7 reasons why men lose their hair

A receding hair line and balding on top is primarily a result of excess male hormone (testosterone). Sounds a little technical but put simply, Testosterone + 5 Alpha Reductase (an enzyme) gets converted to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a major cause of hairloss in men. DHT reduces the growing phase and extends the resting phase of hair. This results in Male Pattern Baldness. But for the above to happen, you need to have some triggering factor.

Following are the most commonly seen triggering factors for Male Patterned Baldness:

1. Creatine is a chemical that’s found in protein shakes and other gym supplements. Creatine is proven to help strengthen muscles while providing the user with an increase in strength, making it ideal supplement for high intensity training. The component creatine does not attack hair follicles but it does accelerate the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone by increasing testosterone in the bloodstream which is proven to accelerate male pattern baldness. Hence if you have a strong family history of male pattern baldness and you want to hold onto the hair for as long as possible, it’s probably a good idea to stop taking Creatine.

2. Stress triggered hairloss is generally short-term or temporary. Once the stress factor is reduced, there is often re-growth, although the process can take up to six months or more, provided no stressor exists. Chronic stress can cause substantial damage to your hair sometimes leading to permanent baldness

3. Harsh shampoos damage the hair shaft making it dry and brittle. Hair colours and dyes are harmful for your hair, but these have become a necessary ‘evil’ in our times. It is always better to do a patch skin test, if you are colouring or dyeing your hair to see if your skin reacts adversely. If your skin does not react, you can safely apply the colour or dye on the scalp. One good option is using a colour or dye with no ammonia. Coloured hair requires special care such as color-protect shampoos and conditioner regularly, protecting from harsh sunlight and washing hair with cool water (at best, lukewarm water).

4. Smoking causes hairloss. It makes the hair follicle very weak and progressively the hair dies off. It can also cause pre-mature greying of hair.

5. Certain conventional medicines used for treating high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, depression, anxiety, sleeping problems, thyroid diseases are known to cause hair loss. These medicines disrupt the hair cycle and shorten the growing phase of hair causing the hair to go into a resting phase and fall out prematurely.

6. Protein, iron, vitamin B12, folic acid and biotin. Hair follicles contain ferritin- the protein that stores iron. Whenever there is iron-deficiency in the body, ferritin from the hair follicles is moved and used up for more essential body functions, lack of ferritin in the hair follicles affects the hair’s ability to grow. A low zinc level in the body is another cause of hair fragility, weakness and breakage that is often overlooked. Zinc deficiency can affect the hair on your scalp as well as the eyebrows and eyelashes.

7. Disturbed sleep and Insomnia is a known triggering factor for hair loss.

Every case of male patterned baldness is different with different intensity of hairloss. Visit our clinic and let our expert doctors guide you on the cause of hairloss and the most suitable hair loss treatment for men. It is always better to save yourself in the present condition rather than deteriorating completely and then running around for treatments which would not serve any purpose.