Bald Men Still Have All of Their Hair Follicles

Are bald men sexier? Some women seem to think so, but if you look at the millions of dollars that are spent each year by men getting their hair restored, then you might think differently. Some say that certain people just look better bald and some don't.. One comedian remarked that Black men look sexy bald (think Michael Jordan) while other people don't (hey dude, when did you start chemo?) Regardless, I think that most men feel their masculinity is threatened by going bald.

Male pattern baldness or androgenetic alopecia, is inherited. If your father and grandfather were bald at an early age, then chances are that you will be too. My brother was bald by the time he was twelve. My mom always said that his head was left "in the oven" too long.

Hair loss is actually related to the body's response to a hormone called androgen. This hormone regulates the growth of facial and other hair in males when they reach puberty. Interestingly, monkeys and gorillas, and baboons can also suffer from hair loss just like humans.

According to Medical News Today:

"However, surprisingly little is known about its cause (of hair loss) at the cellular level considering the stress it seems to cause amongst the male population. Male pattern baldness follows a typical sequence or pattern, and air loss can start in different areas but is usually at the temples and/or on the crown of the head."

Sometimes men will try to hide the hair loss by doing the classic "comb over' or by wearing a toupee. Both of these methods can look pretty hilarious.

In the past it was all laid at the door of hormones going astray, but now new research has shown that stem cells may play a role. Why not? Stem cells seem to play a role in everything nowadays.

It seems that the problem lies with the activation of the stem cells in the hair follicle rather than the number of stem cells. What this all means is that with male pattern baldness you actually don't lose any of your hair. Instead the hair follicles shrink and you end up with a bunch of microscopic hair on the bald part of your scalp.

Even though the researchers found the same number of stem cells on the scalp of a bald person, the ones who lack hair were deficient in a more mature type of stem cell called a progenitor cell. But the problem is that right now they don't know why this is so.

Future research will be to try to develop topical ointments like Minoxidil that will treat this type of condition and make the hair follicles grow again.

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/212896.php