will react differently to a specific drug so it’s difficult to analyse just who might suffer from side effects from taking some medications.

The good news is that the type of hair loss caused by medications is usually short term, hair loss may be reversed once you stop taking the drug after consulting your doctor.

The only way to really know if the drug you’re taking is contributing to hair loss is to stop taking that particular drug or to replace it with another if possible to see if the hair lost is down to that specific drug. However, this matter should be discussed with your doctor first and foremost and should never be your own decision; some medications are a vital necessity and to stop taking them might cause disastrous consequences.

Supplements

While we all recognise that taking our vitamins and minerals is important for our hairs health. There’s also the possibility that over dosage on vitamins may also lead to hair loss. Taking too much of the recommended dosage of Vitamin A can lead to Telogen Effluvium. So it’s important to follow the directions and speak with your doctor if you have any concerns regarding your hair loss in affects of drugs, supplements and medications.

Another form of misuse are anabolic steroids; these are manufactured drugs that are taken to improve muscle mass and improved athletic performance. Taking these can lead to psychological as well as physical changes including hair loss.

Medical Issues and Infections

Underlying medical issues and a weak immune system can also bring on hair loss. Medical conditions such as thyroid disease. This is when your thyroid gland produces too much (hyperthyroidism) or too low (hypothyroidism) hormones, thus affecting the hormones that regulate the body’s metabolism. This can cause dry skin, fatigue, memory issues and of course hair loss.

Other medical issues include auto immune diseases such as alopecia areata and lupus that attack hair follicles. There is also diseases that cause scarring. Scarring hair loss; know as cicatricial alopecia, is when a combination of rare disorders destroy the hair follicle and replace it with scar tissue instead. Lichen planus – a skin rash that is called on by the immune system. Sometimes this form of scarring can cause permanent hair loss.

Skin conditions and fungal infections such as Ringworm (Tinea Capitis), Folliculitis, Psoriasis, Seborrheic Dermatitis as well as many others; that inflame the skin and cause patches of hair loss. These infections can usually be tamed by anti fungal shampoos and creams but they can never truly be treated. They are common mostly in young children but can occur anytime after puberty.

Also eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia can strip you from the vital Iron and Protein required for strong and healthy hair. While as mentioned before medication used to treat illnesses such as cancer, heart problems, depression can all trigger hair loss.

Honourable Mentions

Age

As we grow older we are likely to see our hair count go down gradually regardless if we suffer from any of the reasons cited above. On a daily basis we will lose anywhere from 50 to a 100 hair strands throughout the day in what is seen as normal process in the hair growth cycle.

Weight

There is research that argues your high BMI (Body Mass Index) might be at fault for your hair loss. Especially if you are suspect to MPB already. So that’s extra motivation to start exercising!

Hair Styles

Certain hair styles that are constantly worn very tight over a long period of time and pull the hair back can add pressure on the hair follicles causing traction hair loss. This type of hair loss may be revered if you stop wearing your hair in this tight style and address the issue quickly before long term damage has occurred.

Conclusion

There’s a lot of different factors and your hair loss could be any one these. It may also be a combination of these factors that leads to a thinning of hair. Although inherited genes remains the most common reason for hair loss, it might not be the only cause.

Let us know down in the comments your experience with hair loss.