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September 2006

Mom’s genes play key role in men who develop baldness


Experts believe that maternal genealogy plays a key role in a person’s predisposition to developing baldness or thinning hair.

"If the hair loss gene is on the mother’s side, it is likely that most, if not all, the male children will have thin hair or suffer hair loss.

But if the hair loss gene is on the father’s side – the children have a 50/50 chance (or even less) of developing baldness," explained Dr. Gio E. Dimayuga, a fellow of the Philippine Dermatological Society (PDS).

"They say that if a woman has very thin hair (although females usually never go bald and if it is the hereditary kind, their hair only becomes thin to severely thin), it is likely she is carrying the hair loss gene," he added.

"Eighteen years old is the youngest patient I have encountered with male pattern hair loss (MPHL). On the average, most of my patients with MPHL are in their early 30s," he said.

"Most of them see me because they are concerned about their hair getting thinner – when they start to notice more hair on their pillow or in the sink."

"Of the 20 patients I see each day, 10 percent complain of hair problems. One patient in every 10 has MPHL — whether male or female.

What many people do not know is that male pattern hair loss also affects women, although the proper term would be Androgenetic Alopecia. However, unlike men, women never really lose all their hair, they just experience hair thinning," he said.

Male pattern hair loss or Androgenetic Alopecia, is the most common form of hair loss among men. It accounts for approximately 95 percent of all cases of hair loss in men.

This type of hair loss involves inheriting a gene that makes a person’s hair follicles more susceptible to a chemical in the body called dihydrotestosterone or DHT.

That is why men with male pattern hair loss usually have elevated levels of DHT in their balding scalp.

Experts believe that DHT contributes to the progressive shrinking of hair follicles and a decrease in the number of visible hairs on the scalp. DHT and family history are believed to be the key factors in hair loss.

According to the experts, male pattern hair loss is both progressive and predictable. "Progressive because if you do not do anything about the hair loss, it would only get worse. It is definitely not going to get better, that’s for sure.

It will only get worse. Predictable because since it is hereditary, you can predict the progress of your hair loss based on the hair loss seen in your father’s side or mother’s side of the family.

If both sides have severe thinning and hair loss, you are likely to end up with the same degree of hair loss," Dr. Dimayuga explained.

"However, if male pattern hair loss is detected early enough, with the advent of medications like finasteride, the patient can retain the hair that he still has and possibly re-grow everything back. If the hair loss is minimal, the treatment results would certainly be very good.

But if you wait too long (like when your scalp is already shiny and there’s no more hair) then it’s just a 50/50 chance of keeping all your hair. The best time for a man to start treatment is when he is in the late 20s or mid-30s, when they still have hair," stressed Dr. Dimayuga.

Because finasteride works by significantly reducing the amount of DHT in the scalp, inhibiting the formation of DHT in the scalp, it helps stop hair loss in its tracks. By lowering the DHT in the scalp, this pill helps to stop the further shrinking of affected hair follicles.

This hair loss drug is also known to help re-grow visible hair and reduce further hair loss. It is, in fact, the first and only FDA-approved pill proven to treat male pattern hair loss, on the vertex (top of head) and anterior mid-scalp area (middle front of head), but in men only.

"Finasteride is very effective for hair loss in the crown (top) area of the head. But for hair loss that is on the temporal (front) area, like a high forehead, it doesn’t do so well. That is why I sometimes need to combine the finasteride pill and minoxidil.

But the bottomline is: The earlier you treat your hair loss (while you still have hair and it is in the earlier stages of balding), you can expect the best response, the best results," concluded Dr. Dimayuga.

For men who want to manage their hair loss problems, it is best to seek prompt treatment so as to avert further hair loss and to possibly re-grow the lost hairs.

Consult a dermatologist and find out more about oral hair loss treatment. You can help restore your normal hair cycle.

PROHair is an advocacy program developed by pharmaceutical company Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) and the Philippine Dermatological Association (PDS) to manage and treat MPHL among Filipino men.