What do Charles Darwin, Michael Jordan, and Yoda have in common?
They, like many other historical and
fictive individuals, are bald, in some cases by their own choice.
For centuries, a shining dome has been a symbol of intelligence, but despite this, many balding people still wish their hair would return. Scientists have long pondered,
"Why do some people lose their hair, and how can we bring it back?"
Science behind Baldness-
The full-headed among us have about
100,000 to 150,000 hairs on our scalps, and scientists have discovered two
things about this dense thicket.
Firstly, the sprouting hair we see is mostly
made up of keratin, the protein leftover from dead cells that are forced
upwards as new cells grow beneath them.
Secondly, the structures that drive hair
growth are called hair follicles, a network of complex organs that forms
before we're born, and grows hair in an everlasting cycle. This cycle has three
main phases.
The first is anagen, the
growth phase, which up to 90% of your hair follicles are experiencing right
now, causing them to push up hair at a rate of one centimeter per month.
Anagen can last for two to seven years, depending on your genes.
After this productive period, signals
within the skin instruct some follicles to enter a new phase known as catagen,
or the regressing stage, causing hair follicles to shrink to a fraction of
their original length. Catagen lasts for about two to three weeks and cuts
blood supply to the follicle, creating a club hair, meaning it's ready to be shed.
Finally, hairs enter telogen,
the resting phase, which lasts for ten to twelve weeks, and affects about 5-15%
of your scalp follicles. During telogen, up to 200 club hairs can be shed in a
day, which is quite normal. Then, the growth cycle begins anew. But not all
heads are hairy, and, in fact, some of them grow increasingly patchy over time in
response to bodily changes.
Hormonal Effect:-
95% of baldness in men can be
attributed to male pattern baldness. Baldness is inherited, and in people with
this condition, follicles become incredibly sensitive to the effects of dihydrotestosterone,
a hormonal product made from testosterone. DHT causes shrinkage in these
overly sensitive follicles, making hair shorter and wispier. But loss isn't
sudden. It happens gradually, along a metric known as the Norwood Scale,
which describes the severity of hair loss. First, hair recedes along the
temples (frontal head), then hair on the crown begins to thin in a circular
pattern.
At the highest rating on the scale, these
balding areas meet and expand dramatically, eventually leaving only a ring of
sparse hair around the temples and the back of the head. Genetics isn't
all that drives hair loss.
Long periods of stress - can release signals that shock follicles and force them into the
resting phase prematurely. Some women experience this after childbirth. Follicles
might also lose the ability to go into anagen, the growth phase. People going
through chemotherapy treatment temporarily experience this. But while balding
may look permanent, scientific investigation has revealed the opposite.
Below the skin's surface, the roots
that give rise to our hair actually remain alive. Using this knowledge, scientists
have developed drugs that shorten the resting phase, and force follicles into
anagen. Other drugs combat male pattern baldness by blocking the conversion of
testosterone to DHT so that it doesn't affect those sensitive follicles.
Stem cells -
Stem cells also play a role in regulating the
growth cycle, and so scientists are investigating whether they can manipulate the
activity of these cells to encourage follicles to start producing hair again. And
in the meantime, while scientists hone their hair-reviving methods, anyone
going bald, or considering baldness, can remember that they're in great
company.
Anthony Constantinou | Anthony Constantinou CEO CWM FX says If you have to build a new hair on mane the best and by far the most effective treatment for this genetic problem is hair transplant. If you still not satisfied with this fact you can read some good professional articles for hair concerns they would definitely resolve all your queries.
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