Monday, April 9, 2012

Is Hair Loss Hereditary?

Most people are of the opinion that hair loss runs into the family. Children look at their parents who may be balding and assume that this is their future. In a vast majority of cases, hair loss is hereditary, passed down the genes from either side of parentage. Some studies indicate that baldness from the maternal side has a greater chance of it being passed along to a male offspring

Whilst in many situations hair loss does seem to be hereditary, there are, of course, some exceptions to this, but they are not incredibly common.

You may therefore be wondering, what exactly does cause hair loss then? Is it genetically already predetermined that you will lose you hair? The answer is yes, and no! Hair loss is affected genetics but it can be caused by factors that can be controlled or even reversed by outside forces or products.

Hair loss is caused by an increase in DHT in the scalp. A human body is programmed to produce an enzyme known as 5 alpha reductase. When the Androgen hormone in the scalp produces testosterone, which mixes with 5 alpha reductase, it produces Dihydrotestosterone or DHT. DHT is not well received by male (and some female) hair follicles, cutting off blood supply which is critical to growth of new hair.

Thinning and or balding process begins when this occurs, in other words DHT related hair loss.

DHT is not the only cause of hair loss. Dirt and oil on your scalp can also lead to an increase in the rate of hair loss, as can malnutrition and poor circulation. Lucky for you, plenty of products on the market right now can cancel out the effects of these problems and ultimately allow you to keep your hair.

Even if there are many family members who are presently balding, or indeed are bald already, this may not be your future. You can start as soon as possible to take the right supplements and use the right products to prevent any future hair loss. In the long run you will be glad you did. Even if you have already started to lose your hair, there are some great hair loss products out right now that can really turn things around for you and help you re-grow hair you have already lost.