Hair loss in men

Causes and types: when genes cause hair loss in men

Why men lose their hair – hereditary hair loss

Hair loss has the male sex firmly in its grip. By the time men are between 20 and 30, around 12 per cent of them are already dealing with hair loss. Unfortunately, the rate continues to rise with age. In their fifties, 50% of men are already affected by hereditary or androgenetic hair loss.

• 12% of men suffer from hair loss from the age of 20–30
• 50% of men over fifty suffer from hair loss

Even though male hair loss already meets with more acceptance in our society than hair loss in women, for many it is still a burden and a restriction on their quality of life.

And that is understandable. After all, the hair is by far the most noticeable of a man’s immediately visible body areas and an expression of lightness, youthfulness and seriousness. It sends a strong biological signal and conveys valuable information about a man’s character, personality and values and about his self-image. The desire for full hair can therefore be linked all too well with the pursuit of a perfect, distinctive and masculine appearance.

Hair loss reduces quality of life

Progressive loss of hair therefore comes at the expense of quality of life. This shows implicitly in the attempt to regain, through certain actions, the freedom of one’s own outlook on life that is increasingly being restricted. Well-known trends such as “bald instead of hair” are proclaimed, as are fashion gimmicks with hats and caps in every conceivable form. What is less obvious, but can be shown ever more clearly in scientific studies today, is the fact that men with hair loss face clear disadvantages at work, for example when applying for jobs, or when choosing a partner.

What is androgenetic hair loss?

Two thirds of all men who suffer from hair loss receive the responsible genes from their parents. The effect and intensity of these genes on hair loss also depend on androgens, which is where common hair loss gets its name: androgenetic alopecia.

When is hair loss in men hereditary?

This means that hereditary hair loss can only occur if the genetic programming is present and the corresponding genetic information has been passed on by previous generations. The extent depends on how strongly the genes involved can be activated.

Scientists assume that hair loss is polygenic

Today, science assumes that hair loss is polygenic, i.e. influenced by several genes. This makes it extremely difficult to find ways of treating hair loss effectively, sustainably and without side effects. Science has also moved away from the theory that hair loss can only be passed on from the mother’s side. On the contrary: susceptibility to androgenetic hair loss can even be increased by the father’s genes. The reasons for this are not yet known, however.

Scientists are, however, fairly certain that the genetic information for androgenetic hair loss is dominant. This means that the presence of one gene in a pair is enough for it to prevail in the next generation during reproduction.

Age, stress, diet and hormones increase the likelihood of hair loss

However, the mere presence of a gene is not enough to assume that – in this case – androgenetic hair loss will actually manifest itself. How strongly a gene can exert its influence (known in technical terms as “expression”) depends on many factors. These include age, diet, stress and hormones. In other words, it is quite possible that a man who is genetically predisposed to hereditary hair loss through the two previous generations is affected only slightly or not at all. This may be because he did not inherit any of these “burdening” genes, or because the extent to which the gene in question can influence this development is not sufficiently activated.

Balding as a result of androgenetic hair loss can therefore be less or more pronounced than in family members who are also affected. A comparison by age can, however, serve as a certain guide: if father and son had similar hair density at the ages of 20 and 30, a similar course is likely. In that case it is considered very likely that the son’s hair at 40, 50 or 60 will also resemble his father’s.

Of course, alopecia androgenetica can also occur in men and women whose parents have few or no visible hair problems. This is because this hereditary condition is programmed in many genes, and the parents’ individual situation is not reflected in the combination of the father’s and mother’s genes in their child. If the mother’s genes that are less desirable in terms of hair loss come together with the father’s equally less desirable genes, the son, for example, may be faced with pronounced hair loss while the parents keep full hair throughout their lives.

Science still knows little about the genes behind hereditary hair loss in men

Surprisingly, not a single one of the genes responsible for hereditary hair loss has been identified to date, even though so many people are affected by androgenetic hair loss. Unfortunately, this also means that any hope of a relatively simple, man-made change to genetic information to switch off alopecia androgenetica fails to recognise the existing realities, and that such a dream therapy lies in the extremely distant future.