The Balding Gene

[Capt. Pork]

Is it just an old wives tale that  you inherit this cursed fate from your maternal grandfather?

Mine lost his hair, but attributes it to a 6 month journey he took through siberia in the first quarter of the 20th century(he's going to be 100 this month), saying that countless head-baths in ice-cold water and subsequent exposure to the frigid air did something to his roots. He was a cue-ball by the time he was in his mid twenties. His brothers and sisters all lived and died with thick heads of hair--albiet not much past their late thirties, early forties, when the War came to Russia.

Currently, I'm in my mid twenties and haven't had the slightest sign of recession yet. It's thick, healthy, and the widow's peak is still as well-defined as ever. Nevertheless, I know it can come fast, and am appropriately frightened.

Is there a chance his cue-ball gene might not affect me?

[Curval]

My father claims that one summer while working construction his hair was bleached so much that it caused his hair to fall out.

[Ripsnort]

I thought the same, full head of hair until age 34. Then it took just 1 years for a huge bald spot on the top, and recession in the front, to take effect.  No worries. I just shave my head now and its actually alot easier to care for than long hair.

If you have no personal hang ups about how you look, then don't worry about male pattern baldness. Accept it as part of life and move on.  If you *do* have a hang up about your appearance, then wear a wig, or do the comb over thang.

[Sandman]

Rip has it... like him, I had huge amount of thick hair up until my mid-thirties and then it went away in the span of about three years.

I don't really worry about the look so much as I miss the warmth and really don't prefer hats. The other downside is that I can't crawl underneath the kitchen sink without coming out bloody. It doesn't take much to pierce the skin.

[LePaul]

Mine started to thin out (retreat, I like to call it) when i was in my mid 20s.  I've heard the tale that its on your mother's side...but I look very similar to my dad, whose balding..who looks like his brother, whose bald...whose father, my grandfather, was bald.  So, go figure.

For a while, I thought I'd fight it and see how it worked.  My folks encouraged me saying if they had the means to nix it, they'd try it too.

Rogaine is pretty much like baby oil.  If you wanna look like Squiggy, then its perfect for you.  I tried it for a few months a few years ago when they upped the concentration.  To its credit, it came down in price a lot and for me, was fairly effective at stopped the recession.  It was just a hassle to massage in twice a day.  And every morning, you see that greasy pillow you've been laying on (reminds me of "Coming to America" and that soul glo afro spray...when the people leaning against the wall, there's a greasy spot on the wall where their heads had been LOL).

I also tried Propecia.  I used it for about 10 months and I was getting a good deal of the hair back.  Its just a once a day pill, no hair massage or anything like that.  It blocks the form of testosterone that attacks the hair folicles.  The problem is the price.  Unless Im buying a huge gross, it was about $70 a month.  I didnt have any of the side effects they warn of, etc.  It was just the price that left me wondering why Im paying it.

As much as I like to poke Rip in the eye and tease,  he's right.  Shave it or cut it buzz-cut short (i'm doing the latter).

I've heard of some people using both drugs in unison...and with good results.  It doesnt mean you are more vain or anything.  I guess for me it was not only price but just figuring this is me, oh well!

Finally, if you want to do the hair implant (ala Mens Club or Bosely)...yeesh, that's a lot of $$.  One of my coworkers at UPS had done that and he got the Barbie-Doll head look.  Each to their own.

Yes, I miss my bangs  

[miko2d]

Capt. Pork: Is there a chance his cue-ball gene might not affect me?

 There is. And in a few years you will probably be able to know for sure if you have that gene or not, since genetic testing is developing very fast.

 Anyway, the belief of importance of hair on the success of men is totally bogus.

 Don't listen to dummies like Sandman () who says "I don't really worry about the look so much...". Unless you have an exceptionally misshapen head or do idiotic things like comb-over with a dozen hairs one feet long or such, the neatly-trimmed balding man does not have any reasons to worry about his looks.

 My hair thinned out and I started trimming it at 3.5 millimeters. My look considerably imporved compared to my wild-haired days. Short hair looks manly, disciplined and is much easier to keep looking clean. I wish I realised that before.

 Rogaine is crap. You have to rub it into your hair in the morning after shower, so your hair always looks like you slept in a dumpster for the last week. If you use Rogaine and want to look half-decent, you have to crop you hear very close anyway.
 It also screws up with your cardio-vascular system in unknown ways (it was created originally a cardio-vascular medication).

 Propecia screws up the hormones - also in unpredictable ways. There was a good evolutionary reason for the hormone affecting hair to be produced - and it fits with the rest of the chemicals in the body as pieces of a jig-saw puzzle. I wouldn't mess with it without really good reason - like real illness.

 Just get a neat short haircut and leave worrying about hair to women.

 miko

[Ripsnort]

I've heard that balding men have more testosterone than men with a full head of hair after age 40...if thats the case then that can explain why my wife is wondering "who the hell USES Viagra? Men actually *need* Viagra!???"

[Otto]

Eat a lot of chocolate and your hair will grow back.  Trust me…:aok

[Octavius]

Maternal grandfather?  Hmm... he went grey by 30.  Not bald.

My dad is bald and has been bald for 20 years I think.  He's in his fifties atm.  I have my mother's hair thats for sure.  When long it gets quite wavy.  I can slightly see what my future has in store for me if I look at my oldest brother (who is 29).  I'll be receding a bit... not too much though.  Another brother, 21, has hair like my dad.  It's thinning/receding big time..  I call him Dan Aykroyd for the hell of it.

[Saintaw]

Originally posted by Ripsnort
I thought the same, full head of hair until age 34. Then it took just 1 years for a huge bald spot on the top, and recession in the front, to take effect.  No worries. I just shave my head now and its actually alot easier to care for than long hair.
...

OMG... I'm turning 34 this year... does that mean...

[Ripsnort]

Originally posted by Saintaw
OMG... I'm turning 34 this year... does that mean...

No...it does not..that would have made me 9 years old if/when I did your mother....

[Saintaw]

lol, no what I meant was.. I'm turning 34 ... will I grow a bald spot too ?

*runs off to the closest mirror* ... pfeeeeewwwww!

[Drifter1234]

Originally posted by Ripsnort
I've heard that balding men have more testosterone than men with a full head of hair after age 40...if thats the case then that can explain why my wife is wondering "who the hell USES Viagra? Men actually *need* Viagra!???"

Rip,

Sorry to bust the bubble on this.  Several studies have a loose correlation between male pattern baldness and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (enlarged prostate).  They belief it is do to a loss of testosterone.  

Might want to consider see an urologist if you are over 40 and going bald.


Drftr

[myelo]

Originally posted by Capt. Pork
Is it just an old wives tale that  you inherit this cursed fate from your maternal grandfather?  

Short answer:  Yes.

Long answer:


Two factors are involved in this type of baldness (androgenic alopecia): genetics and sex hormones.

The predisposition to baldness is thought to be inherited as a polygenic trait, meaning more than one gene is involved. For example, if 3 genes were involved it would work like this: If you inherit one gene you would be predisposed to some hair loss later in life. If you get two genes, you start loosing hair in middle age. With 3 genes you start going bald at a young age. (This is an example only, how many genes are involved is not clear).

And a recent study indicates that the genes are more likely inherited from the father, although maternal genes also contribute.*

In addition to the genetic predisposition, androgens (male sex hormones) are also important. That’s what actually triggers the hair loss in susceptible individuals. If you don’t inherit the gene, you won’t go bald regardless of androgens. Similarly, men that are castrated before puberty don’t develop baldness regardless of their genetics.

Women can also develop this type of baldness because they normally produce some androgens, but at much lower levels than men so the baldness is usually not as sever.

*Ellis, J.A, Stebbing, M. and Harrap, S.B. (1998) Genetic analysis of male pattern baldness and the 5alpha-reductase genes. J Invest Dermatol 110, 849-853,

[myelo]

Originally posted by Drifter1234
Sorry to bust the bubble on this.  Several studies have a loose correlation between male pattern baldness and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (enlarged prostate).  They belief it is do to a loss of testosterone.  

That's almost half right.

It’s true that some studies have found an association between baldness and BPH. But that's been attributed to the fact that testosterone causes both baldness and BPH -- not because of a loss of testosterone. In fact, one of the drugs used to treat male pattern baldness (finasteride; Proscar, Propecia) is also used to treat BPH, because it blocks certain actions of testosterone.

By the way, other studies have not found such an association between baldness and BPH.