The 287 Genes That Cause Alopecia

The genes that cause alopecia are the primary factor in determining whether or not you will experience hair loss. And this process always follows a pattern of either female-pattern baldness or male-pattern baldness. The typical first sign of male pattern baldness (MPB) is a receding hairline in the shape of an “m.” Typically beginning anywhere between the ages of 20 and 30, it will manifest itself first in the frontal region of the scalp.

After menopause, a woman is more likely to suffer hair loss than at any other time. The Ludwig pattern is a type of female pattern baldness characterized by a progressive hairline recession on the section of your hair. This pattern is frequently known as the female balding pattern. According to the findings of a study that looked at the hair loss gene in twins. Genetics are responsible for eighty percent of pattern baldness. In other words, the genes that cause alopecia are responsible.

The inherited condition known as pattern hair loss is polygenic. Meaning it can be caused by more than one of the genes that cause alopecia. According to the findings of another study. More than eighty percent of those who had fathers who had seen considerable hair loss. Also began to experience balding themselves.

It may interest you Protein Shakes and Baldness

How Many Different Genes That Cause Alopecia in Male Pattern Baldness?

In previous investigations, numerous genes were found. However, a new study conducted in the United Kingdom. Has indicated that the balding process in men is significantly more sophisticated and that several hundreds of genes that cause alopecia are involved. It found that male pattern baldness is associated with 287 different genomic areas.

This extensive study collected data from more than 52,000 male participants. Forty of these 287 areas were located on the X chromosome. This research proved beyond a reasonable doubt. That the influence of the father’s line of the family is less significant in men who developed baldness in their late thirties. And beyond when compared to the influence of the mother’s line of the family in men who developed hair loss at an earlier age.

Researchers could assign a “risk score” to an individual man by evaluating these 287 genetic areas. This allowed them to distinguish between men who were prone to experience hair loss. And those who were not prone to experience hair loss. Men who received a high rating had an almost sixty percent likelihood of experiencing moderate to serious hair loss. For instance, the percentage of men at risk for significant hair loss was just 14% among those with a low score.

Other Factors In Addition To The Genes That Cause Alopecia That Can Lead to Hair Loss

Hormones

The amount of scalp hair, or the lack of it, is influenced by his hormones. Hair thinning can be caused, in part, by an imbalance of androgens. Hormones that predominantly affect male reproductive development.

Medical Conditions

Various medical issues, such as anemia, eating disorders, iron deficiency, diabetes, lupus, and thyroid issues, can bring on hair loss. The good news, however, is that once the underlying issue has been treated, the hair will typically begin to grow back.

Diet

The quality of one’s hair can also be affected by their diet. Lack of ferritin, a protein essential for iron storage and shown to affect your body’s ability to generate hair, maybe the case if you don’t consume enough iron-rich foods. Conversely, both rapid weight loss and rapid weight increase can cause temporary thinning of the hair.

Medications

The two types of hair loss caused by a disruption in the hair’s regular development cycle are anagen effluvium and telogen effluvium. They can be a side effect of some medications or medical procedures. The more prevalent of the two conditions is called telogen effluvium, and it causes the follicles to enter their resting phase and induce hair loss before its natural time.

Anagen effluvium is a condition that affects people who are undergoing chemotherapy. This condition occurs during the anagen phase of the hairs (also known as the active growth phase), and it prevents the matrix cells responsible for producing new hairs from carrying out their duties. Telogen effluvium can be brought on by medications such as birth control pills, blood thinners, and beta-adrenergic blockers used to treat high blood pressure.

Autoimmune Disorders

Alopecia areata is a condition that results in circular patches of baldness, and an autoimmune disease can cause it.

Skin Conditions and Infections

Infections and skin diseases can also cause damage to the scalp, which can ultimately result in hair loss. Tinea capitis is the medical term for the patches of baldness that can result from an infection with the fungus ringworm, which can occur on the scalp.

Piedra is a fungal condition that affects the hair and causes the hair strands to become weakened and more prone to breaking. Piedra is produced by the accumulation of hard nodules on the hair fibers. If the condition is serious enough, folliculitis, an inflammation of the hair follicles, can damage hair follicles for good, resulting in bald spots.

Burns And Injuries

Another factor that might contribute to hair loss is being injured or burned. In most cases, this is only temporary, and once the injury has been properly treated, regular hair regrowth will resume. Scars are incompatible with hair growth; in most cases, a scarred area will never again support hair growth.

Hair Care

Despite its paradoxical appearance, taking care of your hair can cause you to lose more of it. It is a problem that occurs frequently enough to be classified as a subtype of alopecia known as traction alopecia.

Hair might become weak and brittle if you frequently use heat-styling products, such as flat irons and blow dryers. Similarly, certain styles, like braids done extremely tightly or hair extensions, can generate tension in the hair, ultimately resulting in hair breaking.

Stress

Your hair’s health can be negatively affected by stress, much as the condition of your scalp. After going through a big traumatic incident, either emotionally or physically, it is not unusual for people to notice a temporary thinning of their hair for several months.

Because this is such a big list, you may feel slightly overwhelmed. On the other hand, there is some good news: the majority of these problems only trigger temporary hair loss, which means that if you treat the underlying cause, it is likely that your hair will return to its previous state.