It is usually in high school when we start learning about genetics. Such as how blue eyes are a recessive gene. So is the ability to roll your tongue. We move on to fruit flies and then we start discussing sex-based genetics like male pattern baldness.
The problem is that what we were told is not exactly the truth. We were led to believe that if our fathers were bald, we would suffer from genetic hair loss as well. Sometimes, that’s true, but sometimes you may get your androgenic alopecia from your mother’s side of the family. Confused yet? Here is a basic primer in hereditary hair loss and how exactly it happens.
Is Hair Loss From Your Mother or Father?
Despite folklore that said hair loss comes from one parental side or the other, the truth is that it can be both. It turns out that hereditary pattern baldness might not be just a sex-related genetic trait after all.
For men, there are some genetic clues in looking to your parents and grandparents. Vox puts it this way, “[Y]ou can get a rough idea of your chance of baldness by just looking at both your maternal grandfather and your father’s scalps. Basically, one bald guy = bad. Two bald guys = worse.”
Geneticists suggest that as much as 80 percent of hair loss is genetic, but it does not come on a single gene. So, if your mother’s father is bald, there is a 50/50 chance that you will have the gene for hereditary hair loss. As a biological male, that means you have about a 50% chance of experiencing hereditary hair loss if your maternal grandfather did.
Will I Go Bald If My Dad Is?
If you are biologically male, probably. A 2017 review of previous studies about hereditary hair loss found that there are 63 different genes that play a role in male pattern baldness. Only six of them are inherited from the X chromosome you get from your mother.
Some current studies, according to the Vox article, are attempting to determine if it is possible to determine whether you are likely to suffer androgenic alopecia based on which side of the family you look most like. The theory is that if you look more like your mother’s side, you are more likely to lose your hair if her father did. Spitting image of your dad? You are more likely to lose your hair if he did.
Can You Reverse Hereditary Hair Loss?
Genetic hair loss is permanent and cannot be reversed. However, it can be treated.
Several medications, especially minoxidil, have had good results in slowing the progression of hereditary hair loss. Beyond that, Healthline points out there are a number of evolving therapies and treatments that can be used with varying degrees of effectiveness:
- Laser (red light) therapy to improve hair density.
- Platelet-rich plasma therapy to improve blood flow and hair growth.
- Health diet and exercise to nourish the remaining hair.
- Hair transplants.
Experiencing genetic hair loss? Call Precision Hair Restoration for help.
Whether you are concerned about hair loss you might experience in the future, hair loss you are currently experiencing, or that you already have had, the expert staff here at Precision Hair Restoration is ready to discuss your options. Contact us today for help fighting your genetics and saving your hair.
